Day 3: 30-Day True Woman Makeover Challenge

Modeling Humility

Does being a true woman mean you’re perfect? Hardly! A true woman is simply different from most, but it’s those differences that are the secret of her great influence.

• It’s more important that you model humility than that you model perfection.

• As you allow yourself to be made and molded into the image of God’s kind of woman, you will function at peace and at rest—not without problems—but with joy.

• Do you want your husband to be a man of virtue, a noble man, a man of spiritual strength and character? Then set out not to change him, but to be the kind of woman with the kind of character that you want him to have.

This is just a taste of what you'll learn from Nancy Leigh DeMoss in the series, “TheCounter-cultural Woman: A Fresh Look at Proverbs 31.”

MOVING ON…..

 “If I see you do it … then I know it’s okay for me to do.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because … you’re a Christian.  Right?”

This was a conversation that I had with a friend a while ago. One that, at the time, filled my soul with pride and honor; to be known as a follower of Christ by my peers.  To be regarded in such a way that my actions were okay to copy, because I had chosen to live my faith out loud.  Ever since that day, the Lord has continuously reminded me of this conversation.  I don’t know what started the conversation.  I honestly can’t tell you what it was about, but when these three statements enter my mind I can literally hear it taking place.  However it’s not pride and honor that fill my soul. 

As I think back over the past 2 years, fear now takes over the places where pride and honor once filled.  Fear at the realization of how far away from Christ I really was.  I was a Christian, safe and secure in the hands of God.  But the person, I revealed was far from Christ-like.

“… Actions … Responses … Decisions … Conversations …”

What have I done?  Who have I led astray?  Why have I chosen to reveal something other than the love and person of Jesus Christ?

Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, entered this world as King, yet lived a life of a humble slave, willingly serving and sacrificing for His Master.  He chose to deny Himself, take up our cross and follow the will of the Father … knowing full well what it would cost Him.  He knew my needs, and He knew I couldn’t meet them on my own.  So He chose to go the distance.  He chose to go to the lowest place for me.  How differently would this world be if we, as followers of Christ, would live the life of humility our Savior did? 

 What if we could always deny ourselves … continuously take up His cross … and willingly follow … only revealing His pure and radiant light? 

Question for you . . . Do you think it’s possible to be humble and confident at the same time?

I ask because I used to think humility looked something like this: deflecting compliments, staying away from high-profile positions, even talking down on oneself occasionally.

But then Moses changed my mind.

It happened when I read the following verse in Numbers 12:3:

“(Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.)”

Really?! Moses? Am I the only one who finds it surprising that Moses was the most humble man on earth? He’s sort of the last guy I would expect this of. After all, he was a leader—not of 10 people, or 100 people, or 1000 people, but well over 1 million people! His resume might have read:

If this were my resume, I would be anything but humble!

I have a sneaking suspicion that Moses wasn’t always humble. In fact, I think he started out rather full of himself. Think about what was said to him when he interfered in a fight:

“Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” 

Now, when he flees Egypt and hides out in the desert for 40 years . . . this would be the time I would have expected to read that Moses was the most humble man on the face of the earth. I mean, he was a nobody in a no-man’s land.

And yet, we don’t read about Moses’ humility until after He partners with God in miracle after miracle.

Could it be that Moses’ secret to humility was not that he deflected compliments, stayed away from high-profile positions, or talked down on himself—but that he knew God better than anyone else?

Here’s how God describes their relationship:

“When a prophet of the LORD is among you, I reveal myself to him in visions, I speak to him in dreams. But this is not true of my servant Moses; he is faithful in all my house. With him I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the LORD” (Numbers 12:5-8).

Maybe—just maybe—the secret to true humility lies not in striving to be humble, but in getting to know God! Learning the contours of His face, the rise and fall of His voice, His breath on your skin. Maybe—like everything else that is good—humility just flows naturally out of relationship with Him.  

A Virtuous Woman Is Humble

A Humble Heart is the Key to Godly Favor

Humility is the virtue that allows a believer to admit that they cannot do it alone. They cannot always see where God is leading them. They do not always make the best decisions, and even make foolish ones from time to time. They cannot always withstand temptation alone. They cannot always fight off attacks from the enemy alone. They can be weak. They can be given to crazy thoughts and even crazier actions. This is normal. It's called humanity. And admitting one's humanity requires humility. But amazingly, because of their humility, God can still use them despite their humanity.

Every Christian woman can receive favor from the Father, grace enough to compensate for her faults and shortcomings. The key is a heart of humility.