God and Money: Five Principles for Handling Our Possessions (Stay Humble)

As we leave this holiday season, a lot of people find themselves facing some finance stress as they enter the new year. And for that reason, we’ve started a five-week sermon series entitled God and Money: Five Principles for Handling Our Possessions. Using the Bible as a  guide, we’ll focus on the following actions that God calls us to take as we consider the material possessions he’s given us. 

• January 14 - Offer Thanks
• January 21 - Give Generously
• January 28 - Seek Contentment
• February 4 - Work Hard
• February 11 - Stay Humble

During the fifth service, we talked about how and why we should stay humble. The text and recording of the sermon is below. You can stream the service by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. (EST)

Well, this morning we finish up the sermon series we started last month entitled God and Money: Five Principles for Handling Our Possessions. And during the last four weeks we’ve talked about why it’s important to offer thanks for what we have and to give generously from what we’ve been given. And we also looked at why seeking contentment and working hard are important if we want to make the best possible use of the stuff we have. Now, that’s what we’ve been doing. And this morning, well, we’re going to finish it up.

But you know, it’s interesting, that’s not the only thing that’s coming to an end today. I mean, I think we all know about the big game that’s going to be played a little later this afternoon, and of course, I’m talking about...The Puppy Bowl, right? No, it’s Super Bowl LVIII: the Chiefs and the 49ers, Andy Reid and Kyle Shanahan, Patrick Mahomes and Brock Purdy, with Usher singing at halftime and Taylor Swift cheering from the owner’s box. And you know, although I remember seeing at least some part of each of the other 57 and as a fan, I’ve been more personally invested when Washington and Indianapolis were involved, I’ve got to admit, I’ve really enjoyed the run up to this particular game, based at least in part on the personalities of Purdy and Mahomes. And I’ll tell you why. 

I don’t know about y’all, but I’ve gotten really tired of all the boasting and bragging I hear all the time now-a-days. I mean, when I was a kid, along with whether the hat was black or white, that was one of the ways you could tell the bad from the good. I mean, the villain was always arrogant and proud, while the hero, man, he was modest and humble. But that was back in the day. Now, good night nurse, it doesn’t matter whether you’re talking about politicians or actors or athletes, we’re bombarded with folks telling us just how great they are and just how smart they are and just how popular they are and just how loved they are and sometimes just how humble they are. Get over it! It’s enough to make a child of the sixties sick. But you know, that’s not what I’ve been hearing from these two quarterbacks. For example, I was really impressed when Brock Purdy gave a pretty powerful testimony when asked about his preparation. And when a reporter asked Patrick Mahomes if he ever thought about surpassing guys like Bradshaw and Montana and Brady, he said he’d have to do a lot more than he’s already done even to be a part of that conversation. Now that’s what he said. And frankly, for me, I’ve found their humility refreshing.

And I’ll tell you, that’s what we’re going to talk about this morning. We’re going to consider how staying humble just might be another principle we might apply as we consider how we might handle our possessions. And as we’ve done during the last four sermons, we’ll look at both the why and how, only this week, we’re going to reverse them. In other words, we’re going to start with how, you know, how we might stay humble as we manage the stuff we have, and then we’ll move on to why, why humility should be important for us both to claim and to apply. Now that’s the direction we’ll be taking this morning.

Which means we’ll start with how, how can we stay humble in a world within which humility isn’t exactly the virtue of choice. In other words, how can we adopt a modest perspective as we look at what we have. Now that’s the question. And I’ll tell you, I think there are three solid, Biblical ways we can hold on to our humility. 

For example, first, I believe we can stay humble by simply accepting who and what we are. And you know, that really makes sense. I mean, when we consider ourselves, particularly in relationship with God, well, we really don’t have a very good reason to be arrogant and proud. When compared with the Lord, we’re really not hot stuff. And even though, it probably sounds pretty harsh, I think this idea was actually behind what Paul wrote to the Romans:

The Scriptures tell us,

“No one is acceptable to God!

