ESOCS Devotional 8 December 2025 – The Exalts the Humble
MEMORY VERSE: “He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.” Luke 1:52 NIV
TEXT: LUKE 1:45-55
Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.”
46 And Mary said:
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
48 For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;
For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.
49 For He who is mighty has done great things for me,
And holy is His name.
50 And His mercy is on those who fear Him
From generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with His arm;
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
52 He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
And exalted the lowly.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things,
And the rich He has sent away empty.
54 He has helped His servant Israel,
In remembrance of His mercy,
55 As He spoke to our fathers,
To Abraham and to his seed forever.”
Read Other ESOCS Devotional Here
The word ‘humility’ may not be a word we use daily. Nonetheless, there is great importance in humility. The Bible encourages us to humble ourselves and have a spirit of humility. “For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” (Luke 14:11 NIV).
To be humble means to recognize we are not self-sufficient; rather, that we depend on God for all we need. All we have comes from Him: our lives, our salvation, our strength and abilities. Everything is given by God and nothing is our own.
Jesus is the ultimate example of humility. He came to earth as a humble baby. He spent His first moments in a manger for animals. Not only this, but He humbled Himself enough to die as an ultimate sacrifice because of His love for us. This beautiful display of humility can show us the spirit of humility we should have in our relationship with God and others.
The Bible tells us this in James 4:10: “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” Some people don’t like hearing that because they think humbling themselves leaves them open to ridicule of being weak. Maybe you’ve said to yourself, “I don’t need that teaching—I have enough personality and talent to make it through life on my own. I can look after myself, and can achieve my ambitions and make a difference in the world.” You don’t need this humility stuff.
Pride can eat away at our soul like termites, and the Bible is full of warnings about self-promotion. If we put our own interests above the interests of others, our family, friends, neighbours, strangers, then pride is getting in the way and we don’t know much about true humility. Pride keeps us from knowing the truth about ourselves and how much we need God in our lives, and how much we need each other.
Showing thanks to God and others, keeping an open mind to listening to others, appreciating the little blessings, accepting fault when we are wrong, giving credit to others when due, trusting in God’s plan when it might not make sense, showing love and patience to others, refraining from showing pride and arrogance are some of the practical ways to practise humility.
CHALLENGES
- Does the virtue of humility find expression through your heart?
PRAYER POINT
- Lord Jesus, just like Mary, help me to remain humble always.
FURTHER READING: Proverbs 7:1-9; 8:22-36; Luke 1:17-451
ESOCS Devotional 8 December 2025
