Contributed by Abbey Thangiah • Sep 16, 2025
When I reflect on this weekend’s sermon it can be seen from another perspective I am reminded of five famous figures that embody humility.
Humility: Protecting Image vs. Taking the Towel
Moses is a profound example of humility. As a prince of Egypt, he had the highest possible status and image. After fleeing, he spent 40 years as a shepherd, a lowly job for an Egyptian noble. When God called him to the burning bush to lead Israel, Moses argued, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?” (Exodus 3:11). His focus wasn’t on protecting his own image but on obeying God’s call, even when it meant confronting the most powerful man in the world and leading a stubborn people. Numbers 12:3 specifically states, “Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.”
Obedience: A Specific, Lowly Task
The entire ministry of Mother Teresa (St. Teresa of Calcutta) was built on doing the tasks no one else would do. A specific, lowly task she and her Missionaries of Charity performed daily was caring for the dying in the streets of Kolkata. They would find people who were literally lying in the gutters, consumed by disease and left to die alone. They would carry them to their home, clean their wounds, provide pain medication, and offer them dignity, love, and prayer in their final hours. No one was lining up for this task; it was heartbreaking, difficult, and physically repulsive to many, yet she did it as an act of obedience to Christ.
Holiness: “Dusting Up” Fellowship with Jesus
David was a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22), yet he provides a stark example of how sin creates dust and distance in our fellowship with God. His adultery with Bathsheba and the subsequent murder of her husband, Uriah (2 Samuel 11), was a catastrophic failure. The effect on his service and inner life was immediate: he describes the misery of unconfessed sin in Psalm 32:3-4: “When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.” His ability to lead and his peace were shattered until he confessed.
Obedience: A Daily Rhythm for Confession
The Reformer Martin Luther was intensely aware of his own sinfulness and the need for constant grace. His daily rhythm was not just a few minutes but a deep immersion. He famously said, “I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.” For Luther, this prayer time was not abstract; it included rigorous self-examination, confession of sin, and clinging to the promises of Scripture. He built his entire day on this foundation of repentance and truth before attempting to serve God in his enormous workload of writing, teaching, and reforming the church.
Obedience: Specific Action with a Deadline
William Wilberforce: This British parliamentarian felt God was asking him to serve the cause of abolishing the slave trade, a sacrifice that cost him his health, time, and political capital. His “what exactly” was introducing a bill to abolish the slave trade in Parliament year after year, despite brutal opposition and repeated defeat. His “by when” was every session, for decades, until he finally succeeded in 1807. He then worked until his death to ensure the abolition of slavery itself throughout the British Empire in 1833.
These examples show that from biblical times to today, the path of humble, obedient, and costly service is the path walked by those who seek to follow Christ closely.