Defining and Describing Humility

I don't have a say, and you don't either, over all the factors that influence your life, or my life. I find it interesting and natural. Many times with a small child, you'll hear sentiments like, Well, when I grow up, when I'm an adult, and sometimes it's on the heels of, it's like, You know, honey, you can't do that. You can't have that. No, no, you can't. And it's a lot of times on the heels of, Well, when I grow up, when I'm an adult, well, I'll do this and I'll do that.

And it more speaks to the idea that, Well, when I'm a grown-up and I'm an adult, I can do what I want to do. I can be in charge of my life. I can, you know, I make, I do what I want to do. It's like they enter some magical world where everything is under their control. And then, long before, I think, they become an adult, reality begins to set in that, Well, I can do more, yes, like I'll be able to drive, for instance, and stuff like that.

But, no, I won't be able to do just anything and everything that I want to do. And at some point along the way in life, and for some people, it can come fairly young, and others, it may be, they're pretty old. It comes to be the acknowledgement or the reality that I have to have help. I have to have help. And in a sense, I think that is where humility begins.

I have to have help. I need help. I need assistance. I need some help. I think, in a sense, that is where humility begins. I know it's certainly a good starting point. And it's interesting about humility, and you really begin to realize this as you go through life, and I think it's part of what makes you realize the value of it, that humility is, and humility becomes, a strength. It's not viewed as a strength in this world, but it becomes a strength, and it becomes a safeguard. If you'd like a title for what I'm going to talk about today, simply defining and describing humility.

Defining and describing humility. What's one of the things that humility involves? Well, humility involves looking outside, looking beyond yourself for help. Seeking God's assistance. Seeking God's assistance. It may entail, and many times thus, seeking the assistance of others, too. But definitely seeking God's assistance, looking beyond yourself for help, it means a certain yieldedness to God.

A recognition of, and submission to, His greater abilities and strengths. And humility also entails trust. Because to lean on someone for help illustrates a certain humility. Because what are you doing? If you say, well, I need your help, I need your assistance, and you lean on someone for help, you're admitting your dependence versus your independence. I don't need nobody. Which in English is a cancellation when it means you need somebody. I don't need nobody. That cancels out that and reverses it to, I do need somebody.

But they don't even realize they're saying they need somebody. But to them, I don't need nobody. Anyhow, it's admitting your dependence. And a lot of people are very wary and won't, I mean, they forcibly, they just won't admit to themselves that they're dependent on anything or anybody else beyond themselves. Maybe those are hardcore cases, but there are hardcore cases.

Now, you're acknowledging that you're not 100% independent. I remember a man back when I was in high school, he was a couple of grades ahead of me, older teenager than me. And he was, in some ways, he was a gifted individual, and he was very physically strong, and Hollywood handsome, and all of that, and he was very independent. And his car took out on him in front of our house. And the road in front, the state road in front, had a certain slope. The car took out on him, and it wasn't completely out of the road.

And, of course, I saw it, saw him, saw it, and he was trying to push it, trying to push it into a little offset off the road there, and he had a little short drive into the woods just to get it off the highway, completely off the highway, and he couldn't do it.

So I went down and just put my hands on the car with him, and together he just looked over at me, and I helped push, and we pushed it completely off the road. And I said, he was very strong and all of it. He couldn't get the job done. I just simply assisted him, and it made enough difference. I wasn't as strong as he was. It made enough difference. Got it all. And he didn't say thanks or anything. He just looked at me and glared at me like it embarrassed him, that he had to have my help, because he couldn't get the job done without me. But that's what you run into so many times. And you're saying, in effect, that you aren't capable of handling everything on your own by yourself.

