Editorial August 15, 1988 Issue

Needed for discipleship—modesty and affection

William E. Moody

A friend and I were discussing the significance of humility as a Christian virtue. And as we talked, it seemed clear how much more needs to be done by most of us in cultivating this essential quality in our lives. Then my friend smiled and said, "Of course, I'm always humble—and proud of it!"

We laughed, but his wry humor did point up the kind of paradox that one often has to be alert to in human experience. For example, it isn't uncommon that people look for some sort of payback if they're going to make any real effort to accomplish a goal or even to try to improve their own character. It's fairly typical to deal with feelings like "What's in it for me?" And then there's that sense of personal pride that would try to be a part of so much of what we do—even to being proud of how humble we think we are.

Yet doesn't the standard of discipleship that Christ Jesus left to his followers have a different sort of motivation? It's clear that Jesus conducted his life and his work from the fundamental basis of glorifying God rather than personal ego. He spoke, for instance, of always doing those things that please God, not himself. And time after time, in the gospel accounts of Jesus' healing works, we see the people who witnessed those events praising God, giving Him the glory as the source of the mighty works that Jesus accomplished.

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Needed for discipleship—modesty and affection

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