The Path of Humility and Faith
Credit: Insights from "Day by Day by Grace". Photo credit: Unsplash.
"For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich…Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God…"If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me." (2 Corinthians 8:9; 3:5 and Luke 9:23)
Jesus demonstrated the essence of humility and faith by laying aside His riches and embracing the poverty of the cross so that we might share in the abundance of His grace. His life is the ultimate testimony of self-denial, trust in the Father, and divine sufficiency. In every aspect of our walk, these two realities—humility and faith—become the means by which we partake of His life.
Humility begins with acknowledging the truth: apart from Christ, we have nothing to offer. This realization is not meant to cast us down but to free us from the exhausting effort of self-sufficiency. The world conditions us to believe in our own strength, but the kingdom of God operates differently. Just as a branch must remain connected to the vine to bear fruit, we flourish only when we rest in Christ’s sufficiency rather than striving in our own.
Faith then steps in to take hold of this sufficiency. When we deny ourselves and take up our cross daily, we are not embracing a life of burden but a life of liberation. To say "no" to self is to say "yes" to Christ. Every step of discipleship rests upon trusting that His life in us is enough—enough to sustain, enough to empower, enough to accomplish all that He calls us to.
Prayer of Confidence:
Father, we acknowledge that in ourselves, we have nothing, yet in Christ, we have everything. We rejoice in the sufficiency You have provided, knowing that Your grace is abundant and unfailing. Thank You for calling us to a life where self-reliance is set aside and trust in You is our firm foundation. Today, as we walk in the truth of our union with Christ, we rest in His life within us, knowing that He is enough. Amen.
Final Thought:
The humble heart receives grace, and the trusting heart walks in it. Every day presents the opportunity to deny self and embrace Christ, not as a burden but as the doorway to true life. Rest in Him, and He will be your sufficiency in all things.