Humility does not come naturally to most people. Many of us struggle with pride to various degrees. The Bible acknowledges this difficulty. We are told to take an active role in humbling ourselves in the sight of the Lord (James 4:10), in putting on humility (Col. 3:12), and in clothing ourselves with humility (1 Pet. 5:5).

As with all aspects of spiritual growth, mastering the quality of humility does not happen overnight. The apostle Paul is a great example of this life-long challenge.

In one of his earliest epistles, he referred to himself as “Paul, an apostle” (Gal. 1:1).

In the heyday of his work, he said, “I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle” (1 Cor. 15:9).

During his Roman imprisonment, he wrote, “to me, who am less than the least of all the saints” (Eph. 3:8).

Shortly before his death, he identified himself as “the chief of sinners” (1 Tim. 1:15).

“The older he became the nearer he came to Jesus Christ and the nearer he came to Christ the more he saw the difference between himself and the Lord of all good life. The final cure for self-satisfaction is to set our life beside the life of Christ. Then there is no room for self-congratulation any more. It has been said that the gate to heaven is so low that no one can enter it except upon his knees. God gives grace to the humble but He resists the proud” (William Barclay, And Jesus Said, page 105).