Humility, True Greatness, by C.J. Mahaney

I appreciated the fact that Mahaney started the book by acknowledging that it is almost an oxymoron to say that you are writing a book on Humilty.  People immediately think you obviously have no humility if you think you can tell the rest of us what it is :)

But this little booklet is definitely a necessary book for those of us who need to defeat the sin of pride and develop the Biblical trait of humility.

His working definition for humility in this book is; “Humility is honestly assessing ourselves in light of God’s holiness and our sinfulness.”  That is a wonderful definition.  We all acknowledge that God is holy and we should all acknowledge that we are sinful.  So, if we stop to acknowledge these facts and that they apply to our private lives then we will be on the road to humility.

Chapter three of the book looks at Jesus and how He re-defines greatness!  As you read you will be reminded that Jesus reminded even his disciples that if you wished to be the greates in the kingdom of God you needed to become the least, the servant of all.  You need to humble yourself taking on the form of a bondservant.

Then Chapter 4 deals with the content that is essential to grasp the truth of what it means to be humble.  This is probably the most pivital chapter in the text.  Mahaney gives us many scriptural references to help us put the meat on the bones of humility.  When you finish chapter four you know what is needed to become humble, you probably just don’t know how to go about it.

So, starting in Chapter 5 Mahaney gives us his list of practical ways to weaken pride and cultivate humility.  He does state, “For your own purposes, think of the items on my list simply as recommendations, not requirements--as suggestions for your consideration.”  He is acknowledging that you don’t want to become legalistic in your trying to develop Humility.  It is a gift that God gives to you as you strive to develop your walk with Christ.

So, the recommendations flow through the rest of the book and are excellent.  When you finish I’m sure you will have a full list of things that you should be striving for in your battle to defeat sin, especially the sin of Pride and to put on the Christ-like character trait of humility.

To give just one example of the recommendations Mahaney starts with the recommendation to, “Reflect on the Wonder of the Cross.”  As you reflect on the cross you will not be able to look at it without seeing how sinful you are that it required Christ going to the cross to reconcile you with the Father.  Your pride will be put away as you realize the work of the cross and that it was done for you.  This will certainly drive you to your knees in humbleness as you declare to the Lord your thankfulness for what He has done.

Well, there are many other things in the book that will help you develop humility, but you won’t know what they are until you purchase and read this masterpiece on the Character Trait of Humility.

Enjoy!