Can You Spot Humility?

Is humility obvious? I mean, can we spot it when it's really in someone? We think we know what it looks like, or feels like, or sounds like. But do we? There is a false humility which is really nothing more than the fear of man, a pretended lowliness that cowers before mortals. But surely humility must begin with our vertical relationship with God. Shouldn't it? And Jas. 4:6-10 points us in the right direction.

Following upon rebuke concerning friendship and whoredom with the world (Jas. 4:1-5), James says: "But [God] gives more grace. Therefore it says, 'God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.'" Now before we rush to apply this, we must first ask what he means by "the humble." Who are the humble? Well, the next several verses tell us what humility looks like. This is plain because by v. 10 James has not changed the subject: "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exult you." Humility before the Lord is still the topic. So what does it look like? Eight bullet imperatives show us the way.

• "Submit yourselves therefore to God" (v. 7)
• "Resist the devil" (v. 7)
• "Draw near to God" (v. 8)
• "Cleanse your hands" (v. 8)
• ". . . and purify your hearts" (v. 8)
• "Be wretched and mourn and weep" (v. 9)
• "Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom" (v. 9)
• "Humble yourselves before the Lord" (v. 10)

May the Lord truly humble us and help us to recognize the real thing in others.