“Before Honor, Humility” – FBC Morning Light (9/18/23)

Proverbs 15:33 and the Principle That Humility Comes Before Honor

Well, good Monday morning to you. Starting off a new week today and we're reading in Isaiah 43 and 44, 1 Thessalonians 4 and Proverbs chapter 15. I want to focus on the last statement in Proverbs chapter 15.

We'll look at it in just a minute. I remember years ago when I was a younger man serving as an assistant pastor to a man who is what my age is now. He was about 63, 64, something like that when this conversation took place.

We were having a conversation one day. Like I said, I was not even 30 years old yet. There was a young man about my age who was being considered for the pastorate of a very large church, a very large church.

The man who was being considered for this ministry hadn't been obviously involved in the work of ministry for very long. He was only in his late 20s, maybe 30, if that. The pastor remarked that he hoped that the church didn't call this young man to come and be their pastor.

Well, as a young man who thought, well, that'd be quite the feather in the cap if the church would call a young guy like this. What a great opportunity for him and so forth. So I was a little bit puzzled and I said, why is that?

He said, because it would be way too easy for such a position of honor to go to a guy's head before he's really learned to serve with humility. I thought about that. Okay. So on one hand, I thought, well, maybe that's just the opinion of an older guy who didn't have such an opportunity when he was young.

And it was a little bit of, not jealousy, but I had to jump through a bunch of hoops to get to where I am, and so anybody should. But then I come to Proverbs 15, and the last statement in Proverbs 15 says this, before honor is humility.

Before honor is humility. And when I thought more on what this pastor was telling me, I kind of considered my own situation. I had come to the church where I was serving at that time, after going through a really, really horrible experience in the ministry.

It was my first pastorate. I was, like I said, a young man. I was in my 20s and thought, I can do this. I've got the tiger by the tail and I can handle this, etc., etc. But I learned very quickly that I couldn't.

I mean, I was crushed, literally. And by the time this pastor found out my availability for the ministry, I was ready to do just about anything that the Lord would have me to do in the ministry. And he brought me into that position.

And so I realized a measure of truth in my own experience here. But then as I thought about it more, I realized, you know, this is exactly what Jesus showed us, isn't it? Before honor is humility. Now, Jesus was raised from the grave on the third day after the crucifixion.

And then a few weeks after that, he ascended into heaven where he sits at the right hand of the throne on high. Great position of honor, right? But before that honor, what humility that, well, as the Bible tells us, that Jesus humbled himself, took on the form of a servant, and in a fashion of a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

There was no more humbling, humiliating way to die for anybody than a crucifixion. But for God the Son, God the Son to die in such a way. This was the most magnificent display of humility. But after the humility came great honor.

And so this principle shows itself in the life of the Lord Jesus Christ. You know, I've seen too many times in my experience of working with people and so forth, that there are some, and I've seen this in young people, who think that they've got all the answers, they've got what it takes to have great positions of prestige and honor and so on and so forth, and they want to bypass the arduous process of learning humility.

Sometimes they get to those positions of honor, and this was what the pastor was concerned about. They get to those positions of honor, and it goes to their head, they become very egotistical, they become callous and cold toward those under them, and they crash and burn.

And the pastor friend who shared this thought with me was very concerned about the young man, that he not be put in a position of honor too soon, that instead he learned humility first, so that later when the position of honor comes, he can take that position, having grown through the process of humility, and employ himself in that position with much greater effectiveness and longevity in the work.

So think about that, meditate on that principle today, before honor is humility. And how have you seen that to be true in your own life? And besides the example of the Lord Jesus Christ, have you seen some examples where honor came too quickly, where humility wasn't learned, and what that did to the person?

Food for thought today. So our Father and our God, we thank you for this principle, and I pray that we would be a humble people, we would learn humility, so that when opportunities come our way, where we can be used in a greater way, that we would be ready for those when they come.

And this we pray in Jesus' name and for his sake. Listen, you have a good rest of your Monday, and hope your week gets off to a great start today. Good day.