FOR MEN ONLY: "Humility"

 A DEVOTION FROM THE SOON TO BE: HIS MEETS HERS DEVOTION SERIES

Judges 12:14 "He had forty sons and thirty grandsons, who rode on seventy donkeys. He judged Israel for eight years."

 

The human nature of man is to be the biggest and the strongest. It is the battle of the fittest. To pride ourselves in our strength and win every competition. Many men work their entire lives to make it to the top. To be ahead of the game. It is not necessarily wrong.  Weren't we created to be dominate and to rule over creation as Adam did in the garden?

 

God wants man to rule, but not for the sake of power. Jesus came and demolished our human standards of what it means to lead. When Israel chose their first king they did what their human instincts would have them to do.  They looked for the biggest most handsomest man to become king. They chose Saul.  I once learned in school that even electives for Presidents have a better chance of winning if they are attractive.

 

Naturally we're looking for someone to come in on stallions, dominating and declaring their presence as leader or judge.  But the heart of God for leaders is humbleness. Here we see the prime example of a Judge of Israel teaching that to his children and his children's children.  We need to teach the next generation that ruling isn't about power and having it all. Rather go to the people. Ride your donkeys, not your horses, and show you are serious about being their leader, their judge.

 

Evaluate: In your mind, how do you think leaders should act? Think about a person in your life that you respected as a leader or an influence to you.  How did they act and portray themselves? Did it meet your expectations of what you think a leader should be? Learn to be humble and not to pride ourselves in our own glory.