Being a humble servant of God requires living a life of love, service, and sacrifice for others. It means putting God and others before ourselves and our own desires. Humility is a key characteristic of being a servant of God. Let’s explore what it means to be a humble servant of God.
What Does it Mean to be Humble?
Humility is the quality of being humble and having a modest view of one’s own importance. A humble person does not think less of themselves, but they also do not think more highly of themselves than they ought (Romans 12:3). Here are some key aspects of being humble:
- Not thinking you are better or more important than others
- Acknowledging your weaknesses and limitations
- Being open to correction and instruction
- Focusing more on serving others than on being served
- Seeking to give credit to God rather than take credit for yourself
Ultimately, humility is about having an accurate perspective – knowing that everything we have and everything we achieve comes from God’s grace and mercy in our lives. It is the opposite of pride and arrogance.
Why is Humility Important for Servants of God?
Humility is essential for being a servant of God for several reasons:
- God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). We cannot experience God’s grace and blessing in our lives without humility.
- Pride leads us into sin. Many sins like greed, jealousy, and hatred stem from pride. Humility helps us avoid sin.
- Humility allows us to genuinely love and serve others. Pride causes us to focus on ourselves, while humility enables us to focus on others.
- God calls us to imitate the humility of Christ (Philippians 2:5-8). As servants of God, we follow Christ’s model of humble servanthood.
The Bible makes it clear that God wants us to live humble lives devoted to serving Him and others. Humility is foundational to being a godly servant.
How Can We Become More Humble?
Becoming more humble begins with acknowledging our pride and asking God to help us change. Here are some practical ways we can cultivate greater humility in our lives:
- Spend time daily in prayer and God’s Word to reshape our hearts and minds.
- Ask God to reveal areas of pride in our lives that we need to surrender to Him.
- Choose to serve in humble ways each day – do acts of service without seeking recognition.
- Confess your sins and failures quickly and ask for forgiveness.
- Be willing to submit to authority rather than always wanting to be in charge.
- Focus more on building others up rather than promoting yourself.
- Thank God each day for all He has done for you – recognize that everything good in your life is by His grace.
As we walk in humility, we make space for God to work powerfully in and through us.
What Does it Look Like to be a Humble Servant of God?
Humility shapes how a servant of God lives, speaks, serves, and relates to others. Here are some key qualities of a humble servant’s life:
- Gentleness and patience in dealing with others
- Willingness to do menial and unnoticed tasks
- Speaking words that build others up rather than promote oneself
- Honest admission of faults and weaknesses
- Focus on meeting others’ needs before one’s own
- Grateful heart that recognizes all good gifts as being from God
- Regular prayer for God to protect against pride and self-absorption
- Not comparing oneself to others or seeking admiration
- Quiet confidence in one’s identity in Christ
While demonstrating spiritual gifts, a humble servant does so for God’s glory, not their own. They point others to Jesus, not to themselves. As it says in 1 Peter 5:5-6, “Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you.”
True Greatness Comes from Being a Humble Servant
The world promotes self-promotion, accomplishing great things, and leaving a lasting legacy. But Jesus taught that true greatness comes from humbly serving others (Matthew 20:26-28). When we spend our lives serving in quiet, unnoticed ways, God sees and will honor our faithfulness.
Here are some key truths about the greatness of being a humble servant:
- It requires dying to self – making sacrifices to meet others’ needs
- It often involves doing unglamorous and messy jobs
- True servants find joy and fulfillment in simply obeying God, not in being honored
- God will exalt and reward humble servants – if not in this life, certainly in the next
- The greatest among us is the one who serves the most
Rather than living for promotion and prestige, God calls us to find greatness in anonymous acts of service. When we humbly serve others as worship to God, He is honored and glorified. Our job is simply to be faithful servants.
Becoming a Servant Starts with Following the Savior
Jesus perfectly modeled servant leadership for us during His life on earth. As Philippians 2:7 says, He “made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant.”
Christ’s servanthood is most vividly displayed in His sacrificial death on the cross for our sins. He gave up His rights and comforts to meet our greatest need – redemption.
As we choose to follow Jesus each day, we must cling to the gospel – acknowledging that we are only saved by God’s grace. The cross destroys our pride and calls us to live humbly as servants who have received an incredible gift.
If Jesus served us to the point of laying down His life, what sacrifice is He calling us to make for the sake of others? Who can we serve today in a selfless, humble way?
Relying on God’s Strength to Remain Humble
Trying to live humbly in our own strength leads only to pride and hypocrisy. We need God’s power and grace to transform us from the inside out. Here are some ways we can rely on God’s strength rather than our own in cultivating humility:
- Ask God daily to clothe us in humility and protect us from pride
- Immerse ourselves in Scripture and replace self-focus with God-focus
- Make prayer our lifeline – confessing sins of pride and self-sufficiency
- Acknowledge to yourself and God that without Him, you can do nothing (John 15:5)
- When you catch yourself boasting, repent and ask for grace to be humble
- Invite accountability from other believers to keep you grounded in humility
- When humbled or mistreated, accept it from God’s loving hand
Walking in humility is impossible in our human strength. We need to fully rely on Christ’s forgiveness, wisdom and power to transform our hearts. Our part is simply to continually yield ourselves to Him.
The Rewards of Humble Service Now and For Eternity
Humility leads to blessings and rewards, both in this life and the next. Here are some of the fruits of humble service:
- Peace of mind – freedom from chasing importance and validation
- Genuine relationships – humility draws people in
- Eternal rewards – Jesus honors and rewards selfless servants (Matthew 25:23)
- Joy in obedience – delight in simply pleasing God
- Experience God’s grace – He guides the humble in His way (James 4:6)
- Hearing “Well done!” from Christ when we meet Him face to face
Additionally, humble servants experience the joy of being used by God. They are vessels through which God comforts, encourages, provides, teaches, and blesses others. Their act of service may seem small, but God uses it for great purposes.
While proud people seek the rewards of this world, the humble find reward and meaning in selfless kingdom service. They live for the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”
Conclusion
God calls every Christian to live as a humble servant who puts others first. This requires dying to self-focus and truly embracing Jesus’ example of sacrificial service. When we humbly use our gifts to meet practical needs, we bless others and bring glory to God.
While the road of humility is challenging, it is the only path to becoming the servant God desires us to be. As we bow our knees and submit our hearts to Christ each day, He transforms us increasingly into His image (2 Corinthians 3:18).
Rather than chasing after pride and self-promotion, may we pursue the greatest calling – that of humble service to others. When we make ourselves small, God does great things through us.