You know, there's names in sports, and of course I realize some years of going by now, but everybody still knows who Michael Jordan is. A star basketball player. And I could throw out other names. You know, more recent, like LeBron James and all. But, you know, Michael Jordan, as great as he was, and LeBron James, as great as he is, for instance, they still have to have a team around them. They still have to have a whole team. I don't care how good they are. They can't go on the court by themselves, facing the opposition of the other team of five players and win the ballgame. They have to have a whole team around them. And I think of Emmett Smith. I've been a Dallas Cowboys fan since 1972, when Roger Staubach was at the helm with him. And, of course, in the early to mid-90s, when Dallas won three Super Bowls in a four-year stretch, they had that great team of Troy Aikman and Michael Ervin and Emmett Smith. And Emmett became, and I don't know if he still holds, I know he still holds certain records, but Emmett became the greatest in certain regards as a running back. And what's interesting, during those years that Emmett was running with Dallas, during those Super Bowl years, Dallas had and was known for having the strongest offensive line. And Emmett was running behind that line. And Emmett knew that his success was not based on just his abilities. He knew he was running behind the strongest line in the NFL. Now, he was good, and he had his own talent. And with a weaker team, he still would have held maybe some records. But he never would have been as good, and he knew that. And he really appreciated that offensive line, and he always gave them credit. He would buy them gifts and stuff and thank them. For instance, to give you an idea how strong the line was, that line had what to this day is considered to be the strongest man who's ever played in the NFL.

Offensive guard Larry Allen. 6'3", 325 pounds. He could bench press, lay on his back on a bench, he could bench press, 700 pounds.

I saw him do it. There was no defensive lineman that could hold up to him. Not only that, at that huge size and strength, he could run a 40-yard dash in 4.85 seconds, which is unheard of for a lineman.

I saw opposing linebacker intercept Troy Eggman's pass and head for the end zone. And I saw Larry Allen run so fast, he cut him off and tackled him before he got to the end zone.

He was a freak of nature almost. He was so strong and quick. And Emmett knew, it's not because I am so great.

I've got talent and I've got ability, but one of the reasons I do so well is because of the massive line that I run behind.

And there was a certain level of humility with Emmett Smith, and if you ever followed him, you saw that.

See, in true humility, a man recognizes his true state, his true situation. He doesn't falsify it. His true talents.

We've all got talents and gifts and abilities, and there's nothing anti-humility to simply recognize what we've been blessed with, what we have, what we've been given through opportunity, through genetics, whatever, and our abilities.

But he also recognizes his true limitations, and with true humility, he has the honesty to face this situation truly as it is, and is willing to look to a higher power to help him do what he can't do alone.

See, Alcoholics Anonymous, one of the things they teach as part of the remedy or solution for coming out of their alcoholism, for overcoming it, they're twelve steps. One of the things they have to do, they say basically call him God, call him whatever, but recognize you have to look to a higher power and ask for his help.

You have to acknowledge there's a higher power and look to him to help you do what you can't do alone.

But the bottom line on that is the individual has to recognize their insufficiency.

See, true humility allows you to function...think about this...true humility allows you to function at your best because you best recognize your functioning abilities.

You best recognize the true situation without self-deception.

You see your strengths, but you also see your weaknesses.

And as I remember Mr. Armstrong teaching us years ago, he said, learn to maximize your strengths and minimize your weaknesses.

That's a good statement. Learn to maximize your strengths and minimize your weaknesses.

See, here's the thing about true humility.

Self-hate has nothing to do with humility. It doesn't.

It is a false humility or aspect that the world has.

The person who walks along, drooping their shoulders, sagging, long-drawn face, as we say, the old hound dog look...

...a humble person. No, that's not true humility.

Self-hate has nothing to do with humility, but an honest and accurate appraisal of self and of self's limitations. That does.

How does it position you? True humility puts you in a yielded to guide frame of mind and way of doing.

It helps result in what we can read of in John 4.

John 4.

John 4 and verse 34.

It helps put us in this kind of frame, true humility does.

Jesus said to them, My meat, my substance, what moves me, fuels me, feeds me, drives me, is to do the will of Him that sent me, and to finish His work. It results in that type of accomplishment. And you think about it, Christ leaned not unto Himself.

He did not depend on Himself to have enough of Himself to get the job done.

Now, did He know that He could do certain things? Yes. And He set His mind to do certain things, didn't He?

But He did not depend on Himself to have enough of Himself to get the job done. He leaned on God.

John 5 and verse 30.

And what I just said is taken into account in this Scripture.

John 5, 30. I can of mine own self do nothing. Now, partly He is expressing that His authority must come from God, that the Father has to authorize. That's part of what He is expressing. But it's also a very straightforward, true statement. I can of my own self do nothing as I hear I judge, and my judgment is just because I seek not my own will, but the will of the Father which has sent me.

He understood He had a dependency.

