Torch, Summer 2000

12 Torch ourselves in the spirit of humility, because God opposes the proud. That’s an awesome statement. I don’t want God opposing me, do you? I want to be on God’s side. God opposes the proud and He gives grace to the humble. In another passage, Peter reminds us to “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time: casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you.” Peter learned this leadership principle of humility the hard way. In many scriptural passages and in numerous ways, if there was ever a man that came across with an attitude of pride, it was Peter. Yet, he learned to be humble. Consider also Paul. He wrote in I Corinthians 15:9, “For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.” If there was any person in the New Testament who had the background to justify pride in his accomplishments, in the plan of God for his life, and how he was used in the writing of sacred Scripture, it was Paul. But he says, “Hey, of all the apostles I am the least.” In Ephesians 3:8 he went even further: “Although I am less than the least of all God’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.” We have a tendency to become prouder as we get older. Instead of gaining a greater understanding of the grace of God and manifesting a spirit of humility, we can become proud with our accomplishments and longevity of service. Paul, instead, thought less of himself the older he got. He first considers himself the least of the apostles and later writes , “I’m less than the least, not just of the apostles, but of all people.” Still later, as he’s nearing the end of his life, he writes in I Timothy 1:15, “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.” Paul, the great missionary, evangelist, Bible teacher, and human author of more of the New Testament than anyone, says, “I’m not just the least of the apostles; I’m not just less than the least of all people; I’m the number one sinner who has ever lived.” I would suggest two things that may help us grasp this principle and have a spirit of humility throughout our lives. First, never lose a sense of personal sinfulness, and second, never lose a sense of God’s grace that rescued us. There is a danger of pride at Cedarville University. God has blessed us; in some ways He’s blessed us beyond a lot of other institutions. We could get lifted up with pride because of all the students who want to come here; because of all the successes in our programs; because of our beautiful facilities and the way God sends in money to pay for the vision. (continued from page 7)