Humility is more than just a word, but it refers to that which is necessary for a soul to have Christ. It is not just something that a person can fight with self to obtain; it is that which is beyond the power of self to do since humility is the absence of self or the emptying of the soul of self. It is more than just something a person does in order to live, but instead it has to do with the life of the humble Savior in the soul. The proud want to exalt self and do all for the sake of self, but the truly humble hate the remnants of slavery to self and desire to be free from self in order to be instruments of His glory in the world. The proud want to be full of self and the desires of self, but the truly humble want nothing else than to be nothing so that God may be all to the soul.
“The Christian life has suffered loss, where the believers have not been distinctly guided to see that, even in our relation as creatures, nothing is more natural and beautiful and blessed than to be nothing, that God may be all; or where it has not been made clear that it is not sin that humbles most, but grace, and that it is the soul, let through sinfulness to be occupied with God in His wonderful glory as God, as Creator and Redeemer, that will truly take the lowest place before Him.” (Andrew Murray)
Even within the professing Church the desire to be a celebrity seems to drive much of what happens. It happens in local churches when some want to lead music, present dramatic plays, special music, and many times even in the preaching. It happens beyond the local church in concerts, plays, and in conferences with famous speakers or speakers who want to become famous. There is also the desire to be known as an evangelist or author. There can be a drive to be a famous professor. There can be the desire to grow a church so one can write a book on the issue, speak at a conference on it, or perhaps get a bigger church. The issue, regardless of the desire for fame, is that of a heart that wants self to be honored and exalted in this world.
Andrew Murray puts his finger on the same vitally important point that Jesus made over and over again. The greatest is the most humble. The true blessedness of the believer is to be empty of self and nothing so that God may be all. The Pharisees were focused on self in all they did and in that they picture much of what is going on within the professing Church today. “Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things and were scoffing at Him” (Luke 16:14). Jesus has just told them that “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth” (Luke 6:13). As someone has said, “history teaches us that we do not learn from history.” The Bible also teaches us that sinners do not learn the real lessons of the Bible. Lovers of money today also scoff at the idea that they cannot serve God and money. So ministers, ministries, and all sorts of other things continue to rake in the big bucks while thinking that they are serving God and not money. The Pharisees did not see themselves as lovers of money and of honor and so many today don’t see it either.
The Pharisees loved to pray in order to be seen by men (Mat 6:5). They loved to do so-called ministry so that they could be honored. If you asked them why were doing those things, they would have said that they were doing them out of love for God or out of duty to God. So there are many “doing ministry” today that would certainly have the right answers to give when asked of their motives. But one thing is severely lacking in all of this. That is, as Murray said, to be nothing. Jesus told us not to let our left hand know what the right hand was doing. We are to do our good deeds in secret and have Him as the love of our hearts. The humble heart that loves God only wants God to get the glory and does not want self to be honored at all. The soul that has been emptied of self no longer desires self to receive honor because the love of God dwells in that soul and its focus is toward God and God alone.
One great difference between a false humility and a true one is that a false humility has not truly learned at the foot of true grace. True humility only comes as a result of grace in the soul. The Law will humble a person before God so that it knows that it cannot save itself, but grace actually saves the soul and delivers it from the guilt of sin, the punishment of sin, and the power of sin. The Law will humble a person in one sense externally, yet grace empties the soul of self and then imparts to that soul the life of Christ which is a humble life. The soul that has been broken by the Law and by grace is not a person that desires celebrity status in God’s name. It is a soul that loves to be nothing in itself that it may be full of Him and wants His glory to shine through it. It is a soul that will shun fame and the honor of men in order to focus on God. If fame does come to the truly humble, it will flee from it inwardly knowing that this could lead to being a spark of pride in the heart. It hates pride and desires to flee it at all costs.
God Loves... Himself 
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