2 Corinthians 10:17-18 As the Scriptures say, "If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord." When people commend themselves, it doesn't count for much.  The important thing is for the Lord to commend them.

During the 2012 Summer Olympics I was blown away by incredible athletes who put their hearts and souls into their sport.  I loved it when a gold medal recipient would give glory first to God, then their families, coaches, or friends.  What was tough was watching some of the most talented athletes act the most immature when it came to giving credit where credit was due.  Their athletic abilities were overshadowed by their instabilities when it came to humility.

It has been said that if a person's humble, he won't write the book on how humble he is, with a bunch of life-sized pictures in it.  God's got a lot to say about that.

One of the Bible's themes is humility.  We see it in Old Testament heroes of faith, like Samson, who loses his great strength because of his pride of life and lust in his heart.  Yet Samson is restored after he humbles himself, or rather is humbled in an ugly way, and he destroys the Philistines in an act that would make the Terminator cringe.  We have a glimpse of how pride can take down a king, namely Saul, who takes his own life after a dismal, prideful life as the first King of Israel.

A humble heart is the story of Christ.  Born in a barn, not in a palace; of peasantry, not royalty; who lived meagerly, not lavishly; Jesus Christ came to serve rather than be served.  He is God but experienced life here on earth as man and God so we could understand God's character.  Most of all, His death on the cross, His burial and resurrection provide the atonement for sin for mankind and the promise of eternal life for all who will believe in Him.  He is the ultimate example of humility, something the Corinthian church struggled with, as shown in today's passage.

The Corinthian church had a handful of trouble makers who questioned Paul's authority.  In the last three chapters of this letter, Paul defends that authority as an apostle of Christ while providing keen insight to us on how to live our lives as Christians.  Paul singles out the false teachers in the Corinthian church who were trying to prove themselves by boasting and comparing themselves with others.   He tells them that only God's standards count; only God's applause matters.

As a military officer I saw some great service members in and out of combat who, on the outside seemed meek yet on the inside were strong and courageous.  The humble person is not fooled by himself and, in the words of A.W. Tozer, "He knows he is as weak and helpless as God declared him to be, but paradoxically, he knows at the same time that he is in the sight of God of more importance than angels.  In himself, nothing; in God, everything."* 

There is great strength in humility.  Conversely, there is great weakness in pride.

All of us enjoy some form of recognition, from a simple pat on the back to greater accolades of pomp and circumstance.  That's natural because our flesh demands attention.  We step out of line when we consistently want the attention drawn to ourselves and take credit for the things God has done, the talent He has given us, and the abundant resources in our lives.

The apostle Paul wrote, "For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men?  If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant to Christ." (Galatians 1:10).  Our audience in life is One.  Not just anyone.  Not just someone.  But the One, Jesus Christ.

Who do you want that applause in life to come from?  When we do everything for Christ, we experience godly humility.  Today, whatever you do, do it for the applause of God, not people (1Corinthians 10:31). 

Blessings,
Kip
*Charles Stanley, Charles F. Stanley's Handbook for Christian Living, p. 339