Growth in Obedience, Meekness, and Humility

The Lord Jesus saves us so that we might glorify Him. To do that, we must learn of Him and follow Him. The two duties go together. Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls” (Mt. 11:28). When we learn about Jesus, we find that He is meek and lowly in heart. However, learning of Jesus requires that we take His yoke upon us. In other words, we must willingly come under His command if we are going to learn of Him.

We are naturally self-willed, and self-will is accompanied by self-promotion. At the same time, obedience and humility go together. When we give in to the Lord to do His will, we will promote Him. As we do what the Lord says in His Word, we grow in seeing His nature and character. We see His holiness and we see His love. We see how gently, albeit persistently and powerfully, He works in our own lives to follow Him. We see His meekness and His humility, and as we follow Him in obedience, we change and become like Him.

Jesus is meek and humble. Meekness is power under control; gentle strength. Jesus possesses all power, but He uses it in controlled ways that benefit the recipient. Christ’s humility is seen in His submission to His Father, in His taking on the nature of man, in His obedience even to the death of the cross, and in His condescension to help us in time of need.

When we submit to Him in salvation, and then day by day in our Christian living, we become like Him—obedient, meek, and humble. When you are saved, the Lord changes you, and you grow spiritually. In fact, we are commanded to “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (II Pet. 3:18). Spiritual growth should be evident in our lives. Among other qualities, it looks like obedience, meekness, and humility.