2. Humility, Meekness and Love

3. Humility, Meekness and Love
Humble people are more inclined to love
Biblical definition of humility
It can mean afflicted or oppressed
It can mean a realistic self-perspective
Realistic because it sees itself in relationship to God
The root terms translated ‘humble’ carry the idea of bowing or kneeling.
This will be everyone’s posture at some point…
Relationship between affliction & humility

4. Turn to me so you can be delivered, all you who live in the earth’s remote regions! For I am God, and I have no peer. I solemnly make this oath - what I say is true and reliable: ‘Surely every knee will bow to me, every tongue will solemnly affirm; they will say about me, “Yes, the Lord is a powerful deliverer.”’” All who are angry at him will cower before him Isaiah 45:22-24
God highly exalted (Jesus) and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow - in heaven and on earth and under the earth - and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:9-11
Notice in Isa.45 that this humility can flow from God’s power or his mercy.
Mt.11:27…Father has given all to me….I am lowly

5. Humility, Meekness and Love
Humble people are more inclined to love
Biblical definition of humility
Seeing ourselves as we are

6. Humility, Meekness and Love
Humble people are more inclined to love
Biblical definition of humility
Seeing ourselves as we are
The humble spend much, much less time thinking about themselves.
Pride is preoccupied with self
Shame is preoccupied with self
The single most powerful thing that shame does is truncate our capacity to create.
Curt Thompson, MD in The Soul of Shame

7. Humility, Meekness and Love
Humble people are more inclined to love
Biblical definition of humility
Seeing ourselves as we are
The humble spend much, much less time thinking about themselves.
Pride is preoccupied with self
Shame is preoccupied with self
There’s a lot of helpful thoughts in Thompson’s book but he seems more centered on how shame keeps us from being our best self (which it does) rather than keeps us from being humble, meek & loving (which it does). His writing is not all that conscious of our biggest problem…our alienation from and thoughtlessness about God (Adam/Eve hid from God b/c of shame).
The single most powerful thing that shame does is preoccupy us with our self.

8. Humility, Meekness and Love
Humble people are more inclined to love
Biblical definition of humility
A realistic view of self in relation to God.
A realistic view of others in relation to self.
Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.
Philippians 2:3-4

9. …all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you Peter 5:5-7
For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment...Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation Romans 12:3, 16

10. Who are you to judge the servant of another
Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand... For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s...But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God...Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this—not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s way Romans 14:4, 7, 10, 13
1 Peter 5:5 clothe yourselves in humility toward one another

11. Humility, Meekness and Love
Humble people are more inclined to love
Biblical definition of humility
Freedom from self inclines us to love
We are called from retaliation to love in response to God’s sovereign presence.
You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am YHWH.
Leviticus 19:18

12. Humility, Meekness and Love
Humble people are more inclined to love
Biblical definition of humility
Freedom from self inclines us to love
We are called from retaliation to love in response to God’s sovereign presence.
We are called to respond to God’s love for us with love for others
We love because he first loved us John 4:19
The goal of our instruction is love, from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith Timothy 1:5

13. Humility, Meekness and Love
Humble people are more inclined to love
Biblical definition of humility
Freedom from self inclines us to love
We are called from retaliation to love in response to God’s sovereign presence.
We are called to respond to God’s love for us with love for others
Research suggests that humility increases love

14. Inducing a sense of awe in people can promote altruistic, helpful and positive social behavior. Across all these different elicitors of awe, we found the same sorts of effects people felt smaller, less self important, and behaved in a more prosocial fashion
Paul Piff, PhD et al. Awe, the Small Self, and Prosocial Behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, May 2015

15. "While several factors influence whether people will volunteer to help a fellow human in need, it appears that humble people, on average, are more helpful than individuals who are egotistical or conceited.“ W. C. Rowatt
Jordan Paul LaBouff, Wade C. Rowatt, Megan K. Johnson, JoAnn Tsang, Grace McCullough Willerton. Humble persons are more helpful than less humble persons: Evidence from three studies. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 2011

16. "The findings are surprising because in nearly 30 years of research on helping behavior, very few studies have shown any effect of personality variables on helping," said lead author Jordan LaBouff…"The only other personality trait that has shown any effect is agreeableness, but we found that humility predicted helping over and above that.“ Ibid
Humility – lower narcissistic scores on NPI

17. Humility, Meekness and Love
Humble people are more inclined to love
Biblical definition of humility
Freedom from self inclines us to love
Humble yourself before the Lord
Cultivate a hunger for the glory of God
Cultivate a hunger for the glory from God

18. Humility, Meekness and Love
Humble people are more inclined to love
Meek people are more likely to love well
Biblical definition of meekness
Your strengths under God’s control.
‘Meeking’ a horse

20. Humility, Meekness and Love
Humble people are more inclined to love
Meek people are more likely to love well
Biblical definition of meekness
Your strengths under God’s control.
Jesus teaches us how to be meek.

21. Christ Jesus…though he existed in the form of God did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped, but emptied himself by taking on the form of a slave, by looking like other men, and by sharing in human nature. He humbled himself, by becoming obedient to the point of death - even death on a cross! Philippians 2:5-8
“Come to Me all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
Notice the features: god – slave; lowered himself; obeyed (who?) to death; humbled/emptied…to make himself low
Heb. 10:9 – I have come to do your will Oh God. Lk.22:42 not my will but yours be done
Jn.2 cleanse temple – zeal for my father’s house; Jn.5:17 working like my Father; 5:30 nothing on my own initiative; 7:16,28 not my teaching…the one who sent me

22. Humility, Meekness and Love
Humble people are more inclined to love
Meek people are more likely to love well
Biblical definition of meekness
Jesus teaches us how to be meek.
“Come to me”
“Take my yoke upon you.”
The single yoke – requires meekness
The double yoke – learning meekness
The rabbinic yoke
Imitation leads to meekness
The gospel humbles & ‘meeks’ us

23. Humility, Meekness and Love
Humble people are more inclined to love
Meek people are more likely to love well
Biblical definition of meekness
Jesus teaches us how to be meek.
The meek love in common ways.
Toward non-Christians – witness, testify, invite , welcome & do good works

24. Humility, Meekness and Love
Humble people are more inclined to love
Meek people are more likely to love well
Biblical definition of meekness
Jesus teaches us how to be meek.
The meek love in common ways.
Toward non-Christians
Toward Christians – encourage, admonish, accept, welcome, forgive, serve, honor, teach, etc.
Jn.13:33-34 my command, that you love one another

25. Humility, Meekness and Love
Humble people are more inclined to love
Meek people are more likely to love well
Biblical definition of meekness
Jesus teaches us how to be meek.
The meek love in common ways.
The meek love in unique ways.
Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others… I Peter 4:10
Romans 12; 1 Cor.12; Eph. 4; 1 Pet.4

26. Humility, Meekness and Love
Humble people are more inclined to love
Meek people are more likely to love well
Biblical definition of meekness
Jesus teaches us how to be meek.
The meek love in common ways.
The meek love in unique ways.
Cooperate with the Spirit’s efforts to meek you (Gal.5:23)
Both the relational as well as the stress aspects…My story ‘you are that horse’

27. Humility, Meekness and Love
Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and meekness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. Ephesians 4:2-6

28. Comments, Experiences or Questions?