David Mathis: Humbled

I'm thinking of one of my most humbling moments on stage with you talking about marriage have no idea what this is all remember now is a date night. We did a church were drawing a vertical marriage and we were you going back and forth as we do on stage about marriage and then we had to set up a video clip and I think about me or SSI care. Now as I set up this video clip you literally said to me, that's not the clip were going to show it to my guess is, and then I said roll the clip and then as they started playing the clip. I literally reached over turn my Mike off and I was so mad at me, and in the whole talk were given is how to resolve conflict and we are literally having one on the stage in front of a thousand people. It was like a humbling moment like I can even live out the truth I'm going to be teaching pretty humble because you are wrong are nightly. If you remember to bring it up because you keep your eye that I was wrong and I was like a fool. I convinced you were wrong and I was right.

Welcome to family life today to help you pursue relationships that matter most and will Dave Wilson and you can find us if we live today.com or on our family life, family life, but you know this topic of being humbled is not that we thought about every day because of some we don't want. We don't want to be humbled. It's really not the theory to know God and to walk with you and David Mathis actually get it down and have a discussion about his book called come humbled. Yeah, you know who wrote the book called humbled, but it really is a profound look at what humbling in our life does in bringing out the richness of Christ in us as a husband is a data as a wife or mom and it was a rich time everyday was really a theologian is with desiring God ministries and is a pastor in Minneapolis and a husband and father and Manny took us to some relevant places so I talked about a concept that a lot of us don't want to talk about title of your book is humbled you like, past tense right young Barbie was asking you're most proud moment in life, not your most humble for your most proud. I tell you my real quick. Okay. And then I would see if you have one that similar.

I still to this day since the 70s. So what are we to thousand 22.

I still own the longest touchdown pass ever thrown in Ohio high school playoff game Ohio playoff record 97 yard touchdown pass, so it's pretty amazing right you're pretty impressed with me right now. Right now it was a record that even Ben Ross's brother who broke my records at my high school. He did break this when I still own this one will never break it. Joe burrowed in past which overgrown and break it. It's the greatest worst moment of my life is at 97 yard touchdown was an interception is the most humbling over my life. It's funny whatever I tell a story you know I get a sermon or some room speak in somewhere.

I'll say it like that. Like I still own and her boys are*secured in it. I go well you know you should meet your first blog thinking this, do people really think I would brag about that arrogant that I go hey let me tell you how great I am now it was interception we lost the game. It was the number one team in the nation of Cincinnati molar beat us so I'm still known back in my hometown is the guy who lost the stadium ship by throwing interception. So in some ways it is funny. I'm kidding I don't care if you laugh does it see notes as part of history, but it was a humbling moment. Even now to say it out loud like I wish I could take that movie back to be humbled is not something we we desire no. So talk to us about this concept of humility in this whole book about humbled.

What's it about what you mean well the book began with a humbling moment for me it's private mitten is says I'm telling talk about it, but it wasn't a moment of thought, interception, or in high school baseball. I started off my career at the varsity as a sophomore with five hits in the first five at-bats and then I missed of suicide squeeze month sign in the same game in my six at bat houses site to gain through and into the second one and it was only got them out. I guess I could I could do some sport stories but this one like this close to home.

In this recent terms of after reading the Bible year after year I would come across this humble yourself language over and over and so ironically, I thought I should figure this out.

Maybe I can glean some clear steps of how I can be more humble as I started undertake the study of the humble yourself language. It starts in Exodus chapter 10 and it is especially strong in second Chronicles in the teaching of Jesus and his apostles.

The exalted will be humbled, humbled to be exalted in the first lesson that struck me as at least text in front of me and slow down enough to study them asked without the Holy Spirit.

The first lesson is you don't just humble yourself American but my American instincts were I can figure this out.

