Humility, the rarest of traits

Romans 12:16 Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.

This passage of scripture is a call to humility. May I make an observation? It seems to be in short supply. How many people do you know that you would consider humble? Romans 12:16 shows us some ways to identify humble people. It is not an exhaustive treatment. By that I mean the verse does not tell us every way to identify humble folks. But it does give some pretty significant ones.

We are told to be "of the same mind" with others in the church. The Greek word translated "same mind" is the word "pronoontes". It literally means to "think alike". In this context it means to live peaceably or in harmony with others in the church. In order to do that, it will necessitate at times adjusting our thinking so that we can live in harmony with others in the church. Our church is filled with different people from different backgrounds. We have young, old, northerners, southerners, PHD's, those with little education, those with money, those who are poor, military, ex-military, civilians, people raised in baptist churches, people raised in other church backgrounds, people who just started going to church last month.....and I could go on and on. We are diverse. Everyone will see things differently based on their background. Background provides a lens through which we see everything and process everything. So if we are going to "be of the same mind" it will mean in the church that we may have to yield our opinions to the opinions of others at times. There are times when we do not need to budge.....but those times should only be when doctrine or truth is going to be compromised.

But most problems at churches do not involve doctrine. They involve people's opinions. We need to give ground on these items and we will if we are humble. Hard headed and opinionated people cause more strife in local churches than anything else I have seen. Don't be one of those people. Be someone who is quick to yield to the opinions of others as long as doctrinal truth is not involved.

Ask yourself, "What kind of church member am I? Am I one of the opinionated ones that thinks he/she is always right or am I pretty easy to get along with?"

Chew on these thoughts....more to follow on the subject of humility.