Humility: Following Jesus in a Posture of Service
What does it mean to embody humility in a world that prizes self-assertion and personal success? Can we have humility and success at the same time as we serve one another?
As we continue our journey through the book of Mark, we are reminded that Jesus lived a life of service. He gave His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). But this example of humility isn’t just for admiration—it’s central to who we are called to be as we follow Jesus together.
In 1 Peter 5:5-6, the Apostle Peter urges us, “Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you.” These words are a powerful reminder that humility isn’t optional in our walk with Christ. It is a key rhythm that should define our relationships with God and one another.
Humility as Jesus Modeled It
Humility, as modeled by Jesus, is not about devaluing ourselves or thinking less of who we are. Rather, it’s about recognizing that everything we are and have comes from God. Jesus, the very Son of God, had every reason to demand honor and glory. He chose the path of service and submission to the Father’s will.
We see this in how He lived: washing the feet of His disciples, breaking bread with those that society rejected, and ultimately laying down His life. In 1 Peter 5:2-3, Peter calls leaders to “shepherd the flock…not domineering… but being examples to the flock.” Jesus embodied this perfectly—leading with grace, serving instead of demanding, and always seeking the good of others.
The foundation of His humility was trust in God’s will. Jesus didn’t need to prove His worth because He was secure in the Father’s love. This is key for us, too. Humility begins with recognizing that our worth is not found in accomplishments, recognition, or status, but in our identity as beloved children of God.
Humility in Action
But what does this humility look like in our daily lives? Peter’s encouragement in 1 Peter 5:5 to “clothe yourselves with humility” speaks to an intentional, daily choice. It’s not a one-time decision, but a rhythm we cultivate through our actions and attitudes.
In our relationships: Humility means putting others before ourselves, listening more than speaking, and being willing to serve without expecting anything in return. It’s about seeking to lift others up instead of seeking recognition for ourselves.
In our spiritual growth: Humility requires us to be teachable, open to correction, and willing to learn from others. This can be difficult, especially when pride tells us we already know what’s best. When we allow ourselves to be shaped and refined by God and others, we grow deeper in our walk with Christ.
In our church community: Humility fosters unity. When we clothe ourselves in humility, we create an environment where everyone is valued, and no one is too important to serve. In 1 Peter 5:5, we are encouraged to show humility “toward one another.” This means seeing the image of God in each person, honoring their gifts, and working together for the good of the body of Christ.
Humility as a Rhythm
Humility doesn’t come naturally in a world that prizes self-promotion and individual achievement. As followers of Jesus, we are called to a different way. We are invited to live in a rhythm of humility that reflects the heart of Christ.
Peter’s words remind us that humility is tied to trust. 1 Peter 5:6 tells us to “humble yourselves…under the mighty hand of God, so that at the proper time He may exalt you.” Humility is about surrendering control and trusting that God’s timing and plan are better than our own.
Encouragement for the Journey
Humility is not an easy path. It requires us to confront our pride and let go of our desire for control. But the promise of 1 Peter 5:10 is that after we have suffered a little while, the God of all grace “will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish” us. Humility leads to restoration and strength in the hands of a loving God.
As we follow Jesus together, let’s take Peter’s encouragement to heart and clothe ourselves in humility. Let’s pray for the grace to serve one another with joy, to seek God’s will above our own, and to grow in Christlike love and compassion. When humility becomes a rhythm in our lives, we will reflect Jesus more fully.
Written by: Wes Hunter
Humility
It has been a joy over the last decade to serve so closely with others through the ministry of biblical counseling. I have personally been humbled as a counselor and watched others model humility. It is a privilege to be used by the Lord to share some of the deepest and darkest moments in the lives of others. God has used these moments to help me grow in having a heart of humility. I realized that when trying to help others, I often wanted to know all the answers right away and struggled with being patient. In the seasons that my own personal life felt overwhelming, I struggled to sacrifice my time and energy to serve another. In my pride, I battled self-pity, feeling unqualified, unworthy, and underappreciated. I caught myself many times trying to do things in my own effort, taking my eyes off the Lord. Thankfully, in my weariness, Jesus invited me to come to Him to find rest (Matt 11:28-30). My heart needed to draw near to Jesus and gain a deeper dependence on the Lord. This need for personal growth in humility was true then, and it is still true today.
In order for us to discuss humility, we must first take a look at what scripture says about pride. “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” James 4:6.
Pride is when our heart becomes consumed with self. It can be exhibited in selfish ambitions, arrogance, and boasting in our accomplishments. Ultimately, it is a worship of self. It is dangerous because it is rooted in giving glory to ourselves when the glory belongs to God alone. When we seek self-exaltation instead of rightly worshiping Him, our fellowship with the Lord is hindered (Psalm 10:4). Pride will blind us into thinking we have no need for God, and our thoughts and our actions become all about "my happiness,” “my self-worth,” “my life,” “my feelings,” for “my benefit,” and in "my control.”
What Scripture reveals about pride:
Pride is an “abomination to the LORD” (Prov 16:5).
Pride makes one hopeless (Prov 26:12).
