When I think of humility I often think of the Dickens character Uriah Heep, from the book DAVID COPPERFIELD. Uriah was always quick to belittle himself in public and proclaim himself to be everyone's humble servant. But at heart he was a self-seeking, self-serving, and self-aggrandizing hypocrite! In truth, Uriah actually considered himself to be entitled to much more respect and reward than he generally received!
The Apostle Peter said that; "God opposes the proud, but gives grace (His favor, assistance, empowerment) to the humble. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God that He may exalt you in due time…"
Pride, in this context, is not the idea of personal dignity, but of inaccurate self-assessment. In other words, "seeing" yourself through those proverbial rose-colored glasses. Having an attitude of entitlement; demanding recognition and attention...
Conversely, humility in this context is not belittling yourself, but seeing yourself as God sees you!
You see, if you are a gifted, classical pianist with 20 years of experience, and you present yourself as someone who "plays a little", that isn't humility, it's a lie!
Humility doesn't mean belittling yourself. It means viewing and presenting yourself accurately. It means not pushing for the spot-light, but sincerely accepting the attention if and when the spot-light hits you.
The astounding principle which Peter wanted us to understand is that those who are always demanding greater and greater attention, acclaim, and reward; who view themselves to be "better" than those around them, and who have convinced themselves that they have need of no-one, are going to be opposed by God Himself! But those who are content to be who they are and who readily acknowledge their need for God's input and guidance to live life wisely and well, He will always assist and empower.
In short, if you will do your job (humble yourself), He will do His job (honor/exalt you), but if you do HIS job (honoring yourself), He has to do your job! And God is very capable of humbling those who need to be humbled; for their good and ours...
- Pastor Robert Fountain