James 4:10 “Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will lift you up.”
The advice of the world is to exalt yourself, to blow your own horn (after all, as they say, no one else is going to do it for you!), to look out for #1, to make sure you’re getting what you deserve. But what we all deserve is shame and punishment for vanity, cruelties, neglects, mockeries, lies, and our litany of other sins, large and small. God’s grace, his rendering of justice by taking my sins upon himself and bearing my punishment, is the antidote to the disease of wanting to exalt myself. The more I meditate on God’s grace, mercy, and love, the less I want to focus on myself. As James says, God may lift up a humble servant in some way to influence others to know Jesus Christ. But it is God’s doing from start to finish.
Father, please fill me with your wisdom as I navigate my job and relationships today. I humble myself before you. Please keep me on the path of waiting on you with gratitude and obedience and humility.