I get my life fax get my to do's and figure out how to humble myself and I'm getting ready in the main lesson, perhaps in the cell phone when Texas you don't do it on your time frame. It was a humbling moment to receive that and say, on the one hand, to be very thankful for God's initiative to be thankful he's got and I'm not God, but you say that early in your writing is like. That is sort of the definition of humility is he's God and I'm not but help me understand what you mean by that I don't humble myself. I think it's very American. And it's what I was born and raised in as an American, not necessarily by the church in particular but just being raised in the 80s and and $0.90 if you can do it. You have the sense of agency. Get your steps and so it almost we can begin to apply that the humility of our I got up. I'm ready now to be more humble and I'll pursue humility which it's a very good thing for Christian to pursue humility because God tells us seek humility, put it on. He tells those blessings for the humble. So a good Christian response to reading God's word is to say, I want to be more humble could make me more humble with the humbling lesson is you don't just up and do it. You don't humble yourself by your own bootstraps you humble yourself.

We got ready for the first lesson is God takes the initiative in the humbling of his people. You don't wake up one day and say our items start humility project, the day God starts the humility project with some uncomfortable, painful event that he brings into our life. Maybe some exposure of her own sin. Maybe it's the rebuke gracious as it may be from a spouse. Maybe it's a painful event in our life. Maybe it's a divorce.

Maybe it's the death of a friend maybe is the loss of a job God humbles us and then the question comes. This is what plays out in all the scriptural text, then the question comes when you have been humbled by God, will you humble yourself. We receive his unpleasant work. Might you even welcome his unpleasant work painful as it is because you see the hand of God at work making you into the kind of human and soul and Christian he means for you to be so that at first lesson is God takes the first step in humbling and the humbling of ourselves comes in response to his often surprising work.

Yeah.

And when I hear that my honest reaction is now who wants that you know it's like I do not you know I is not appealing as a okay guys going to humble me is not even an attribute often you think about as a man.

I mean, you know, in my three decades plus with in the NFL with the Detroit Lions as her chaplain.

I rarely if ever heard a head coach stand up in front of our team in the locker room and said let's talk about humility. That's a character trait that I want to build into the steam. It's like the offices like strength and pride in power and again I must sayevil in themselves, they can be powerful, but humility often is and what you think of in terms of a man winning in life and use the term, maybe you know as an American I want. I will follow when as a athlete I want to win. I don't want to be humbled. You know when I hear you say that I'm thinking wow then the Detroit Lions should have been most humble teeth yet about because we lost so much blood. So help me understand how I would welcome that because I think our nature is going to push back against that but of God is humbling me how I receive that in a way that's gonna honor God and honor who God wants me to be what I think our perspective or whose eyes we have in mind with the humbling is very important. So if you are professional sports team or an athlete. Clearly, nobody wants to be humbled, or might need sword, humiliated in front of it were held in front of the other team so I'm talking particular about quorum Deyo filled Latin phrase before God. What is it mean to be humble to the humility want talk about is an embrace of what it means for him to be God and I am not tight I think it's it's a fair way to capture the heart of humility by saying humility confesses he is God and I'm not and I'm happy about that. So it could happen in a very public context where your you are humiliated in front of the eyes of fellow humans and in it you see you take it with respect to God and you realize this is a reminder I'm not God I'm creature I am redeemed in Christ, but before God.

I say he's got and I'm not God, and I think that's an important context in which to think about everything. Better humbling only before other humans were not really getting to the heart of what God means by humbling and what the Christian virtue of humility is being a a virtue proper to the creature with respect to his creator.

Yet in some ways when I think of what you're saying. Real humility is interns or he is got out and I am not tell me if I'm on the right track when entered my mind was will I want my will.

More than anything in.

I know God is and I serve minimum and I love them but I honestly I want what I want, sometimes more than I think I want what he wants a me that you thought about a picture. Humility is Jesus in the garden before his death, saying, not my will, and me being honest with God, man, if this cost cup pass. I'd rather not but not my will, your will be done. That's a humble picture of what it looks like the bow before he is got and I'm not.

He's in control.

