Humility Part 4 of 5

HUMILITY Part 4 of 5
Vineyard Church NW - Jody Burgin


HUMILITY vs. Pride
Recognizing and acknowledging my total dependence upon the Lord and seeking his will for every decision

“I will…”
Give credit to those who have made me successful.
Praise my parents, teachers, mentors and coaches.
Not think more highly of myself than I ought to think.
Take responsibility for all my actions.
Try again after each defeat.
May the Lord bring you into an ever deeper understanding of the love of God and the endurance that comes from Christ (2 Thessalonians 3:5).

A story is told of a knight who returned to his castle at evening. He was a mess. His armor was dented, his helmet out of shape, and his face bloody, and his horse was limping. The lord of the castle asked, “What has befallen you, Sir Knight?” The knight answered, “O, sire, I have been laboring in your service, fighting and harassing your enemies to the west.” “You’ve been what?” cried the nobleman, “but I don’t have any enemies to the west!” “Oh,” said the knight. After a moment he said, “Well, I think you do now.”

The person who is afraid to risk failure seldom has to face success. Faith = risk. When we risk, we should expect to make mistakes of commission. A mistake of commission happens when we are doing what should be done but don’t get the results we want. For example, a point guard may drive the paint toward the basket but miss the lay up. Mistakes of omission happen when we are not doing something we should be doing. A center may fail to block out an opponent as his teammate puts up a shot. Most coaches don’t want their players to be afraid to act – they want their players to be doers. James encouraged us to “prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves” (James 1:22). The greatest mistake of all is not taking action when action is needed. Drive the paint. Block out your adversary. The person that makes the most mistakes usually prevails, if those mistakes aren’t careless.

You can make mistakes and not be a failure if you give it your full effort. Effort includes both preparation and execution. You are never a failure if you give it your all, unless you blame others for your mistakes. That is where humility comes in – taking responsibility for all your actions. When you place blame, you’re making excuses; when you’re making excuses, you can’t evaluate yourself; and without self-evaluation, failure is inevitable.

You are going to make mistakes. Just make sure you make the right mistakes. Try again after each defeat.

Heavenly Father, I want to be a doer who loves you with every fiber of my being. Walk with me today as I serve you out of a grateful heart. Help me not to be afraid of making the right mistakes.