March 22
GRACE FOR THE HUMBLE
"He giveth grace unto the humble" James 4:6
Humble hearts seek grace, and therefore they get it. Humble hearts
yield to the sweet influences of grace, and so it is bestowed on them
more and more largely. Humble hearts lie in the valleys where streams
of grace are flowing, and hence they drink of them. Humble hearts are
grateful for grace and give the Lord the glory of it, and hence it is
consistent with His honor to give it to them.
Come, dear reader, take a lowly place. Be little in thine own
esteem, that the Lord may make much of thee. Perhaps the sigh breaks
out, "I fear I am not humble." It may be that this is the language of
true humility. Some are proud of being humble, and this is one of the
very worst sorts of pride. We are needy, helpless, undeserving,
hell-deserving creatures, and if we are not humble we ought to be. Let
us humble ourselves because of our sins against humility, and then the
Lord will give us to taste of His favor. It is grace which makes us
humble, and grace which finds in this humility an opportunity for
pouring in more grace. Let us go down that we may rise. Let us be poor
in spirit that God may make us rich. Let us be humble that we may not
need to be humbled, but may be exalted by the grace of God.