The "Ugly" Cloak of Humility

“…be clothed with humility: for God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble” [1 Peter 5:5 NKJV]

Few years ago, I read a book, and in it, the author mentioned that Jesus had given him a cloak in a vision to conceal the glory that increased upon his life as he walked closer with Jesus. According to the author, the cloak was somewhat “ugly”, a drab covering over what he described as great light and a shiny armor beneath it. He went on to explain that this “ugly” cloak that Jesus told him he would never be able to do without while on earth is humility.

I certainly believe that the man’s vision was from God, because it matches up directly with the opening scripture. Peter refers to humility as a clothing to immerse one’s self in. I once read a good definition in the Rhapsody of Realities Daily Devotional that describes humility as “subjecting one’s self so that others can be respected” [Romans 12:10].

Humility is not poverty. Many people have the mental idea that most poor people are humble and most rich people are proud. As Christians, I believe this is a misconception that we may need to correct in ourselves individually. The opening scripture goes totally against that “traditional” mode of thinking, because for the rich man to get rich, more than likely he must have needed God’s grace, which can only be earned with humility. And, we may also deductively reason that the poor man may have not been humble enough to receive that grace. When I use the word “poverty” here, I am not referring to an absence of required necessity; rather, I am pointing to a mindset – the kind that makes a man envy everyone above him and even speak/think evil of those who try to help him. The truth is that many rich people are humble, and many poor people may exhibit an unwarranted pomposity.

Humility is a quality of the human spirit. Sometimes we hear a person being described as humble because such a person dresses somewhat lower in our eyes than their actual financial “status”. Humility could not be more erroneously described. I love when God declared by Himself to Samuel in the Bible that “man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart” [1 Samuel 16:7]. That a person dresses in a certain manner and tip-toes around as though wary of killing by-standing insects does not mean that he or she is humble. Humility is first of all a state of the heart, and it can only truly be recognized by God and the spiritually mature.

Humility is obedience to spiritual authority. The easiest way to recognize pride is through resistance to authority. King Saul was instructed by the prophet of God to destroy all the Amalekites and their livestock, but he thought that it may be wiser to preserve the king of Amalek and a few animals that he intended to sacrifice to God. That mindset cost him and his lineage the kingdom. God told him what to do, but he had a better idea than God Almighty. That is pride! Samuel went on to let Saul know that God is more concerned with obedience than any smart idea [1 Samuel 15:22]. Always learn to do what God wants the way He wants it. Never be that brother or sister that thinks the Pastor or his boss does not know what he or she is doing. Walk in obedience always!

Humility is believing and doing God’s Word. Never find yourself at cross-purposes with the Word. This is the part of humility that many have not understood. If God’s Word says, like it does in 2 Corinthians 8:9, that you are rich, you’ve got to talk that way. That’s what Jesus did! He did it so boldly that He was killed for it. If God says you are righteous and you turn around to say “I am only a sinner” in an attempt to be humble, you may have a problem. See Jesus in your heart talking to the most respected people [the Pharisees and scribes] in his day and saying [rashly] “ye are from beneath, I am from above” [John 8:23] or “I lay down my life, that I may take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself” [John 10:17-18]. He most certainly may have not “sounded” or “looked” humble while saying that, yet the Bible lets us know that he was humble [Philippians 2:8]. He was not braggadocios as some may have thought; rather, He was simply confessing what the Word had said concerning Him. Be humble according to God’s Word and not your own definition.

Samuel said to Saul in 1 Samuel 15:23, “rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and adultery. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee”. Pride is a rejection of the word, and it stinks before God.

Never find it hard to sincerely apologize for a wrong you’ve done. The way to be humble is through practice. Understand that humility is already in you as a Christian. All you need to do is act it out. You cannot make progress in God if you are not humble. Always be the one to admit that you are wrong when you are. Present your idea to your superior as a suggestion and not as a solution to his or her “stupidity”. Learn also that God’s house is not the place to be opinionated. The Church does not operate a democracy; rather, it functions in a theocracy. Therefore, you should learn to obey simple instructions that come through those people that God talks to the body through. With the cloak of humility on you, God is at liberty to make you great and do mighty things through you. Do not let anyone or any situation give you enough reason to take off that cloak. 

Please, share your thoughts about humility with the rest of us. God bless you!