I'm not the honest, I don't often want to be there as I now I want this to take place in my life. In this to take place my family I want my kids to turn out like this that humbling moment say yeah but I'm willing to surrender my will, under your will is that we are talking about is that's that is something I want to, but I'm not adapted to go there. It's hard Dave, I think it's so helpful to draw in Gethsemane drawn Jesus there because in Jesus you have God who has become fully man and so we see a glimpse there something very profound about what it means for us as humans before our God may be one of the most remarkable claims in all the Bible is Philippians 28 about the son of God. When Paul says he humbled himself mean that amazing that God himself is in the flesh humbled himself.

That was my only all-nighter in seminary walking through that passage in the Greek gnosis, he emptied himself and trying to trying to get my brain around why in the world does it mean that God of the universe, emptied himself, took on death not just death by death on a cross.

You talk about humility explained that a little because that is a that is the picture of God's humility and what were supposed to live out explain it to us.

What's amazing about the passage in Philippians 2 is that you mentioned. It can gnosis self emptying the verb.

Paul used to talk about God becoming man in the incarnation is he emptied himself at that's first God becomes manned by emptying himself and then being found in human form, he humbled himself. The couple quick things are the emptying. We know is not an emptying of divine power, or prerogative, or divine attributes. It's it's it's not Jesus emptying himself of being God so that he comes as man is no longer God is not impossible. Paul says, he emptied himself, taking this is an emptying by taking he took our humanity and so he was subjected to our sinful world and our environment. The limitations of humanity all that he went through in being human and being roughed up of being humbled of going to the cross. He emptied himself of the privilege of not going through the human experience and became man now being found in human form, Paul says, he humbled himself, what you see here is that humbling is a particularly creaturely thing is if we are to ask the question is got humble.

That's a tough question because on the one hand we think will he's not the opposite of humble. We wouldn't want it. We wouldn't think of God is arrogant or prideful right or were seated, but humility. I think rightly is a creaturely virtue. It's a creature before God saying he's God and I'm not but I think I would say of God that humility isn't a typical virtue that we would describe the divine until he takes humanity and then got himself in the birth of Jesus shows us what humility is like me. Here's a remarkable thing that helps us put humility in context being humbled in context being humbled doesn't mean being a loser, necessarily, that God may humble us through various aspects of of losing and loss in our lives, get this, the most humble meekest human who has ever lived sits right now on the throne of the universe while so don't think that being humble means you can't be king of the universe direct so God himself by becoming man has shown us the fullness of humility because Jesus himself in his humanity is very aware and conscious beyond even us of the glory of his father is obedience to his father. His submission and love in his humanity of his father in heaven.

And so we need to take into account Christ's own humility in thinking through the various aspects of what it means to be human doesn't mean being of her dad's for mom's for kids being humble doesn't mean being weak. Being humble means seeing your strength in its right proportion that my neck is really humility properly lived out is strength in my right we can construe in that kind of way incidents that we what's our standard for strength is our standard for strength benchpress or a 40 yard dash or help how much were the boss at work or at home or is it strength from God's perspective, which is going to have various aspects of humans are going to see a strong it's good for daddy to be strong. He could for husband to be strong, but not in a way that he uses that strength to the harm of his wife where the harm of his children are uses his power and strength to the harm of his coworkers or the pastor would use it to the harm of his people, but that he would use that God-given strength to bless them to help them when my sons is the unusually strong I think for his age is a twin brothers. We can compare at least you can do and one thing I say over and over again is buddy God made you strong to help people not to hurt people and we consider our children that are good with words, sweetie, or son. God made you good with words not to hurt people, but to help people. You, as you say that I think when anyone takes their position of power or strength and uses it to serve someone that doesn't have power, strength, that's humble.