See, human talent and ability alone can only get so much done. Can human talent get things done? Yeah. Can human ability get things done? Yeah. But human talent and ability alone can only get so much done.

See, recognize what you do have and use it, and recognize what more you need and don't have.

A truly humble man recognizes his strengths and his weaknesses, and he operates again according to such knowledge.

What do we find in pride? We find self-trust, we find self-will, and only the strengths that pride can muster, or the strengths you have that can be mustered in pride. It's really a very limited situation.

In humility, or the strengths that you do have that you can muster, plus added to that God's power and God's backing as well.

And the humble person, and this is another misnomer in this world, the humble person has a much deeper measure of confidence because the outcome doesn't depend on himself alone. Won't you think about that a moment?

The humble person has a much deeper level of confidence because the humble person knows the outcome doesn't depend on himself alone.

It's not all writing on his or her shoulders. And the humble person is a challenged person. It's not Dolesville. The humble person is a challenged person because the humble person knows God's expecting him or her to do his or her part.

And true humility gives a person a deep confidence and courage. A deep confidence and courage.

See, many people can't see the relationship.

They can't see the relationship or the balanced blend of humility and courage. They see them as, let's say, opposites or antagonistic to each other or that humility takes away from courage or courage can't be with humility in the picture.

But again, it's very simple. In true humility, courage grows stronger and stronger because one's confidence is based in an unfailing source, and that unfailing source is God. I mean, what are we to take from Philippians 4.13?

We've read it many a time. What's the takeaway? I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me, who strengthens me. Isn't that a statement of confidence?

It wouldn't be inspired to be put in the Bible if somehow that underminded true humility.

It fits with true humility. Such a confident statement. Mr. Behm, I don't know if I can overcome. Mr. Behm, I don't know if I can do what God expects of me. Mr. Behm, I don't know if I can really obey God in this area. I don't know if I can rise to this level. I don't know if I can rise to that occasion. I don't know if I can deal with that. I don't know if I can handle that properly. I don't know if... whatever it is. Oh, yeah, you can. Yeah, you can. If you exercise true humility, courage can grow.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. And along with it, guess what? You have something that's kind of hard to buy. Peace of mind. Peace of mind is a wonderful thing. It helps the joy of your day. It helps your sleep at night. It just makes life so much better. Along with it, you have peace of mind. See, the world... And we constantly... we mention the world so much because guess what?

We live with the world all around us. We have to live in the midst of the world. And the world's way of thinking is the natural, carnal way. It's not the godly, spiritual way. And so we have to learn how to think in a godly, spiritual way in the midst of a world that obviously for the most part does not. See, the world sees someone who's humble as a person without courage, without confidence, without strength. They see the person as weak.

Oh, if you've got to lean on somebody else... Oh, if you need assistance... Oh, if you can't take care of everything by yourself and you need somebody... Oh, you're weak. I feel sorry for you. I'm not weak. I don't need anybody. I don't have to have anybody's help. And you could probably, too, them, if you wanted to fight, at the moment, point out the falseness of their statement, the unreality of it.

But some things, it's wisdom and discretion just to let it slide, let it go. It's interesting that they see the person as weak who must lean on another, and yet the irony is that others wind up needing the strength of the humble. They wind up leaning on him. I want to take one of the world's own.

Because he was one of the world's own, he was in this world, he was uncalled. He'll come up in the last great day, on that eighth day, and he'll have that wonderful opportunity for salvation, and boy, will he have such a head start on... He'll be one of the few that has such a tremendous head start on everybody else. If there was ever a man who looked the picture of humility by the world's standard of looks, it was Abe Lincoln.

When he was debating with Douglas, the little giant Douglas was called, Stephen Douglas, in one of the debates. Stephen Douglas stood up there, and they were in one of the political debates. Folks, I just want you to know that my opponent here, he is two-faced. He is two-faced and rattled on. When it was Lincoln's time to walk up there with his six-foot-four frame, he said, now, folks, do you really believe if I had two faces that I'd be wearing this one?

Quite an answer, wasn't it? And quite a statement of humility. Anyway, let me read this description. This is taken from Ascent to Greatness, that was written by the late Raymond McNair, and basically, you find most of this material that I will read from pages roughly around 210 to 220, somewhere along in there, these excerpts. It says, what sort of man was Lincoln? Lincoln's law partner, William Erden, has given us a good description of him.

