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Humble Yourself

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”
James 4:10

Lutheran Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer observed, “It is very easy to overestimate the importance of our own achievements in comparison with what we owe others.” How true. Even those of us who consider ourselves “self-made” men and women are deeply indebted to more people than we can count. Our first and greatest indebtedness, of course, is to God and His only begotten Son. But we are also indebted to ancestors, parents, teachers, pastors, friends, family members, coworkers, fellow believers... and the list goes on.

With so many people who rightfully deserve to share the credit for our successes, how can we gloat? The answer is that we should not. Proverbs 16:18 warns us that “Pride goes before destruction...” And 1 Peter 5:5 teaches us that “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

You are entitled to take pride in your accomplishments. But not too much pride. Instead of puffing out your chest and saying, “Look at me!”, give credit where credit is due, starting with God. And rest assured: There is no such thing as a self made man. All of us are made by God... and He deserves the glory, not us.

Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, You have created me with many different gifts and abilities. Please stop me from taking all the credit for what You are doing in and through me. I also ask that You would empower me to honor You through my thoughts, words and actions. Thank You for those special people in my life who have truly helped me understand who I am and whose I am. I pray this in Jesus’ Name. Amen