I have been meditating on a passage of scripture for the past couple of weeks.

God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. – James 4:6

In this passage James is loosely quoting the proverbs and reveals an amazing truth that is easy to miss with a casual reading.

God actively and intentionally works against those who are proud.  As I trying to build myself up and make my name great, the God of the universe is working in direct opposition to me.

Do we really comprehend this.  Do we live like we believe this?

Who in their right mind would wake up in the morning and challenge God to work against them?  Yet this is what I do each time I try to make my name great instead of making his name great.

On the other hand there is an amazing promise in this verse.  If we are on the other end of the spectrum, we are actively pursuing humility then God promises us his grace.  His favor rests on those who seek to make his name great at the expense of making their own name great.

While we cannot manipulate God, and he is always more aware of our motives than we are, there is great power in this promise.

Are you you waiting for a breakthrough in your life?  Do you need a victory? Perhaps the answer lies in fixing your eyes on Him instead of the issues that are in front of you.

For the Christian, “humble” is never a status we can fully achieve. We will never fully accomplish humility in this life. The Christian faith is a commitment to the pursuit of humility, understanding that we will never achieve it.

The promise for this lifestyle is the unmerited favor of God.  When we take our focus off of self and turn it toward our creator, we have the promise of his grace.  I want that.

I want that for my life and for those that I love. Though I am plagued by pride every hour of day, by God’s grace I desire to spend the rest of my days working towards humility.

I invite you to join me in that pursuit.  God promises that you will not regret it.