He knew Lincoln for about 30 years, and this is him being quoted now. It is now the time to describe the person of Mr. Lincoln. He was about six-foot-four, high, and when he left the city, was 51 years old, having good health and no gray hairs or but few on his head. He was thin, wiry, sanyui, raw, and big heavy boned, thin through the breasts to the back, and narrow across the shoulders.

Standing, he leaned forward, was what may be called stoop-shouldered, inclining to the consumptively built, his usual weight being about, you know, ranging from 160 to 180 pounds. His organism and structure were loose and leathery. His body was well-shrunk, cadaverous, and shriveled, having very dark skin, dry and tough, wrinkled, and lying somewhat in flabby folds.

Dark hair, the man looking wo-struck. The whole man, body and mind, worked slowly, creakingly, as if it needed oiling. His forehead was narrow but high, his eyebrows heavy and prominent, his eyebrows cropped out like a huge jutting rock out of the brow of a hill, his face was long, narrow, sallow, and cadaverous, flesh shrunk, shriveled, wrinkled, dry, his ears were large. Yeah, pretty strong description of Lincoln. Yet, as his long partner went on to say, physically, he was a very powerful man, lifting, as said, with ease, four to six hundred pounds. Beneath this rough and uncouth exterior was a very fine and exceedingly fine physical organization, a fine and delicate network of nerves being woven through it along which feelings and thoughts traveled and flashed quicker than lightning.

Thus I say, stood, walked, looked, felt, thought, willed, and acted this peculiar and singular man. He was odd, angular, homely, but when those little gray eyes and face were lighted up by the inward soul on fires of emotion, defending the liberty of man or proclaiming the truth of the Declaration of Independence, or defending justice in eternal right, then it was that all those apparently ugly or homely features sprang into organs of beauty, or sank themselves into the sea of his inspiration, that on such occasions flooded up his manly face.

Sometimes it did appear to me that Lincoln was just fresh from the presence and hands of the Creator, all because he did have true humility. One time, Lincoln had a challenge. One of his biggest challenges was trying to find the right general commander for the Army of the Potomac, which was the main army of the Union forces. And, for instance, one of his first generals, actually the first one, maybe the second one, but General McClellan.

Lincoln stayed in touch with all what was going on with the war. He took an aide with him. He went over to McClellan's house because he heard that McClellan was in. McClellan wasn't there, but he was told by an attendant there at McClellan's house that the general would be in probably any time. So Lincoln went to the... with his assistant, he went into the next room to wait. Well, McClellan came in and was informed, the President's in the next room to see you. He said, tell him I'm tired, I'm going to bed. He just went up the stairs and snubbed the President.

And the aide to Lincoln was furious. And Lincoln just very calmly said to him, settled him down, he said, look, and this is a quote of Lincoln's, he said, I'd hold the reins of his horse for him if it would help him win this war. I'd hold the reins... He didn't say, yeah, inform him he's fired. I'll find somebody else. No, I'd hold the reins of his horse for him if it would happen to win this war. It's pretty remarkable. Well, in time, he tried a number of commanders, generals, before he settled on Grant later.

And one of those that he tried was Joe Hooker. Now, a short time before he had to replace General Hooker, he wrote him this letter. Listen to these words from the President, Abe Lincoln. General, I have placed you at the head of the Army of the Potomac. I have heard in such a way as to believe it of you recently saying that both the Army and the government needed a dictator. Of course, it was not for this, but in spite of it, that I have given you the command. Only those generals who gain successes can set up dictators.

What I now ask of you is military success, and I will risk the dictatorship. You know, it's amazing, isn't it? Think about the response. Think about the reaction. In Lincoln, Lincoln was no pushover. And you know that when he became President, that instead of picking a cabinet to assist him from among those who were not his adversaries, he chose as part and core of his Cabinet those men that he had run against for presidency.

The Democrats had split into Northern Democrats and Southern Democrats, and there were four parties. There were four representatives. Lincoln got the plurality. But he picked for his Cabinet men that he had run against. One of them referred to him as that baboon. Think about a man who had put on his Cabinet men who had opposed him, and he won them all over. When they realized the kind of man that they were working with, he won their respect and he won them over.

