Selfish Ambition

Do nothing out of selfish ambition, or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. ~ Philippians 2:3

Humility.  Just this morning I heard a study on the radio saying that the number one quality trait of a good leader is..........humility.  After all, people don't have a hard time following a boss, a quarterback, or a manager of any kind, younger, or older if that leader recognizes, appreciates and is thankful for the "team" that is backing them up.  If they are humble, they recognize that it takes everyone to make things run smoothly and they are not an ego hound.  When I hear that spiritual principal my shoulders automatically lower and hunch forward and my head hangs as I think there is no way on earth I will ever master humility.  Life here is not full of humility, but instead, a lot of the times it is filled with self-centeredness, insane narcissism, and polished pride.  Let's face it, we are a fallen people in a world who, more than not, thinks only of ourselves.  You have to be intentional to think of others first.  No, humility is a characteristic trait we have to consciously and consistently keep in check.  Jesus selfishly gave all the time during his 33 years here and trumped us all by selfishly giving his life when he could have called HUGE angels and armies of them to come rescue his beaten and torn body.  We believers know this, why is it so hard for us to always live it?  It's a big standard for us to live up to, but God graciously blesses those who will willingly walk in humility instead of pride.  It means to be constantly aware of our weaknesses and to give credit where credit is due; most likely to others and of course, to God.  We need to be quicker to pat the other guys' back instead of our own first.  There is no such thing as a "self-made" man; be humble enough to understand that; there is a creator who endowed you with gifts and the ability to use them to get where you are.  Only God can give you the wisdom, strength, and perseverance for you to accomplish anything of great value, so go humbly before him and be thankful at HIS feet.  It is hard to have the courage to always share the glory, but we are called to be humble because we are a sinful mess without HIM.  To keep our humility in check is to put others and God first.  After all, HE put YOU first when he didn't have too. ~ AMEN