Book Review: Humility

Nothing escapes God’s notice, but one thing captures His gaze.

Isaiah 66:1-2 says, “Thus says the Lord:  ‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest?  All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord.  But this is the one to whom I will look:  he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.’ (ESV) 

The first several chapters of this book deal with defining humility and pride:

“Humility is honestly assessing ourselves in light of God’s holiness and our sinfulness.” (pg. 22)

“Pride is when sinful human beings aspire to the status and position of God and refuse to acknowledge their dependence on Him.” (pg. 31)

 John MacArthur makes the sad observation that pride has become something of an “accepted” sin.  It is something that we all struggle with, to one degree or another.  “The real issue here is not if pride exists in your heart; it’s where pride exists and how pride is being expressed in your life.” (pg. 29)  

Of course, God hates all sin.  But, as Mahaney notes, “from God’s perspective, pride seems to be the most serious sin.” (pg. 30)  God passionately hates pride, and actively opposes the proud.  But, He gives grace to the humble (see James 4:6, and 1 Peter 5:5).  In light of this truth, shouldn’t we, as believers, be actively seeking to eradicate pride and pursue humility?

Ask yourself this question:

“How, for the rest of my life, can I deliberately and diligently mortify pride, and pursue humility on a daily basis?”

The majority of this book is given to simple, practical, and most importantly, biblical advice on how to answer this question.  I found chapters 5 and 6 especially helpful, as Mahaney gives suggestions for meditation “As Each Day Begins” (ch. 5) and “As Each Day Ends” (ch. 6).  He also suggests several ideas for going beyond our daily studies, and into times of extended concentration and study in chapter 7 (“For Special Focus”).

The other chapters are just as helpful, as they encourage us to be:

• Identifying Evidences of Grace (ch. 8 ) – In other words, actively “looking for ways that God is at work in the lives of other people.” (pg. 98)
• Encouraging Others (ch. 9)
• Inviting and Pursuing Correction (ch. 10)
• Responding Humbly to Trials (ch. 11) 

“If you’re fighting pride – like I am – you should read it, too.  And if you’re not fighting pride, you really need to read it!”