Day Two James 4:6-10
6 ”And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ 7 So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. 9 Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.” – James 4:6-10 (NLT)
Discover
1. What does James say God will do if we humble ourselves?
2. Why should we focus on purifying our hearts?
3. Read Luke 14:8-11. What does Jesus have to say about being humble?
Respond
Living with a posture of humility is a choice for us every single day. In a world clamoring with opportunities to puff up our pride, it is even more important as followers of Jesus that we humble ourselves before Him. Spend some time today humbling yourself before God. Maybe it's praying on your knees, or maybe it's holding out your hands to receive what God has for you, or maybe, like these verses tell us, you need to shed some tears and say you’re sorry. Simply invite God into that space and ask Him to purify your heart. Look to Jesus today for an example of what it looks like to live in humility and pray that God would give you an opportunity to humbly serve someone.
For Further Reading: 10 Key Bible Verses on Humility
For Families with Kids at Home
Ask your kids what they think it means to be humble. Explain that a big part of being humble is being willing to admit when you’ve done something wrong and to ask for forgiveness. If applicable, model humility by asking your kids to forgive you for any ways you’ve fallen short as a parent recently.
*TPCC does not necessarily endorse all For Further Reading/Learning sources. They are simply meant to be a helpful tool.