See, Lincoln was solid. He was solid. He was fearless. He was courageous. He sensed a cause. He sensed a cause, a mission to accomplish, and he was filled with a tremendous purpose. And the Union leaned on him. The Union leaned on him. If God does set up and take down any time God chooses, God saw to it that Lincoln was put in the White House because God never intended this nation to be split up into two nations or several nations. There were prophetic reasons why that could not happen, and they're easy to explain. I won't go into that today. But God never intended, and Lincoln went into the White House with the number one purpose, preserve the Union, preserve the United States, and God used him for that.

And it all came through a humility that, in my opinion, made him the greatest president this nation has ever had.

And Lincoln was religious. Again, taken from the book, as sent to greatness, says, But as those who knew Lincoln realized, here was an honest man, a man who had deep convictions, yes, and a man who was deeply religious. He never belonged to, and seldom attended a church. But he kept the Bible lying on his office desk while president, and is said to have read it often for inspiration. Many of his speeches betray a familiarity with the scriptures that feweth any other presidents have known. Crudence, concordance, defines meek this way, gentle, kind, not easily provoked, ready to yield rather than cause trouble, but not used in the Bible in the bad sense of tamely, submissive, and servile.

Moses was called the most meek man on earth. That's in Numbers 12.3. In Numbers 12.3, he's called the most meek man on earth. And if you know anything from looking at the scripture about Moses and from Josephus and all, I mean, just putting it together. He was a powerful man, and he was a man of courage. And his yieldiness and leaning to and on God didn't take away one single strength. It only added and made him more powerful, because he was very workable in God's hands. Very workable in God's hands.

You know, Christ said of John the Baptist in Matthew 11.11, He said of John the Baptist in Matthew 11.11, that no greater than John the Baptist has been born a woman. No greater than John the Baptist has been born a woman. And yet, John the Baptist said himself in Luke 3.16, in Luke 3.16, in reference in Christ, he says, I am not worthy to untie his sandal. And yet, this is the same man who looked up and saw the Pharisees coming down to his baptism, and he didn't hesitate to call him out. You snakes, you vipers, you venomous critters, creatures.

Why in the world are you coming down here? You just go do what shows that you actually have repented. It took courage. It took courage to tell Herod that he was wrong and be imprisoned. And of course, later had his head cut off. Leaning to God puts you closer. Think about this. Leaning to God puts you closer to the most powerful being in the universe.

And no one was ever closer more yielded than Christ. We know that. And he was filled with pure power and confidence and courage. And even when it was time to act, two different times with the money changers at the temple, he went through and flipped over those little light card tables.

Those weren't little light card tables. They were heavy, dirty stone and whatever, but they were there. And not only that, when he did what he did, flipping the tables, scattering the coinage, driving the sheep and the other animals out of there with the whip he had made, they backed off from him and they left him alone, didn't they? I want to go back to an account and show how humility does not take away from courage. And courage is not antagonistic to humility.

In 1 Samuel 17, the account with David, 1 Samuel 17, Jesse called his youngest son. Go down, check on your three brothers that are with the army of Saul, see how they're fairing, see how things are. Take this down to them and give this here as a gift to their captain. So David was told, he went down to see his brothers. And you find in verse 28, 1 Samuel 17 and verse 28, and Eliab, his eldest brother, his eldest brother, heard when he spoke unto the men because while David's there, this giant Goliath comes out cursing God and cursing the Israelites.

This is the 40th day, he's been doing it for 40 days, and David wants to know why isn't something done about this? And Eliab, his eldest brother, heard when he spoke unto the men, and Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why did you come down here? Who have you left those sheep in the wilderness with? I know your pride and the naughtiness of your heart, because you are come down that you might see the battle.

I've got your number, David. David had the true humility and the courage that came with it, and you find here, beginning in verse 32, see, David just turned away from his brother, if you read it. He just turned away, and that didn't stop him. Being falsely accused, it didn't stop him. So in verse 32, he's brought before Saul, and David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail because of him. Your servant, your servant, I'm your servant, your servant, will go and fight with this Philistine.

And Saul said to David, You're not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him? Look, you're just a youth. David was, you know, in his teens at this point, and he is a man of war since his youth, from his youth. And David said to Saul, Your servant kept his father's sheep. There came a lion and a bear and took a limb out of the flock. And I went after him and smote him and delivered it out of his mouth. And when he arose against me, I caught him by this beard and smote him and slew him.

