Humble Yourself
By Rev. Mark E. Vatcher
“Surely He scorns the scornful,
but gives grace to the humble.”
Proverbs 3:34
Let me start by sharing a story I read that helped me humble myself. I reflect back on it when I feel pride
overcoming me. As far as I know the story is true, some of the details may have changed over the years, but
basically it’s a story about an event that really happened.
Many years ago, a lady in an old looking dress and her husband, dressed in a slightly worn out looking suit,
stepped off the train in Boston and walked timidly without an appointment into the president’s outer office at
Harvard University. The secretary could tell in a moment that such backwoods, country hicks had no business at
Harvard and probably did not even deserve to be in Cambridge let alone Harvard. She frowned. "We want to see
the president," the man said. "He’ll be busy all day," the secretary snapped. "We’ll wait," the lady replied. For
hours, the secretary ignored them, hoping that the couple would finally become discouraged and go away. They
did not. And the secretary grew frustrated and finally decided to disturb the president. "Maybe if they just see
you for a few minutes, they’ll leave," she pleaded to him. And he sighed in exasperation and nodded. Someone of
his importance did not have the time to spend with them, but he detested country hicks cluttering up his outer
office. The president, stern-faced with dignity, strutted toward the couple. The lady told him, "We had a son that
attended Harvard for one year. He loved Harvard. He was happy here. But about a year ago, he was killed in an
accident. And my husband and I would like to erect a memorial to him, somewhere on campus." The president
was not touched; he was shocked. "Madam," he said gruffly, "We can’t put up a statue for every person who
attended Harvard and died. If we did, this place would look like a cemetery." "Oh, no," the lady explained
quickly, "We don’t want to erect a statue. We thought we would like to have a building built for Harvard." The
president rolled his eyes. He glanced at the gingham dress and homespun suit, and then exclaimed, "A building!
Do you have any earthly idea how much a building costs? We have over seven and a half million dollars worth of
buildings at Harvard." For a moment the lady was silent. The president was pleased. He could get rid of them
now. Then the lady turned to her husband and said quietly, "Is that all it costs to build a university? Why don’t
we just start our own?" Her husband nodded. The president’s face wilted in confusion and bewilderment as the
couple thanked him and walked away. Soon they were in California establishing a university as a memorial to a
son that Harvard no longer cared about, Leland Stanford, Jr.
The president of Harvard learned the hard way not to judge the worth of a person by what appears on the surface.
Humility is a great gift. The scriptures time and time again relate how God loves the humble. From Zephaniah,
"Seek the Lord, all you humble of the earth, who have observed his law; seek justice, seek humility;" and "I will
leave as a remnant in your midst a people humble and lowly, who shall take refuge in the name of the Lord: the
remnant of Israel." And from (Psalm 146) "The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down. “From (Corinthians)
"Think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise, not many influential, and surely not
many well-born. God chose the absurd to shame the wise; he singled out the weak to shame the strong. He chose
the lowborn and despised, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who were something.” Finally,
from Matthew’s account of the Sermon on the Mount: "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth."
God does not judge a person’s worth by external appearances. God does not judge a person by surface or
extraneous things like clothes, accent, skin color, the length of one’s hair, or the thickness of one’s wallet.
Neither does God judge a person by the success they have achieved in this world. The scripture tells how God
reaches out with love and healing and blessings to the poor, the oppressed, the hungry, the blind, strangers,
orphans, widows, the weak, the despised, the sorrowing, and the persecuted. Jesus illustrated this with his whole
life, befriending tax collectors, prostitutes, beggars, Romans, fishermen, Samaritans. God judges us. He uses a
different standard than that of this world. And while we do not judge outright (only God does that) we do judge
each other which I must say is not an ultimate judgment but a physical and material judgment. It is necessary to
make good decisions in our lives. It’s up to us to hold up the standard God expresses through the scriptures. Let’
s look to the scriptures and try to detect God’s standard. First, (Zephaniah) "Seek the Lord, all you humble of
the earth, who have observed his law; seek justice," and "They shall do no wrong and speak no lies." From the
(Psalm) "The Lord loves the just, ... but the way of the wicked he thwarts." And to all those low-life’s in Corinth,
Paul says, "God it is who has given you life in Christ Jesus. He is our wisdom, our righteousness, our holiness,
and our redemption." In other words, "When you were called, you were nothing, but by accepting that call you
have become holy, set apart by God to do His good works on earth." Finally, in the Sermon on the Mount, it is not
just the poor and meek whom are blessed, but also the merciful, the pure in heart, and the peacemakers. And it
isn’t those who are persecuted for any old reason that are blessed, but those who are persecuted for the sake of
holiness, and because of Jesus. It is not those who go along to get along, but those who stand up for Jesus who are
told, "Be glad and rejoice, for your reward in heaven is great." So God does have standards. And so must we.
