But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” James 4:6.

Surely He scorns the scornful, but gives grace to the humble. Proverbs 3:34.

In the same way you younger people must submit yourselves to your elders. And all of you must put on the apron of humility, to serve one another; for the scripture says, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 1 Peter 5:5.

Today your LORD (יהוה) God (אלהים) says:

I tell you by three witnesses in My Word that I resist the proud but give grace to the humble. Proverbs 3:34; 1 Peter 5:5, James 4:6. So you know this is important. Grace is your lifeline, it is by grace that you are saved through faith. It is by grace that you are forgiven, healed, redeemed, rescued, comforted, provided for, and flooded with good things. Grace is the place in which you want to stand for now and forever.

My grace has appeared giving salvation to all who will take it by faith, but I give a greater grace to those who are humble. And as we continue our series on the surpassing riches of grace we are on Life Lesson No. 4: “God Gives Grace to the Humble.”

I tell you that Moses was the most humble man on the earth in his day, but the most humble one who ever walked this earth as man is My Son Jesus. He is meek and humble of heart. So you see humility is a characteristic of the heart. It is not a feigned humility to gain favor of those with wealth or power, but a humility that comes from the heart—from the inside and shows in your words and actions, in your very demeanor. People had no fear of approaching Jesus for help for He was humble. Humble does not mean inferior or weak or of lower intelligence and achievement. Mary spoke in humility when she sang, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has had regard for the humility of His handmaid; for behold, from this time on all generations will call me blessed. For the Mighty One has done great things for me; and holy is His name.” Luke 1:46-49. She magnified Me in how I had raised her up beyond all she could have accomplished on her own.

I resist the proud, but give grace to the humble. Therefore humble yourselves under My mighty hand, that I may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Me, for I care for you. 1 Peter 5:5-6.

Now, let Me show you what I mean by a humble person. A humble person is willing to receive direction and correction and receives instruction with a good attitude. A humble person is respectful to Me and to men. A humble person gives honor and value to My Words. A humble person knows he is not his own source and he is comfortable with that. A humble person listens and does not always have to be the one doing all the talking. A humble person is able to receive from others. A humble person is thankful. A humble person does not always think he knows better.

I love a cheerful giver, but I also love a thankful receiver. A humble person is thankful. The first person that actually thanked Me in words of thanksgiving and praise was David. His ancestor, Leah, the mother of Judah, was the first person to praise Me in gratitude for what I had done for her, and Jacob, the husband of Leah, expressed his gratitude by speaking of My faithfulness and mercies and truth which I shown him though he felt unworthy, Genesis 32:10, Genesis 48:15, but he never actually said, “thank you.” And no one ever told Me they loved Me until David did. And then he appointed singers and musicians to thank, praise, and sing of their love for Me twenty four hours a day seven days a week before My ark of the covenant.

To Moses I gave instructions for the thanksgiving offering so that My people would learn the power of thanksgiving for multiplying grace into their lives and that still remains in My Word as a lesson to you that Jesus has fulfilled. Now your thanks and praise come to Me through Him.

In Jesus I show you true humility. He was God stooping to make you great. He knew the greatness of His mission and the power that was in Him by the Holy Spirit, but although He existed in the form of God, He did not regard equality with Me as a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. And for this reason also, I highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to My glory which is also His since before the foundation of the world. Philippians 2:6-11; John 17:5.

Why do I love a humble person so much that My grace flows towards them? Because I see Myself, My image in them. In seeing Jesus you see Me and He is humble. He is open to you. No one who comes to Him does He cast away. Humility is gracious and grace attracts more grace.

Proud people are scorners, scoffers, resisters to instruction, hard of heart, and cast away those who they consider inferior to them. They are not able to receive with thanksgiving. They get angry if someone tries to say they did not do their accomplishments by themselves—their own efforts, diligence, and intelligence. And the majority of what they do is aimed to benefit themselves alone. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves, which was also in Christ Jesus, who came to serve and not to be served, to give His life as a ransom for you.

