1 Peter 5:5 ”….And all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Deuteronomy 28:13 The LORD will make you the head and not the tail, and you will always end up at the top and not at the bottom, if you obey His commandments, which I am urging you today to be careful to do.

Does anybody else think that these 2 verses form an enigma:? God wants humility to define my character, yet I’m to understand that as an obedient Christ follower, I will never be at the “tail end”! Puzzling, right? Imagine a team, having just won the championship game, hanging their heads, walking silently off the field while their fans in the stands shout, “We are nothing!” That would be crazy, right? In my humble opinion, “Humble victor” sounds like an oxymoron! I suspect that’s because I’ve much to learn about the true meaning of humility.

This morning the Holy Spirit is reminding me of our Savior’s humble life. Jesus, the very Son of God, never spoke one prideful word, never performed a miracle just to wow the crowds, and in fact, He temporarily gave up the outward expression of His divinity (Phil. 2:7) when He came to live among us. He was always about demonstrating the grace and love of God to people rather than wielding the power over them that rightfully belonged to Him—even when they chanted “Crucify Him!”

Had Jesus not “clothed Himself” with humility on a daily basis, His ultimate sacrifice on the cross—death for your sin and mine—would never have happened. Just like us, obedience to the Father involved choice after choice after choice. He would have been disqualified from being the Lamb of God who would take away our sin had there ever been even one moment when He chose His own will over His Father’s. But He didn’t. Jesus consistently chose servanthood. Death was His final act of humility on earth. And with the price of His own spilled blood, Jesus gained the victory of the ages, and Satan has been the loser ever since!

Holy Spirit, I invite You to help me understand what true humility is. I’m asking that You would teach me what being “clothed in humility” should look like. Sand off the prideful bumps and edges of my heart until my understanding on this subject aligns with Yours. I realize my focus needs to be on being draped head to toe with humility, while Your amazing promise is that You will make sure that as I walk in obedience, I’ll be the head, not the tail! I trust You Lord, and I’m so thankful for the peace that obedience to Your word brings. You are such an awesome God!