Ours is not an "anything goes" religion. "But," you say, "Is not God infinitely merciful? Does not He forgive us
all our sins?" Yes, He is, and yes, He does. But being a Christian does not mean being baptized and then going on
living like it does not matter. Being a Christian means giving our life to God and letting Him control it. It means
living according to His will, not our own. Now, we are never going to succeed completely. That’s where forgiveness
comes in. But we at least have to try! That’s the standard. You at least have to try.
When we read scriptures like those I quoted today, some of us come away with the message that God is an
inclusive God who embraces all manner of rabble. Some will think from this that God has a preference for the
poor. Others will come away with the message that God is a holy God who embraces the pure in heart and is fire
on evil-doers. Both are true. Neither by itself is complete. This is a complex message, this Gospel of ours. If we
are a success in this life, we must worry that maybe we have compromised too much. If we are proud of our
accomplishments, perhaps we have not humbled ourselves sufficiently to God: "Let him, who would boast, boast
in the LORD." If we are among the dregs of society and, because of it, are bitter and unhappy and resentful,
perhaps we have not succumbed to the mercy and grace and joy which God pours out upon the likes of us, but
persist in shutting Him out with our stubborn pride. If we persist in what we know to be sinful ways, if we ignore
the call to holiness, if we seldom attend church, if we’re always too busy to pray or read the scriptures or go to a
service or visit the sick or perform works of mercy, then perhaps we have committed too little to Christ. Perhaps,
in our pride, we have refused to humble ourselves to God. Becoming a Christian is more than undergoing a ritual.
It’s more than identifying with a denomination. It’s more than membership in a church. It’s more than being a
"good person." Being a Christian is nothing less than humbling ourselves before God, putting God at the very
center of our lives, putting ourselves under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, asking about every decision "What
would Jesus do?" and making those decisions as if they mattered, because they do. This is not subjecting us to a
life of misery, boredom, and deprivation. It is rather opening us up to a life of joy and peace and happiness.
"Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for holiness. They shall have their fill." Jesus told us that he came that
we might have life, and have it abundantly.
Let us examine our consciences, confess our sins to God, and receive forgiveness, God’s forgiveness of all our
past sins. Let us at this time, in humility, commit to reform our lives, put Jesus in the drivers seat, and become
among the pure in heart who will see God. Then let us leave renewed in the Spirit, reborn to a life of service to
God and God’s people. You belong to God. Will you give yourself to Him? Do it now, completely and without
reservation. The joy of the life of grace awaits you brethren.
By Rev. Mark E. Vatcher
“Surely He scorns the scornful,
but gives grace to the humble.”
Proverbs 3:34
Let me start by sharing a story I read that helped me humble myself. I reflect back on it when I feel pride
overcoming me. As far as I know the story is true, some of the details may have changed over the years, but
basically it’s a story about an event that really happened.
Many years ago, a lady in an old looking dress and her husband, dressed in a slightly worn out looking suit,
stepped off the train in Boston and walked timidly without an appointment into the president’s outer office at
Harvard University. The secretary could tell in a moment that such backwoods, country hicks had no business at
Harvard and probably did not even deserve to be in Cambridge let alone Harvard. She frowned. "We want to see
the president," the man said. "He’ll be busy all day," the secretary snapped. "We’ll wait," the lady replied. For
hours, the secretary ignored them, hoping that the couple would finally become discouraged and go away. They
did not. And the secretary grew frustrated and finally decided to disturb the president. "Maybe if they just see
you for a few minutes, they’ll leave," she pleaded to him. And he sighed in exasperation and nodded. Someone of
his importance did not have the time to spend with them, but he detested country hicks cluttering up his outer
office. The president, stern-faced with dignity, strutted toward the couple. The lady told him, "We had a son that
attended Harvard for one year. He loved Harvard. He was happy here. But about a year ago, he was killed in an
accident. And my husband and I would like to erect a memorial to him, somewhere on campus." The president
was not touched; he was shocked. "Madam," he said gruffly, "We can’t put up a statue for every person who
attended Harvard and died. If we did, this place would look like a cemetery." "Oh, no," the lady explained
quickly, "We don’t want to erect a statue. We thought we would like to have a building built for Harvard." The
president rolled his eyes. He glanced at the gingham dress and homespun suit, and then exclaimed, "A building!
Do you have any earthly idea how much a building costs? We have over seven and a half million dollars worth of
buildings at Harvard." For a moment the lady was silent. The president was pleased. He could get rid of them
now. Then the lady turned to her husband and said quietly, "Is that all it costs to build a university? Why don’t
we just start our own?" Her husband nodded. The president’s face wilted in confusion and bewilderment as the
couple thanked him and walked away. Soon they were in California establishing a university as a memorial to a
son that Harvard no longer cared about, Leland Stanford, Jr.
The president of Harvard learned the hard way not to judge the worth of a person by what appears on the surface.
