Source
Text :Proverb 22:4
4 By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour. and life.
It definitely pays to be humble. Riches, honour and longevity of life are the crowning glory of a humble person.
As a Child of God, humility is one of the virtues imparted to our spirit by God's indwelling Spirit, however, it behoves on us to live it out. Humility is a virtue you must never fall short of in attitude as a child of God, because it is a vital principle of success.
It is very important for us to have a perfect knowledge of this priceless virtue of greatness. Humility is not humiliation as most people think. Humility before God is beyond the outward display of false meekness; it is simply the total submission to the will and purpose of God, which in turn affects our relationship with men. When you are humble, it means you see things from the perspective of God and you will definitely treat people with honour because God values people.
Humility as a virtue can only be defined by God. You cannot actually tell a person who is humble from the outward appearance because humility is of the heart. In other words, humility is God's testimony; it is a witness that only God can bear.
Sometimes people think you must bow to them before they can describe you as humble, but that is certainly far from the truth. Otherwise, how would you describe the case of the three Hebrew boys-Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who refused to bow before King Nebuchadnezzar's golden image? They spoke to the King of Babylon without being apologetic.
Text :Daniel 3:16-18
16 Shadrack,Meshach,and Abednego, answered and said to the king,0 Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, 0 King.18 But lf not, be it known unto you thee, 0 King, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou art set up.
Before King Nebuchadnezzar these boys were nothing but proud-arrogant fools, but the truth of the matter is that Nebuchadnezzar was the Proud-arrogant fool, who taught he could be god by making gods for others to serve. True humility is submission to God, and because these three Hebrew boys were humble, they submitted themselves to God and resisted succumbing to the pressure of the King. Submission to God's will is the true test of a humble heart.
"You cannot really tell a person who is humble from the outward appearance because humility is of the heart."
Humility, apart from being measured by total submission to God's will, it is also the attitude of esteeming others in honour better than yourself in regards to God's will. God hates the attitude of putting yourself above others, because this kind of attitude will bring a man down irrespective of his position in life.