How do you walk out Christian humility? God has me admiring the type of humility that godly leaders with a platform, entrepreneurial or non-profit business, ministry, or creatives form. What do all these roles have in common? These Christians point people to Jesus with way more visibility on themselves than most of us.
The artist, speaker, minister and non-profit executive need to draw attention to their purpose in order to advance their God-given cause. The challenge is, how do they keep the light shining on Jesus while doing so? How can they be a light, without being the light? We know full well how dangerous it can be when the spotlight for a leader’s cause shifts to them. Being a light without being the light is an achievement of the soul, and, I find, requires an understanding about glory; ours and God’s.
As a Christian entrepreneur I struggle with marketing and promotion from a spiritual perspective. How do I maintain a modicum of humility while I promote myself and my services? Individual glory is not what I’m seeking, yet in order to reach those I’m called to serve, I need to promote myself and my services. I’m always inspired by business men and women who are able to do this humbly.
It may seem strange to mention individual glory in the same sentence as humility, they do seem like antonyms, but Jesus demonstrated the inner workings of this relationship in John 17. He first prays for God to glorify Him, then gives credit to His Disciples for glorifying Him, and finally mentions how He has given us the glory that God has given Him, so that the world would know God sent Him. His every request for glory though, is cloaked in a humility co-mingled with confidence in His Father.
Jesus Prays to Be Glorified
JOHN 17
1“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you… 4 I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.
Jesus Prays for His Disciples
9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them.
Jesus Prays for All Believers
20 “My prayer is not for them [Disciples] alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.
Jesus requested glory SO THAT He could glorify God. Our humble Savior doesn’t request glory for any other purpose than to point people to His Father. Individual glory for the purpose of directing people to God is what the light of the world stuff is all about, and what we are called to do as Christians.
Matthew 5
16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
If you’re a leader who helps others get to Jesus then you’re going to need God’s glory. Operating solely out of the favor of man, or in your own sufficiency is where it gets dangerous. In John 17:15 Jesus prays for His Disciples, 15 “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.” We need protection from what the limelight can do to warp our egos. Misplaced glory has no value. In John 8:54, Jesus explains, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me.”
THE PARKING TEAM
God gave me a simple example that helped my perspective. When I am in alignment with Him, my role is much like a parking attendant who helps direct people to the main event, and who isn’t the main event herself. Owning that role takes the hubris away, which allows more room within me to receive God’s glory.
A parking attendant is clearly visible; distinguishable by their neon vests and bright glow sticks. They are the markers that help others get to their destination. At our church they help me get a parking spot and into the building. When I share my church experience with others, I never mention the parking team, I just share what God did in my heart while I was at church.
Yet without them the parking lot and streets would be in chaos and I’d probably not make it in on time. I might even get frustrated and leave. Our main church campus has thousands of people descend on the same front door each Sunday – it is quite the sight to see the smiling, helpful and pleasant parking team in action.
As a Christian Life Coach, I help people get to Jesus (primarily through the work of sanctification.) Coaching, Freedom Prayer, regular prayer and encouragement are my neon vest and my glow sticks. I am honored and fulfilled to see Jesus do the work, not me. A true coaching win is when clients recount their God experience, not their coaching experience.
Getting to God is an act of remembering or learning who we really are because of who He is and what He’s done for us. The people who don the bright parking vests for Jesus are the markers and guides that God has given us to find Him and His truth more easily.
If you are at a church or business and have a parking team type position that makes you more visible and accessible to many, I encourage you to pray for God to glorify you, SO THAT you may glorify Him. Jesus explains how the Holy Spirit gives us this right:
JOHN 16
14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you.
2 CORINTHIANS 3
17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.18 And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate[a] the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
From glory to glory we are recipients of a light that is bigger than ourselves. Glory passed through the Trinity to us, SO THAT we can reflect it right back. The glory of Him in me is part of the responsibility of carrying the light.
Humility knows that it’s really all about God. Humility shifts the self in order to give more room for God’s glory, not push it away, because that’s just false humility. Humility doesn’t make ourselves nothing or deny our God given gifts, talents or passions. Humility summons everything we have; body, mind, heart and soul and aligns it with a glorious God who uses it all for His glory.
COLOSSIANS 1
27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
If you know anyone in a parking team type of role, encourage them today and pray for them often. Their platforms, audiences and clients depend on the hope of glory that they direct them to. While we are all technically part of the team that directs others to Jesus, they encounter more risk and need more protection from both internal and external sources. Being a bright, humble light is not a solo act, when we uphold them to God’s glorious throne, His glory is able to shine more brilliantly through them.
There is much more to Christian humility. This blog only refers to a single facet of it. For more on this topic you can read my blog that pairs humility with patience.
I encourage you to consider a coaching session to discover how your understanding of humility helps or hinders your leadership. As a Christian Life Coach, I can help you move from where you are to where God wants you to be. If you’d like to take your leadership to the next level, then let’s chat. I’d love to be your champion in what God is calling you to do!
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