Glory and Humility Go Together

There are two ways to be humble. Either you are brought to your knees (humiliated, if you will) or you willingly make yourself lower. If you are basking in your own glory, God will bring you to knees. God has the corner on glory. He alone is God and He is above all. When we bask in our own glory we are pretenders. He brings us down for our own good—so that we may see that we need Him.

Which brings us to the second way: the way of Jesus Christ, who is true God, who is all-powerful, who is worthy of all honor and glory. He rises from the dead, He exerts His almighty power by conquering the grave …and what does He say? “As the Father has sent Me, so I send you.” (John 20:21) Talk about humility! We would have said, “Look at me! I’m all-powerful! I’m Lord over life and death, bow down before me!” Not Jesus. He comes in humility. His glory is not in power or receiving glory. His glory is in humility. Not just the humility of suffering and dying. The humility of being sent. Thus His words, “As the Father has sent Me.”

He conquered death and it was simply a continuation of His sent-ness. His coming in humility to save sinners. He does this through His life, suffering, death, and resurrection. Not through glory. Not through proving His greatness. In humility. In being sent to save. In serving us because we need forgiveness and salvation.

So what do we do? We get on our knees and thank and praise Him. We rejoice in His saving action and in the calling He gives to us to serve Him by bringing the Gospel to others. Our Lord continues to serve us by giving us the grace to serve in humility and joy.