Pride comes before disgrace (Prov 11:2).
Pride goes before destruction (Prov 16:18-19; 18:12).
Pride causes calamity (Prov 28:14).
Pride is wicked and sinful (Prov 21:4).
A major consequence of pride is a hardened heart. This creates self-delusion that makes us overly confident in our own ability, which in turn makes us unteachable and hinders our maturity. A hardened heart also shifts blame and takes no ownership in wrong-doing, which will never allow us to walk in true repentance (Eph 4:17-19). An impenitent heart is rebellion, and God’s righteous judgment will be revealed against such sin (Rom 2:5). Pride says: “I’m strong enough,” “recognize me,” “serve me,” “my way,” “love me,” “approve of me,” “elevate me,” “my accomplishments,” “my self-worth,” “my desires,” “my life.”
Feeling convicted yet? I know I am! Let us now take a look at what scripture says about humility. “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” James 4:6.
Humble is when our heart dies to self. We recognize our inability to save anyone and acknowledge our own need for salvation. Our worthlessness has been exchanged for His infinite worth. It is right worship of God alone. Jesus is our ultimate model for humility, as One with great power but humbled Himself as a servant even to death on the cross (Phil 2:8). Through Christ Jesus we receive grace, a gift of God not by our own doing but through faith (Eph 2:4-10). Humility exposes our weaknesses, in which God’s grace is sufficient (2 Cor 12:9).
What Scripture reveals about humility:
The humble will be exalted by the Lord (1 Pet 5:6, James 4:10).
Humility comes before honor (Prov 15:33).
Humility is rewarded by God with riches, honor, and life (Prov 22:4).
The LORD lifts up the humble (Ps 147:6).
The LORD leads the humble in what is right and teaches them His way (Ps 25:9).
Wisdom comes with humility (Prov 11:2).
An inevitable outcome of humility is a loving heart. This creates a selfless attribute that counts others more significant than ourselves so that we put the interests of others before our own (Phil 2:3-4). It produces fruit that acknowledges our sin before the Lord and receives God’s grace with a heart of gratitude. Humility allows us to likewise offer grace and forgiveness to others because we recognize what God has done for us (Col 3:12-17). Humility says: “Christ is strong enough,” “recognize Christ,” “serve the Lord,” “God’s way,” “love Christ,” “approve of Christ,” “elevate Christ,” “what Christ accomplished,” “worth in Christ,” “desires from Christ,” “life because of Christ.”
I know firsthand that pride is a difficult sin to address. It is hard to examine our own heart and acknowledge our own temptations to sinful pride. Even more so, to invite a trusted friend to have an open, grace-filled discussion to identify areas they see pride manifesting in our life. But, as you’ve now read above the danger of pride, I urge you to join me in praying desperately and regularly for humility and heart renewal from our faithful, forgiving, and loving God.
“Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted” Matthew 23:12.
Written by: Shauna Van Dyke
Count the Cost
Can you recall a time in your life when you put the interests of others before your own? Maybe letting others go in front of you at the grocery store? Or maybe something more costly than your time? Perhaps you denied yourself some delicacies to help a friend alleviate a financial crisis. The process is pretty straightforward: we bless others, they are encouraged, and we feel good. Praise the Lord! We are called to be a blessing and look for those opportunities to obey. However, do we look with the same tenacity to deny ourselves? The call of our Creator...this is not only the most difficult thing to do with our lives, but apart from the work of the Holy Spirit, it is utterly impossible to practice humility. Jesus plainly stated, “if anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Mk. 8:34).
In the context of this gospel narrative, Mark is not suggesting a domesticated version of denying ourselves. It is more than denying ourselves something we like during Lent. This is a literal forsaking of self. Forsaking living for ourselves, our desires, and our self-motivated pursuits. Instead, getting behind him, following him towards the death he died. Jesus uses Peter’s rebuke as a teaching moment to admonish the disciples and the crowds that were following him; he was setting the precedent of the cost of the cross. Ironically, Peter would think of this teaching moment when he denied knowing Jesus before he was delivered to Pilate for the very death he predicted (Mk. 14:66–72). In this moment, Peter desired to save his life, so he denied Jesus. However, we know the story. Jesus restores Peter after the resurrection, commissions him, then Peter receives the promised Holy Spirit, and he fulfills the ministry by also dying on a cross–he found life.
Paul picks up that notion of denying ourselves as built into the new covenant; he says that our old self was crucified with Christ, that we would die to sin and walk in newness of life (Rom. 6:1–14). As part of the baptism ceremony, we immerse the believer and say “buried with Christ in baptism and raised to walk in the newness of life.” By this, we are acknowledging Christ’s death in our own. This ceremony marks the spiritual life of a Christian dying to oneself and living for Jesus Christ.
We all have the universal call to deny ourselves as stated above; our selfish desires, interests, and motivations. That will look different for each one of us. This is a necessary discipline of becoming like Jesus. He died to himself for our good, that we might have life by him losing his. So let us lose our lives and take up the gospel life that we get to live.
What does counting the cost of denying yourself look like right now? Are there others in your life who know you well enough to speak into this area of your life?