Mostly I'm a theologian I can new nuance this and that and add footnotes to it. One after another. I deftly want to make it distinctively Christian in terms of that the end goal is being determined on God's terms, and not just the terms of the one who is purportedly weak and at that the weak person not setting the terms right Greta got himself setting the terms and in our desire to make much of him and have our own joy spillover and multiply by the joy of others that we draw them into terms that God has established for what is good and right and true for yeah and I'm going right right away to husband family and I'm thinking we are called to be Jesus to our wife to our family. You just outline from Philippians 2 Jesus emptied Jesus humbled's office understand what were they look like. I guess we can say is a husband to love your wife as Christ loved the church through the lens of humility you're listening to Dave Wilson and David Mathis on family life today will hear more from their conversation in just a minute. The first family life. We believe God does some of his most amazing work and home just like yours for me to matter how can the culture is or how bad the headlines are God is at work and is not dependent on some little figure for the biggest influencer ease using families just like yours to make a difference one home at a time and that's why we do radio broadcasts and podcasts then begins to remember marriage getaways small group Bible studies to help strengthen families to make an impact in their corner of the world and you can help make an impact for even more families by financially partnering with family life and when you give today will send you a copy of David Mathis's book humbled, welcoming the uncomfortable work of God. That's our thanks to you when you give it family life today.com or when you call with your donation at 800-3583 29.

That's 800 F is an family L as in life, and then the word today.

Right now, back to David Mathis and what humility looks like for a husband or husband.

The physical and emotional strength that God has given me to whatever degree he means for me to have my feet. Christian husbands here that my feet sufficiently under me and on the rock of God's word and who God is and who Jesus Christ is, that I happily want to marshal what emotional and physical strength I have, to help my wife being a husband's not about me being on the couch in her serving my whims and making life convenient for me.

God made men strong for reason to help others. It is significant that the husband is typically the strongest person in the house.

In Christ, which think about how we can use that energy how we can use that strength how we can use you know many is missing about an hour less sleep than their white how can we use that to bless her to bless the family to be thinking of ways that we can take emotional, physical, energy and resources for the good of our kids for the good of our lives.

Rather than thinking that to be head of this home or to be the man means everybody else puts their energies in service of my convenience. It's the opposite.

God made men strong so that we can do more than meet our own needs that we have some energy extra to share and meet the needs of others, and so we make a life and have children that we generate energy to build share and help and build others up in the homes of very significant for husband and there's there its own manifestation two for mom's in all they do for their kids in the ways they bless their husband as well is not just a man thing there but to talk about physical strength is one avenue into discussing the giving of ourselves in a Christlike way for the eternal good of others, even as you say.

I'm picturing you or me or any husband on their knees with their family. Praying for their family. And I'm thinking of if somebody looked in on the screen and saw that picture or just walked in a room and saw that they might think it looks like weakness like he's begging for something is on his knees.

I think it's the most powerful picture of strength ever humility to say I can't leave this family. I can't love her. I can't love him without the power of God my life. So I'm asking God.

God give me what I don't have, to be the man to be the woman you called me to be, would you meet me right here where I am.

That's humble but that's strength because it may look weak but it isn't at all.

It's where your find in real power.

That's a bit that's a picture Jesus tried that humble dad is aware he doesn't run the universe and in the great head of this family and of his church is Jesus Christ.

And I am a I'm a man under authority and I'm happy with that and one reason that the life-giving authority.

A man would have in his home would come to pass through him knowing East cotton charges not authority in and of me and myself.

I am a man under authority in Jesus Christ and I'm here to give life to blessed to give joy to give help, that's Dave Wilson with David Mathis on family life today.

David's book is called, humbled, welcoming the uncomfortable work of God.

You can get it@familylifetoday.com or by calling 1-800-358-6329 that's 2000 F is an family L is in life and in the word today. If you know anyone who needs to hear today's conversation you can share it from wherever you get your podcasts and while you're there and really help us out if you rate and review us so what happened when and Wilson told Dave that she had lost her feelings for him. How do you respond will hear that story tomorrow as Dave Wilson talks again with David Mathis about our need for acknowledgment and the value of godly humility.

That's tomorrow on behalf of David and Wilson. I'm shall be added you back next time for another edition of family life to family life helping you pursue the relationships that matter most