Your servant slew both the lion and the bear. And this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God. Now, can you take from this that David had courage? I don't know too many young men. In fact, I'm not sure I know any, that would risk their life for a dumb sheep.

You know, we can buy some more sheep, but can't replace me. You know, I'm out of here. This is a young man where courage is intrinsic with him. It's part of his fiber. He's courageous. But notice also what he adds. David said, moreover, the Lord that delivered me. Yes, I did. Such and such and such and such and such and such. Yes. That was in my power to do, and I had the courage to do it, and I did it. But the Lord that delivered me, it was God that delivered me.

It was God that made it possible. It was God that supported me. It was God that backed me. No, I didn't do it just because I'm so great and so skilled and so strong and so powerful and all of that. No, I did what was within my power to do.

Yeah, I had the courage to step out, but two, it was because he knew he leaned on God. The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion and out of the paw of the bear, he, God, will deliver me out of the hand of the Philistine.

And Saul said to David, see, Saul, David was convincing. And Saul was convinced, and he said he saw the courage, and he also saw the humility and how they worked together. And he said to David, Go and the Lord be with you, because if David grows up in pride over his abilities, maybe the Lord wouldn't be with him.

It's in true humility that God can reach us and help us. No, he recognized his own limitations. He recognized what he could do, and he recognized what he couldn't do. And look at the blend, look at the relationship of humility and confidence, as we pick it up in verse 40.

And he took his staff in his hand, and he chose him five stones, five smooth stones, probably each one, maybe the size of a hen egg. But he took his staff in his hand, and he chose him five smooth stones out of the brook and put them in a shepherd's bag, which he had even in a script, and his sling was in his hand, and he drew near to the Philistine. Now, don't you think about something?

I've heard people say, Well, he took five stones because Goliath had like four brothers. Maybe so, maybe not. But those brothers weren't down there in the valley. Those brothers would have been back up there in the army, because the only one that came down, stomping up and down along that spring bed, was Goliath and his armor bearer. What would you have thought of David if they'd have seen him pick up one stone? Just one.

Boy, that's a cocky kid. Well, why do I need to pick two or three or five? I'm so good, I'm going to get him with one rock. I'm going to get him. That would have been, too, also cockiness. No, David knew what he could do with a stone. But he knew, okay, I might miss the first time. I might not miss him, but I might hit armor, and it, you know, bounce off. I might not hit him in the forehead the first time.

I might hit him. I'll hit him. I'll hit him. But, or I might whiz by his ear, but... And I might miss him a second time. It's possible, maybe even a third. But before I've used all five, I'm going to hit him. I'm going to get him. He recognized his limitations and his part. And when you get to verse 42, when the Philistine looked about and saw David, he basically couldn't believe it. He disnamed him. He was just a youth and a ruddy, and of a fair countenance. And the Philistine said to David, Am I a dog that you come to me with, like, with a stick or sticks to run me off?

And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. And the Philistine said to David, Come to me. Come on. I'm going to give your flesh on your bones. I'm going to give your flesh to the fowls of the air, to the beasts of the field. Goliath's pride and ego trusted in himself, didn't he? Pick it up again in verse 45. Then said David to the Philistine, You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a shield. And he could have added, You're trusting completely in yourself and all of that war equipment.

But I come to you, not in my name, I come to you in the name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day will the Lord deliver you into my hand, and I will smite you, because the Lord has delivered you into my hand. And I will give the carcasses of the Hosts of the Philistines this day to the fowls of the air, to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.

Notice His humility and His recognition. And all this assembly, verse 47, shall know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord's and He will give you into our hands. Yes, my hand picked up the rocks. Yes, the rock from my sling slung by my hand will find its mark. And yes, you will be dead. Yes, the battle, though, is the Lord's and He will give you into our hands. And it came to pass when the Philistines arose, and it came and drew night to meet David. David is being approached by a man who is 9 foot 9 inches tall, not counting the helmet on his head, and no telling what size frame the man has.

