Humility and Discipline

He must become greater; I must become less. -John 3:33

Sometimes I think this simple statement from John the Baptist might be the most profound words ever spoken by man. Afterall, Jesus said among men there is none greater than John the Baptist. Mostly, it seems that every issue, every struggle, every problem in my life when tracked down to its roots comes back to this truth: I need to make less of myself and more of Christ.

This is true humility. We cannot only make less of ourselves. Beating ourselves up or talking down to ourselves is counterproductive. Also, we often tend to have either false humility, which seeks to 'look' humble before others in order to gain their praise, or throw a pity party, which focuses too much on ourself and our own misfortunes and seeks to convince others to feel sorry for us. Either way, self is at the center, so we're not achieving sincere humility.

John's humility, however, is the putting aside of self in order to focus more on Christ and seek to turn others' eyes toward him as well. We are truly humble when we recognize Christ for who he is and who we are in relation to him. We are not trash, because we were made in his image and he loves us. We are his bride and his treasured posession. Neither are we God. We were created by him to serve, praise, and obey him. This is our rightful place.

If we are whole-heartedly seeking the Christ's glory, the we cannot simultaneously seek our own glory. We cannot receive others' praise when we know it belongs to Christ. We cannot boast of our greatness when we understand our unworthiness in light of his holiness and perfection. We cannot degrade ourselves when we understand that we are loved and accepted by his grace. We cannot make much of our temporary troubles when we know Christ suffered for us and called us to suffer for his purpose.

The only correct response to the knowledge of Christ is reverent adoration and whole-hearted devotion. This is worship--to make less of ourselves in order to make much of Christ. When we worship this way before others, they can see a clearer picture of Chrsit and can also respond in worship. "Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." -Matt 5:16

Lately, I've been working hard to add daily discipline to my life in the form of intense accountability, a workout schedule, better eating habits, going to bed at a decent hour, and spending time studying the Word and praying. Through this process, I've realized more and more the presence of pride in my life. I see clearly my need for discipline because there are numerous habits and actions in my life that need to change, but despite recognizing these needed changes and spending hours talking about them, I've consistently failed to implement them.

Pride comes into play because I see that I need discipline to make these changes happen, but for some reason I've always been resistant to measures of discipline like a diet or running program. I tend to think I'm a strong willed person and if I just decide I'm going to do something I can and will, without help from others, without a step-by-step program, without setting goals, without mind games...but the truth is I can't! My track record proves it.

So giving in and applying disipline in the form of goals, lists, accountability partners, daily reminders, and more has been an act of humility for me. It means admitting I'm not very good at this stuff and I need help...a LOT! Also, since applying these aids, I'm constantly reminded of how weak and selfish and lazy I am because I keep failing. Even when I succeed, its really difficult when it seems like it shouldn't be. I actually struggle to limit myself to 2 sodas a day! I don't know why I can't just do a simple thing like drink water all day, but I can't!

Discipline forces me to humble myself because it constantly brings me face to face with my weakness and failures. But when I humble myself and admit my need for discipline, and far more importantly my need for Christ, I'm able to experience growth and progress, even if it's just a little bit at a time. Growth and progress allow me to better live a life that glorifies God, therefore making more of him and less of me.

This is just a current example from my life, but true humility (more of him, less of me) is a profound thought and an attitude that is desperately needed in each of our lives. Making much of ourselves never works out. Pride, even in the form of false humility, only hinders us, but making much of Christ is what we were made for and it brings us life and freedom. He is the only one worthy of being made much of anyway.