“Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” – Matthew 18:3-6 KJV
What a tragedy it was that the very same people who were supposed to lead God’s children to Christ were the most bent on trying to silence Him. Of course, I am referring to scribes and pharisees; that is, those who were the religious leaders. They thought that they were doing the work of God, but failed miserably in that they didn’t leave any room for His voice to awaken their conscience to the reality of their condition. Not all of them were like this, but those who were certainly caused much harm where they were meant to do much good. They were filled with pride when they should have been meek and lowly like Jesus was.
Those who have been called to leadership should not think so highly of themselves as to assume that they’ve ceased to be followers. God does not call people to leadership because they’ve arrived and have nothing left to learn; rather, He calls them because they have a passion for sharing the truth as it is in Jesus Christ. Moreover true leaders aren’t concerned about popularity, but about being obedient to God. They know that without Jesus they are nothing, and that He must therefore mean everything to them if they are to serve Him aright. Such leaders are few in number, but they are out there, diligently working to lead people to salvation.
Of course, the call to humility isn’t just for leaders; it goes out to all of God’s children. And while it is true that God is love, there are certain things which He hates; pride is at the top of the list!
“These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.” – Proverbs 6:16-19 KJV
Indeed, there are a lot of people who think that they’re on their way to heaven, but they’re actually headed for the lake of fire, because they have not learned of the meekness of Christ.
It is important to note that being meek isn’t merely beneficial to self, but to others too. Jesus gave a strong warning about not causing His children to fall into sin. And because babes in Christ are like little children who look up to adults whom they admire and respect, if we set a bad example before them of what it means to serve God we may influence them to do the same. This could result in causing them to turn away from God. So, we need to be on our guard against a prideful spirit, always humbling ourselves before God, that we may carry out His good will and follow in the steps of Jesus Christ–not being a stumbling block to anyone.