Genuine Humility-What it is and isn’t
Our Mission
To present Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord to business and professional men and to develop Christian business and professional men to carry out the Great Commission.
Luke 16.15 warns, Jesus said to them, you are the ones who justify yourselves in men’s eyes, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly prized among men is utterly detestable in God’s sight. This statement by God, warning us that what we value He despises, should terrorize us. Now certainly this cant be true in everything.
We prize health, doesn’t God want us healthy? Most likely He does though He certainly allows some to be born blind in order for His glory to be made visible through that weakness. We prize family, doesn’t God love family? God is the author of marriage, the beginning of family, so certainly He is pro-family. But God redefines family. He said His family are those who hear His words and obey them, that is the family we are to strive to be a part.
We prize money for it gives us pleasure and opportunity, God wants us happy doesn’t He? God never claims to want us happy, His desire is that we be holy as He is holy. It is holiness and righteousness that He says will make us happiest. God also took great pains when He lived among us as one of us in Jesus the Savior, to warn us that the love of money is the root of much evil and will constantly compete in our hearts for God’s place in them. He added, we cannot love both God and money. We sure do try!
We prize position for it demonstrates progress, hard work and success. Doesn’t God appoint leaders, give authority and command hard work? Indeed God calls some to be leaders but He redefines greatness at that position. The greatest leader of all is the servant of all. Likewise He claims that those representing His authority will be the slave of all and not live like pagans who use authority to control, manipulate and demand from people.
Finally, while God does command hard work He commands the fruit of that labor be used to care for our needs and then give for the needs of others who cant care for themselves. Giving is better than receiving He claims so He desires His people work hard so they can give more not accumulate more for themselves and retire earlier.
The chief concern we all must have is the will of God. It is before God we will all stand, He will judge us and determine our eternal future. Our works will be weighed and measured for they reflect what is true of our nature; the good tree bears good fruit while the evil tree bears evil fruit. We should do everything we can to please God and do His will. In this way we will prove that His pardon of our lives because of the work of Jesus is justified, and since we worked to glorify Him on earth He will welcome us gladly in heaven.
His Opportunities
- Prayer and Bible study occurs every Friday morning at the Coral Gables restaurant in East Lansing from 7am – 8am, feel free to join us.
- CBMC needs your help to continue its ministry to men in the marketplace. Please Support CBMC today.
MONDAY MANNA
A service to the business community
A Publication of CBMC International
March 6, 2017
Genuine Humility-What it is and isn't
by Robert J. Tamasy
Can you think of someone that’s genuinely humble? How about someone who has been extremely successful – and yet humble nonetheless? Does anyone come to mind?
Recently I listened to a talk radio show in which the commentators were discussing humility, and how it relates to a person’s success. One speaker offered his view that humility would hinder a person from succeeding. Someone might project a sense of being humble outwardly, he said, but inwardly the individual must maintain arrogance and extreme self-confidence to become truly successful.
That prompted me to start wondering, is that true? Are humility and success mutually exclusive? Then I remembered the classic business book by Jim Collins, Good to Great, in which he describes what he terms “Level 5 leaders,” people that led organizations that were not merely good, but great. After much research, Collins and his team discovered that among the qualities top leaders possessed, they included both humility and “ferocious resolve, a stoic determination to do whatever needs to be done to make a company great.”
Contrary to the talk-show speaker’s opinion, leaders who guided their companies from good to great did not have to believe they were the central focus of everything that happened. In fact, Collins wrote, “The good-to-great leaders never wanted to become larger-than-life heroes. They never aspired to be put on a pedestal or become unreachable icons. They were seemingly ordinary people quietly producing extraordinary results.” They also were quick to deflect praise, redirecting it to their teams.
How does this happen? Today the media spotlight seems to shine brightest on egotistical corporate leaders, sports figures, entertainers and other celebrities. There does not seem to be much of a “market” for the self-effacing, humble type of leader that Collins described in his book. And yet, according to the book of Proverbs, humility is a prized commodity for anyone holding a leadership capacity:
Leaders that focus on self are flirting with disaster. Throughout history we see examples of self-centered leaders whose decisions were shaped by ambition, pride and greed, leading to their ultimate demise. “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom” (Proverbs 11:2). “Before his downfall a man’s heart is proud, but humility comes before honor” (Proverbs 18:12).
Humble leaders recognize the source of their abilities and accomplishments. We all have innate strengths and abilities; we may have worked hard to develop and refine them, but often the talents were there already. Recognizing God as the source is a big step toward becoming a humble, yet successful leader. “The fear of the Lord teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor” (Proverbs 15:33). “Humility and the fear of the Lord bring wealth and honor and life” (Proverbs 22:4).
Humility enables a leader to seek – and receive – counsel and advice from others. The humble leader understands he or she is not all-knowing, so they are very responsive to the input from others regarding important decisions. “Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him” (Proverbs 26:12).
© 2017. Robert J. Tamasy is vice president of communications for Leaders Legacy, Inc., a non-profit based in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A. Bob has written Business at Its Best: Timeless Wisdom from Proverbs for Today’s Workplace; Tufting Legacies; and coauthored with David A. Stoddard, The Heart of Mentoring. His biweekly blog is: www.bobtamasy.blogspot.com.
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