Not one of them understands

    or even searches for God.

They have all turned away

    and are worthless.

There isn’t one person

    who does right.

Their words are like

    an open pit,

and their tongues are good

    only for telling lies.

Each word is as deadly

    as the fangs of a snake,

and they say nothing

    but bitter curses.

These people quickly

    become violent.

Wherever they go,

they leave ruin

    and destruction.

They don’t know how

to live in peace.

    They don’t even fear God.” [Romans 3:10-18, CEV]

Not exactly what you’d like to find in a Valentines Day card, but just because we might not want to hear it, man, that doesn’t mean it isn’t true. 

You see, whether we want to admit it or not, we’re all limited. I mean, even though we might not be quite as bad as Paul described, there’s not a person here this morning who’s all-knowing and all-powerful. In terms of space, we’re not everywhere, and with respect to time, we’re not eternal. As a matter of fact, unlike God, we’re not perfect in either our freedom or our love. We are just, plan limited. And I’ll tell you, when we recognize our shortcomings, we just might be able to put aside some of the arrogance and pride that leads folks to assume that they deserve everything they have and to recognize that, given our limitations, we probably should feel grateful for what we’ve got. You see, to stay humble, first, we may need to accept who we are.

And second, again to stay humble, we might also want to start really listening to our friends, and I include our spouses and children and neighbors, in other words, those who are closest to us and care for us the most. And I’ll tell you, I think that also just makes sense. I mean, from my experience, few things have been more humbling, in a positive way, then that honest and sincere person who had the courage and the compassion to say to me, without malice or ulterior motives, “Ed, you may not be as smart or as funny as you think you are.” And I’ll tell you, every time I’ve heard words to that effect, nine times out of ten they were right. But more than that, these dear people have helped me avoid some genuine heartache when I’ve taken the time and put aside my ego and listened. Trust me, those around us have the potential of helping us stay humble. And you know, I think there’s an excellent example of a group of friends doing this kind of thing in the Book of Job. I mean, after Job had just gone through hardships and disasters that really challenged some of his most fundamental assumptions about God’s nature and justice, this was what happened:

Eliphaz from Teman, Bildad from Shuah, and Zophar from Naamah were three of Job’s friends, and they heard about his troubles. So they agreed to visit Job and comfort him. When they came near enough to see Job, they could hardly recognize him. And in their great sorrow, they tore their clothes, then sprinkled dust on their heads and cried bitterly. For seven days and nights, they sat silently on the ground beside him, because they realized what terrible pain he was in. [Job 2:11-13, CEV]

You see, his friends came. And I’ll tell you, when they did finally talk, they helped Job come to grips with what he was facing and why it had happened. Of course, if you’ve read the book, you know that an awful lot of their conclusions weren’t right. Still, they reminded Job of his own limitations and that very human tendency to ignore the consequences of our behavior. And I’ll tell you something else, Job listened. 

And you know, we can do the same with our friends and families. You see, they can give us a perspective that we may not have seen or may not want to accept. And by just listening, by just opening our minds and entertaining what they have to say, we’re taking a step away from the kind of arrogance and pride that whispers in our ears that we really are every bit as smart and as funny as we think we are. I’m telling you, to stay humble, second, we may want to listen to our friends. 

And third, we can also decide to trust God. In other words, we can make the decision to believe that we’re not loved because we’re perfect. And we’re not loved because we’re great and smart or because we’re rich and powerful. And we’re not loved because our boasting and bragging has somehow convinced God that we’re worthy of his attention and concern. I’ll tell you, nowhere in Scripture does it say to approach God with arrogance and pride. No, instead, just listen to what Paul wrote to the Colossians:

God loves you and has chosen you as his own special people. So be gentle, kind, humble, meek, and patient. Put up with each other, and forgive anyone who does you wrong, just as Christ has forgiven you. Love is more important than anything else. It is what ties everything completely together. [Colossians 3:12-14, CEV]

You see, God just plain loves us, warts included. He loves us in spite of all our limitations, in spite of all the mistakes we make and all the opportunities we miss. You see, God loves us because God is love and not because we’re so, gosh, darn loveable. That’s who God is. In fact, the very act of faith, the very act of having faith in the one who is all-knowing and all powerful, who is everywhere and eternal and who is perfect in both his freedom and love, I’m telling you, having faith in the Lord and Creator of the universe is at its very core an exercise in humility. And so, right here and right now, we can decide to trust God. And along with accepting who we are and listening to our friends, that’s how we can stay humble.