Proud people block My grace from flowing into their lives. They scorn and mock it, like the Pharisees did to Jesus who was grace incarnate. Behold, as for the proud one, his soul is not right within him. Habakkuk 2:4. His heart is not right, and that is the problem. Jesus called it a hard and unrepentant heart. To receive grace, you have to repent. My Son cried out, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” I can only promote to grace those who have repented in their hearts. A humble, contrite heart I will not spurn. I raise up the poor from the dust, I lift the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. 1 Samuel 2:8; Psalm 113:7-8.

I lift you from the ash heap to seat you with the princes of My people in a seat of honor. The burnt offering, which was an offering made by a repentant sinner to make atonement for his sin, Leviticus 1:4, was reduced to ashes, which were placed beside the altar and then carried outside the camp. Leviticus 6:10-11. The sins of the repentant sinner became as ashes, blown away by the wind. Jesus is the fulfillment of the burnt offering and He went down to the dust of death for you and I raised you with Him up from the ashes to seat you with the Prince of Peace in a seat of honor, making you a joint heir with Christ. I give you beauty for your ashes. The beauty of a cleansed and forgiven life. But it started with repentance, just as the return of he prodigal son to the father started with repentance, and I called that coming to himself, that is, to his right mind. Repentance is the renewal of your mind to My ways rather than your own ways.

He whose ear listens to the life-giving reproof will dwell among the wise. He who neglects discipline despises himself, but he who listens to reproof acquires understanding. Reverence for Me and My Word is the instruction for wisdom, and before honor comes humility. Proverbs 15:31-33.

Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to Me, and I will have compassion on him, for I will abundantly pardon. For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there without watering the earth and making it bear and sprout and furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; so will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. For you will go out with joy and be led forth with peace. Isaiah 55:7-12. And that is grace for the humble, repentant heart, I renew you in My Word and give you joy and peace in believing. But a proud person cannot get to that place with Me because they think their thoughts are higher than Mine, they question and challenge Me rather than learning why things work as they do. That is the trap that the devil pulled Adam into and held him captive there. And that is the reason the Israelites never entered My rest, they never repented, they only grumbled and blamed, and never learned My ways though they had seen My works. If today you hear My voice harden not your hearts. Return, for I have forgiven you.

Jesus was delivered over because of your transgressions and was raised because of your justification. Romans 4:25. You have been justified by His sufferings and death for your sins which I had imputed to Him. This is grace, but to believe and embrace this you must acknowledge that you had sin that needed to be forgiven. Proud people do not want to acknowledge that but the humble do. Thus the humble who embrace this are justified by faith, having peace with Me through Jesus Christ, through whom you have obtained your introduction by faith into this grace in which you now stand. Romans 5:1-2. If you say that you have no sin, you are deceiving yourselves and the truth is not in you. Sin is not popular today; it is called choice and various kinds of disorders that are not the person’s fault. But this is deceiving yourselves and is pride. But if you confess your sins, I am faithful and righteous to forgive your sins and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness. If you say that we have not sinned, you make Me a liar and My Word is not in you. 1 John 1:8-10.

Job did not receive grace until he repented. Job was proud and fearful. He was very self-righteous and accused Me of not acting justly with him as he deserved because of all his good works and perfect conduct. Before the devil began harassing him, Job had gone into fear of punishment for his children, but he did not correct them about their feasting and partying. He remarked that what he feared had come upon him. The devil is proud but he is also fearful. The demons certainly believe in Me and they tremble. They cried out to Jesus not to torture them or lock them in the abyss before the appointed time. But they know that time is coming when Adam’s leasehold that he gave over to the devil reaches its end date. Proud people are fearful of losing their position and power. However, Job was a man who loved and obeyed Me, and when I spoke with him and opened his understanding, what did he say? “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; but now my eye sees You; therefore I retract, and I repent in dust and ashes.” Job 42:5-6. And that opened the way to his complete restoration, and not just restoration, for I increased all that he had twofold. Job 42:10. Grace had come to the humble.

My grace will free you from your sins, your sicknesses, your lack, your loneliness, and give you the freedom of My children, for sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace. Romans 6:14. When you are born again by the imperishable seed of My Word your spirit becomes alive to Me and dead to sin and I can pour My life into you, and that is grace, My divine life in you. And to those who are humble, I give a greater grace.

I love you, and that is what grace is all about. And remember, “The reward of humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, honor and life.” Proverbs 22:4. And that is grace.