Lifted Up

We all want to be known as “good” people, don’t we? If we are praised and trusted, we feel lifted up inside. Sometimes we try to lift ourselves up by telling about the good things we do. But there is a secret to this. The Bible says, “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up.”* (James 4:10) What is our part? Not to praise ourselves, but to humble ourselves. It sounds like the opposite, doesn’t it?

Humbling ourselves is not just admitting our faults and asking for help, like Betty did in the story.

It is also letting go of our reputation. Betty had a bad reputation and Grace had a good one, but it

didn’t really matter in the end, did it? Jesus “made himself of no reputation”* (Philippians 2:7) when He came to this earth. He didn’t seek praise or try to prove how good He was. The devil tempted Him by saying, “If you are the Son of God…,”* (Matthew 4:3) but Jesus didn’t take the bait. He knew that His obedience and love to His Father would prove Who He really was. And that is the same with us. If you really want to be a good person, ask God to help you to listen and obey. It doesn’t matter what other people think of you right now. If you humble yourselves before God, He will lift you up.