And of course, that leaves us with why, you know, why is this important to do. Well, I think there are two pretty clear reasons, both of which we can find in Scripture. 

I mean, first, I think it’s important because it’s something God commands us to do. In other words, God wants us, his children, to be humble. And I’ll tell you, I believe that’s exactly what Peter had in mind when he wrote this in his first letter:

All of you young people should obey your elders. In fact, everyone should be humble toward everyone else. The Scriptures say,

“God opposes proud people,

but he helps everyone

    who is humble.”

Be humble in the presence of God’s mighty power, and he will honor you when the time comes. God cares for you, so turn all your worries over to him. [1 Peter 5:5-7, CEV]

You know, I think we often make things a whole lot more complicated than they need to be. For example, before doing something we know is right, you know like loving the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and mind and loving others as much as we love ourselves, before we make things like this a priority, sometimes we sound and act as though we need extra motivation, as though it’s only worth doing if we’re going to get something out of it. Of course, that could just be part and parcel of being human. Still, when it comes to something as basic as faith or love or humility, maybe the fact that God told us to do it should actually be enough. Back when I was in high school, I remember a bumper sticker that read: God said it. I believe it. That settles it. Well, maybe that’s the first reason why staying humble is or at least should be important. God commands us to be humble. 

And second, when you get right down to it, humility just makes sense, and I’m talking about some good, old-fashioned practical sense, as we go about living our lives. For example, just listen to what happened when Jesus was attending a certain dinner party thrown by a Pharisee.

Jesus saw how the guests had tried to take the best seats. So he told them:

When you are invited to a wedding feast, don’t sit in the best place. Someone more important may have been invited. Then the one who invited you will come and say, “Give your place to this other guest!” You will be embarrassed and will have to sit in the worst place.

When you are invited to be a guest, go and sit in the worst place. Then the one who invited you may come and say, “My friend, take a better seat!” You will then be honored in front of all the other guests. If you put yourself above others, you will be put down. But if you humble yourself, you will be honored. [Luke 14:7-11, CEV]

You see, humility just makes sense.

And I’ll tell you, I think that’s particularly true as we’re trying to figure out how to use all the stuff that we’ve been given. You see, when we decide that we’re going to stay humble, I think we’re in a much better position to offer thanks for all those things we have. And when we’re humble, we also might be a whole lot more willing to give generously from all that stuff we’ve gotten from God, whether we deserved it or not. And frankly, although the proud and the arrogant are seldom satisfied, I think it’s much easier and more natural for the humble to seek genuine contentment with what they already have. And since we don’t believe that God gives a little extra to those who boast and brag the most and the loudest, well, maybe a little bit of humility may be just the kind of motivation we might need to work hard. You see, although it may not be something that a lot of our politicians and actors and athletes seem to believe (My gosh, if they did, they wouldn’t act the way they do.), when you get right down to it, humility just makes sense, and for me, that’s the other reason why it’s important.

And with that, this series on God and Money ends. I mean, just like the Super Bowl will put a bow on the NFL until September, right now, we’ve covered five principles that I believe can help us better handle our possessions. But you know, before we move on and begin to focus on how the last words of Christ from the cross can shape how we approach Easter and live all year long, let’s remember what we’ve been talking about. In other words, as we look at all the stuff we have, let’s remember to offer thanks and to give generously. And let’s remember to seek contentment and to work hard. And following God’s word as well as the examples of Brock Purdy and Patrick Mahomes, let’s make an intentional effort to stay humble.