Humility is a great gift. The scriptures time and time again relate how God loves the humble. From Zephaniah,
"Seek the Lord, all you humble of the earth, who have observed his law; seek justice, seek humility;" and "I will
leave as a remnant in your midst a people humble and lowly, who shall take refuge in the name of the Lord: the
remnant of Israel." And from (Psalm 146) "The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down. “From (Corinthians)
"Think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise, not many influential, and surely not
many well-born. God chose the absurd to shame the wise; he singled out the weak to shame the strong. He chose
the lowborn and despised, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who were something.” Finally,
from Matthew’s account of the Sermon on the Mount: "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth."
God does not judge a person’s worth by external appearances. God does not judge a person by surface or
extraneous things like clothes, accent, skin color, the length of one’s hair, or the thickness of one’s wallet.
Neither does God judge a person by the success they have achieved in this world. The scripture tells how God
reaches out with love and healing and blessings to the poor, the oppressed, the hungry, the blind, strangers,
orphans, widows, the weak, the despised, the sorrowing, and the persecuted. Jesus illustrated this with his whole
life, befriending tax collectors, prostitutes, beggars, Romans, fishermen, Samaritans. God judges us. He uses a
different standard than that of this world. And while we do not judge outright (only God does that) we do judge
each other which I must say is not an ultimate judgment but a physical and material judgment. It is necessary to
make good decisions in our lives. It’s up to us to hold up the standard God expresses through the scriptures. Let’
s look to the scriptures and try to detect God’s standard. First, (Zephaniah) "Seek the Lord, all you humble of
the earth, who have observed his law; seek justice," and "They shall do no wrong and speak no lies." From the
(Psalm) "The Lord loves the just, ... but the way of the wicked he thwarts." And to all those low-life’s in Corinth,
Paul says, "God it is who has given you life in Christ Jesus. He is our wisdom, our righteousness, our holiness,
and our redemption." In other words, "When you were called, you were nothing, but by accepting that call you
have become holy, set apart by God to do His good works on earth." Finally, in the Sermon on the Mount, it is not
just the poor and meek whom are blessed, but also the merciful, the pure in heart, and the peacemakers. And it
isn’t those who are persecuted for any old reason that are blessed, but those who are persecuted for the sake of
holiness, and because of Jesus. It is not those who go along to get along, but those who stand up for Jesus who are
told, "Be glad and rejoice, for your reward in heaven is great." So God does have standards. And so must we.
Ours is not an "anything goes" religion. "But," you say, "Is not God infinitely merciful? Does not He forgive us
all our sins?" Yes, He is, and yes, He does. But being a Christian does not mean being baptized and then going on
living like it does not matter. Being a Christian means giving our life to God and letting Him control it. It means
living according to His will, not our own. Now, we are never going to succeed completely. That’s where forgiveness
comes in. But we at least have to try! That’s the standard. You at least have to try.
When we read scriptures like those I quoted today, some of us come away with the message that God is an
inclusive God who embraces all manner of rabble. Some will think from this that God has a preference for the
poor. Others will come away with the message that God is a holy God who embraces the pure in heart and is fire
on evil-doers. Both are true. Neither by itself is complete. This is a complex message, this Gospel of ours. If we
are a success in this life, we must worry that maybe we have compromised too much. If we are proud of our
accomplishments, perhaps we have not humbled ourselves sufficiently to God: "Let him, who would boast, boast
in the LORD." If we are among the dregs of society and, because of it, are bitter and unhappy and resentful,
perhaps we have not succumbed to the mercy and grace and joy which God pours out upon the likes of us, but
persist in shutting Him out with our stubborn pride. If we persist in what we know to be sinful ways, if we ignore
the call to holiness, if we seldom attend church, if we’re always too busy to pray or read the scriptures or go to a
service or visit the sick or perform works of mercy, then perhaps we have committed too little to Christ. Perhaps,
in our pride, we have refused to humble ourselves to God. Becoming a Christian is more than undergoing a ritual.
It’s more than identifying with a denomination. It’s more than membership in a church. It’s more than being a
"good person." Being a Christian is nothing less than humbling ourselves before God, putting God at the very
center of our lives, putting ourselves under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, asking about every decision "What
would Jesus do?" and making those decisions as if they mattered, because they do. This is not subjecting us to a
life of misery, boredom, and deprivation. It is rather opening us up to a life of joy and peace and happiness.
"Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for holiness. They shall have their fill." Jesus told us that he came that
we might have life, and have it abundantly.
Let us examine our consciences, confess our sins to God, and receive forgiveness, God’s forgiveness of all our
past sins. Let us at this time, in humility, commit to reform our lives, put Jesus in the drivers seat, and become
among the pure in heart who will see God. Then let us leave renewed in the Spirit, reborn to a life of service to
God and God’s people. You belong to God. Will you give yourself to Him? Do it now, completely and without
reservation. The joy of the life of grace awaits you brethren.
