From humility comes joy

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Living with joy”

Our Bible verse for today: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves.” Philippians 2:3 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “From humility comes joy.”

Dr. Harry Ironside was a well-known and much respected pastor, evangelist, theologian, Bible scholar, and author in Chicago in the early and mid-1900s. But one of the biggest struggles Dr. Ironside admitted to having in his personal life was humility. The problem was that he was very good at what he did, and he knew it. His preaching and teaching were so good that he was the pastor of one of the largest churches in the USA, with thousands of people coming to hear him each week. His books were popular and sold well, and they were even used as textbooks in Bible colleges and seminaries.

Of course, he knew that his great abilities were gifts from God, and he knew that his success came entirely from the Holy Spirit working in and through him. But still, he was good – and it was hard to deny it. So, he struggled with the sin of pride and he prayed for humility.

One day a friend suggested that the way to deal with this was to engage in a great act of humility, something that would make him a fool for Christ. He advised Dr. Ironside to make a sandwich board with the plan of salvation on it and to then spend an entire day walking around the business and shopping districts of downtown Chicago. A sandwich board was a popular way of advertising back in those days. It was two large pieces of board connected by straps and which then hung over the shoulders so that you had one board on your front and another on your back. The boards had messages or advertisements on them and the wearer would then walk around busy streets so people could see it. It was a hot, tiresome, and low paying way for someone to make a few dollars (like the people in our day who stand on street corners in costumes with large arrows waving people into some business establishment). Such people were often laughed at and mocked by the people on the streets.

But Dr. Ironside made his sandwich board sign with the plan of salvation on it, and he spent a long hot day trudging along the busy sidewalks of Chicago. And sure enough, people laughed at him, made fun of him, jostled him, and it was a miserable experience for him. At the end of the day, tired and discouraged and glad the day was over, as he was taking off his sandwich board Harry thought to himself, “I’ll bet there isn’t another Christian in Chicago who would have been willing to do this.” And boom! – pride got him again.

Humility is an essential virtue in the Christian life. If you want to make God happy, be humble. If you want to make yourself happy, be humble. Humble people tend to be easy-going, relaxed, and happier than prideful people. That’s why Paul included this lesson about humility in his letter of joy. But humility is an elusive virtue. As soon as you think you are humble, you’re not. Humility is something the Holy Spirit has to develop in us. It isn’t something we do, and it’s not a discipline we can engage in, it simply becomes part of who we are at the deepest level as the Holy Spirit works to make us more like Jesus.

Humble people tend to be joyful people. But true humility is elusive and hard to achieve. So, we will think more about this tomorrow.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

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