I recently saw an interesting article by a Christian leader who considers himself to be “prophetic.” Every year he makes predictions about what God will be doing in the year to come.
His article was fascinating, as it always is. However, most of the points were pretty obvious, not really profound. For example, he predicted that “God is going to judge sexual immorality in the church in 2025.” Duh… God has already been doing that for several years now.
Yet I could hardly disagree with the items he discussed. They were based on established Biblical principles that we all should pursue.
One thing troubled me, though. It seemed like something was missing. Amid our grandiose hopes and predictions, I think the American church has largely missed a central lesson the Lord has been trying to alert us to in recent years: HUMILITY.
Yes, the numerous scandals have hopefully awakened us to the need for repentance and greater accountability. Yet the root cause of most scandals is PRIDE—a lack of humility.
My Awkward Discussion with an Unbeliever
During the holiday season, I had a discussion with a friend who seems to have no interest in following the Lord. The more we talked, the more it became clear that she had been deeply hurt by people who profess to be Christians.
I tried to explain to my friend that we’ve ALL been hurt and disillusioned by religious people. Jesus got along better with tax collectors and prostitutes than He did with the scribes and Pharisees!
But I learned a sobering lesson from my unbelieving friend that day: She wasn’t just offended by the hypocrisy and scandals involving high-profile Christian leaders. She was even more offended by our smugness and condescension in dealing with those who don’t yet know Jesus.
In essence, my friend was just looking for some self-awareness and humility on our part. Unbelievers can easily spot our brokenness and the ways we fall short, so why can’t we come clean and admit our own weaknesses?
I’m convinced this is one of the main reasons so many young people have “deconstructed” their faith and left the church. It wasn’t merely that they saw imperfect people there, but rather that the imperfect people seemed to have no humility.
The Warnings and Benefits
Scripture warns that pride goes before a fall (Proverbs 16:18). While those who exalt themselves will be humbled, those who humble themselves will be exalted (Matthew 23:12).
As we proceed into 2025, I hope you have some lofty goals and expectations. But I’m realizing once again that true success must begin with humility—realizing we need God’s help if we’re to achieve anything of lasting importance.
I’m grieved that unbelievers don’t usually describe Christians as being self-aware or humble. Too often we forget that we’re only in right standing with God because of His grace, not because of any virtue of our own.
How amazing that humility is both the key to revival (2 Chronicles 7:14) and the doorway for reaching a world of skeptics. How about giving it a try this year?
