Don't confuse the meaning of 'humility'

Seven of the worst sins are listed in Proverbs 16:6. They are commonly called, the seven deadly sins or "abominations." The very first one on the list is pride. Anyone familiar with scripture knows that the Bible emphatically condemns the kind of pride that leads a person to ignore or deny their personal need for the Almighty. The reason this sin is such a serious offense from God's viewpoint is clear. The denial of a personal need of God is a denial of the universal need of human redemption and therefore makes a mockery of the suffering and sacrifice of Jesus.

The opposite of pride is humility and this is where we can get confused. Godly humility should never lead to underestimating your personal value. It is as great a moral sin to think too little of ourselves as thinking too much of ourselves. To underestimate your value contradicts the Word of the Lord for He tells us in St. Mark 8:36 that each life is of greater value than all the wealth in the world. How significant must we be if the Almighty One numbers the hairs on our head? There are times in life when many are tempted to feel they have little significance. When we are constantly subjected to the philosophy and false science of the world that teaches existence is just a random accident and there is really no purpose for human life it is no wonder we are so prone to think our lives do not matter. Human value lies not in personal attractiveness or talent. Nor does it depend on the value of material assets. It lies in the fact that God made us in His image, we have been given an immortal soul, and therefore, each of us have incredible potential when and if fellowship with our Creator is restored through the Redeemer-Christ Jesus. The evidence for our individual value lies in the price God paid for our redemption. In 1 Peter 1:18-19 we are reminded of this price, "For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed - but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect." When you begin to understand the value God has already placed on you, humility replaces all false pride. Pride often results from an obsession to establish ones value apart from God. In this effort some may even exhibit incredible personal sacrifice and hard work. Others may just fake it and put on a false front. The point is, you don't need to prove you are valuable. God has already established the fact by the sacrifice of Jesus.The opposite of pride is humility and this is where we can get confused. Godly humility should never lead to underestimating your personal value. It is as great a moral sin to think too little of ourselves as thinking too much of ourselves. To underestimate your value contradicts the Word of the Lord for He tells us in St. Mark 8:36 that each life is of greater value than all the wealth in the world. How significant must we be if the Almighty One numbers the hairs on our head? There are times in life when many are tempted to feel they have little significance. When we are constantly subjected to the philosophy and false science of the world that teaches existence is just a random accident and there is really no purpose for human life it is no wonder we are so prone to think our lives do not matter. Human value lies not in personal attractiveness or talent. Nor does it depend on the value of material assets. It lies in the fact that God made us in His image, we have been given an immortal soul, and therefore, each of us have incredible potential when and if fellowship with our Creator is restored through the Redeemer-Christ Jesus. The evidence for our individual value lies in the price God paid for our redemption. In 1 Peter 1:18-19 we are reminded of this price, "For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed - but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect." When you begin to understand the value God has already placed on you, humility replaces all false pride. Pride often results from an obsession to establish ones value apart from God. In this effort some may even exhibit incredible personal sacrifice and hard work. Others may just fake it and put on a false front. The point is, you don't need to prove you are valuable. God has already established the fact by the sacrifice of Jesus.