Huge! Notice that David hurried, he hasted, he hurried and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. That's interesting, too. Here's the giant coming toward him, and instead of him being hesitant and all, he heads for him. And David put his hand in his bag and took fence, a stone, and slung it, and smote the Philistine in his forage, that the stone sunk into his forage, and he fell upon his face to the earth. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine and slew him.

But there was no sword in the hand of David. Therefore David ran and stood upon the Philistine, took his own swords, and then they drew it out of the sheath, thereof, slew him, cut off his head therewith, and that removed all doubt to the army that was watching, both armies, that the Philistine was dead.

That put it all beyond doubt. And when the Philistine saw their champion was dead, they fled. But again, humility made David powerful. His sheep had been able to lean on him because of it, and somehow the entire nation would begin to lean on him because of it. See, there's no one quite so powerful as the truly humble. Proverbs 14.26 says this. Proverbs 14.26 says, "...in the fear of the Lord, in the respect of God, in the yielding to God, in the reverencing of God, is strong confidence, all respect of God, recognition of a much higher capable power that you have access to." Psalm 27 and verse 1. David wrote, "...the Lord is my light." He's my light.

That's my guide. That's what lights up my way. He's my light. I do my seeing by him and my salvation. "...Whom shall I fear?" Not the lion, not the bear, not the lieth. The Lord is the strength of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid? Humility is necessary to remain, to keep one in service to God. Humility is necessary to remain, to keep one in service to God. It becomes a safeguard and a strength. Saul, when you were little in your own eyes, or you not, etc., Saul became big in his own eyes.

So many times over the years, I have seen people who were elevated in responsibility, office, whatever, I've seen it turn their head. When humility remains, elevation of responsibility or role or office doesn't have any negative effect. It just makes that individual more serviceable and valuable to themselves and everybody around them. But when it has turned someone's head, it ruins them. And again, so much goes back to the classic example of Lucifer. When he became filled with pride, he was no good to anybody. And to this day, and we'll be for some time yet, he's the prime enemy of God, and of all things of God, which includes us who are also God's property. He views us as enemies. Once talents and abilities are given to benefit all, and we all have talents and abilities and gifts, and they can be utilized to where there's benefit for yourself properly so, even as you're benefiting others with them. To be used powerfully of God can turn one's head unless humility is strongly involved. Always think of the example of the Apostle Paul and the value of humility from the standpoint that, you know the account in 2 Corinthians 12-7, I'm not going to turn there, but beginning in 2 Corinthians 12-7, how the thorn in the side. And you speculate on what that thorn was, and we might get it right, and we might not. But God, please take this away. Deliver me from this. Don't let me have to deal with this anymore. Remove it from me. Ask three different times. And God's answer always was, no.

One of the things we know about Paul is that God used him very powerfully. According to Paul's statements, evidently Christ appeared to him in the deserts of Arabia and taught him personally firsthand, like he did the other original Apostles. And from what we gather from certain scriptural statements from Paul, that's pretty powerful. Talk about having that kind of direct contact. But also, Paul was given a vision of God's throne of the third heaven that was so real that based on a sensory basis of eye and ear, he couldn't tell that he wasn't there. It was so real. And God did use him powerfully, very powerfully, to raise the dead in some cases. And probably God even raised Paul from the dead, probably at least once. At the time he was stolen and left for dead, good chance he was dead. And God just put him back on his feet because I'm not through with him. One of the reasons God left that thorn in the side, and you can read the account, one of the reasons was to help ensure, as a type of insurance, to help guarantee that Paul would stay humble. That he would stay humble. Because in that humility, God could use him powerfully. And if he ever lost that humility, and to the degree that one does lose humility, God is limited. And there can come a time where God can't use one at all if all humility is lost. And I always like to think, okay, when your head's in the clouds, you'd better look down and see that your feet are still planted in the dirt. You and I are going to be such a tiny few of all mankind. You and I, the few others like us, down through the age, the few yet ahead of us in this age. But we're going to be such a tiny number in terms of the vast billions and billions of people who have lived and who will yet live, that will be the ground floor of the kingdom of God, resurrected when Christ returns. We're going to be elevated sooner or later to tremendous positions and offices and responsibility. And God is building capabilities into us now to make us capable assistants to Christ with the kingdom of God. And God's got to know that we have the kind of humility that can withstand that kind of responsibility. And now is when we are being processed with that. Humility becomes a strength and a safeguard for all eternity.