Written by: Michael Van Dyke
Holy Obedience
When you hear the word obedience, what do you think of? For me, as a father, I think of obedience in terms of children being obedient to their parents. As a young parent, I am learning what obedience looks like, and I am reminded of how I am not that much different when it comes to obeying than my two-year-old. His battle is the bathtub, mine is not giving into greed. His battle is eating his vegetables, mine is controlling my tongue. The list goes on and on. Though his battles might seem easier than mine, our hearts are similar in pulling us away from the things that are for our good and toward the things that are not. Apart from Christ, our heart is wicked and sinful (Jeremiah 17:9).
Thankfully, just like through my continual, gentle, sometimes stern, command for obedience from my toddler, we are also commanded to obey by our Heavenly Father. We see God’s command for obedience in the book of Exodus when he tells the Israelites, “Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine,” (Exodus 19:5). In Deuteronomy it states, “You shall therefore love the LORD your God and keep his charge, his statutes, his rules, and his commandments always,” (Deuteronomy 11:1). This is for our good. Obedience toward God is something that becomes delight, not just duty. It should be something that we want to do because of what God has done through Christ in us.
It is in the life of Jesus that we see obedience modeled perfectly. Holy obedience is the obedience to the Father that Jesus demonstrated throughout his life. In the gospel of Luke, we see Jesus living out obedience to the Father from a young age as he honored his earthly mother and father. Luke records that after Jesus was found listening to the teachers in the temple, he was submissive to his parents as they went down to Nazareth (Luke 2:51). Later in his life, in the garden, Jesus models obedience to the Father as the cross of the crucifixion draws near. Jesus was obedient even to the point of death on a cross in submission to the Father’s will (Philippians 2:8). If you are in Christ, you are called to walk in holy obedience (1 John 5:2-3). It does not come easy, but in Christ, you can answer the call to obedience, through the power of his Holy Spirit. As we seek to become like Jesus, the pursuit of holy obedience is a gift and a grace to us. It is not meant to take away our joy in life, but rather give us joy in full as we follow Jesus together in submission to our Father’s will.
Written by Matt Gaskin
Love Received and Applied
Rhythm: Become Like Jesus
The 2024 Olympics wrapped up recently, and the spectacle of elite athletes pushing their bodies to the extremes to win a prize has always fascinated me. In our house, we watched on the edge of our seats as Armand Duplantis attempted to break the world record in pole vaulting. The bar was set at 6.25 m (20 ft 6 in), and no one in history had ever made it over.
In John 13:34, Jesus gave his followers a command. Something they must do if they are truly His disciples. “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” It sounds amazing and something I want to be a part of. I love other believers who are following Jesus, and they love me back. The kind of love required by Jesus is specific. It isn’t a whatever works for you kind of love. The bar has been set. We must love like Jesus loved.
How did Jesus love? Jesus demonstrated the greatest love in all of human history by laying down His own life, taking the full penalty of our sin— notably our repeated failures to love God and others—so that we might find our fullest joy in Him (John 10:18, 15:11, 15:13, Col. 2:14). The bar has been set extremely high. And just like Duplantis, only one has succeeded.
To get more clarification on what the love of Jesus looks like, read 1 Corinthians 13. God starts by saying that we are loving like Jesus when we are patient and kind towards others. But have you ever considered the opposites? Unfortunately, those are what I am naturally best at. I am unloving when I am impatient with others—when they keep me from doing what I want when I want it. When others are talking, and I’m distracted and not really listening, I am unloving. I am unloving with thoughtless, careless words that are unkind or borderline rude. In my lack of love, I simply don’t care about others or their opinions. When I push to get my way and don’t consider others’ needs or perspectives, I am unloving. In my poverty of love, I act irritable or resentful when I don’t get my way. By nature, I am not a loving person. I am selfish and self-centered, focused too much on what would make me happy or my life easy.
But Jesus’ love is a selfless love, an enduring and hopeful love, a love that suffers much from the objects of His love yet does not fade and never wavers (Rom. 8:38-39). The bar has been set higher than I can achieve on my own. If I can’t love others as God has commanded, is there any hope? Yes! By grace and through faith in Christ, we already have what we need to love others like Jesus. We have the very love of God in our hearts. Romans 5:5 makes it clear: “God's love has been poured into our hearts.” So, the solution is simply to give what we have received.
But why does it feel like we don’t have any love to give at times? My tank can feel so empty. Forgetfulness tends to empty our love tank. If we forget the kind of love God has lavished on us to claim us as His own children (1 John 3:1), if we fail to realize the eternal torment from which we have been spared (Matt. 13:41-42), if we are no longer thankful for the underserved blessings from our God (Psalm 103), and if we falsely think we have been forgiven little, our love will be little (Luke 7:47).
Lord, help us to remember the great love with which You have loved us! We have received so much. Therefore, we have much to give.
Written by: Paul Hatfield
Paul and Cori Hatfield have been members of the Mount for almost three years. They have two kids—Aubrey and Jared. Paul currently serves in Worship Arts (kids, adults, wherever) and Re|engage.