“Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.” —James 4:10
The Christian life is a paradox. We die to ourselves to live. We give to receive. The first shall be last. We can only be lifted up if we willingly step down. We are called to abandon ourselves to faith, not to be stupid, just to test God and get what we want.
“For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it,” Jesus said, explaining how this works (Matthew 16:25).
Jesus stepped down from Glory, and was ultimately lifted up. His resurrection was prophesied and promised. “Because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay” (Psalm 16:10).
Jesus went from glory to glory—but in between was the cross.
The Lord will not abandon us to a grave of despair or failure, nor will He allow our lives to be decayed by sin. He died for us, that we might live in victory, in the abundant life He longs for us to live. First comes brokenness, vulnerability, and humility —then the tender mercy of God as He lifts us up to live in the comfort of His grace and love.
