“‘As for the donkeys you lost three days ago, do not worry about them; they have been found.  And to whom is all the desire of Israel turned, if not to you and all your father’s family?’ (1 Samuel 9:20)

Saul’s response gives us a glimpse of a root problem in his life.  The future king replied,

‘But am I not a Benjaminite, from the smallest tribe of Israel, and is not my clan the least of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin?’ (vs 11).

How do we distinguish between godly humility and low self-esteem?  Which did Saul display?  One key lies in our focus.  A person with godly humility looks to the Master.  He or she neither exalts nor denigrates self, because to do either is to make self the center of our universe.  When we’re really serving Christ, our reputations and abilities simply cease to be so important.  We must decrease that He may increase.

Saul exhibited the core sin of all self-centered people: he focused on himself.  We need to recognize that a lack of confidence does not equal humility.  In fact, genuinely humble people have enormous confidence because it rests in a great God.  Saul’s self-centeredness eventually cost him dearly, as a self-focus always does.

Father, faithfully reveal to me every bastion of pride in my heart, even those that mask themselves in the guise of false humility and anxiety  May I boast only in this: that I know You as Lord, who delights in showing faithful love, justice, and righteousness on the earth (Jer. 9:24), and the cross of Christ, through whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world (Gal. 6:14).”

Oh my. My word for today.