Part Four of The Way Up Is Down Series

 
GOD’S WAY UP

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” (James 4:10)

(Note: Last time we looked at the four main ways the world tries to get to the top of the mountain: “up, over, through, and around.” Now we will look at God’s way.)

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So if the way up is not up, and it’s not over, and it’s not through or around, what is the true way up? This is where we turn to God’s way, and we find that God’s way up stands in stark contrast to all the world’s ways. God says: “The way up is down.” That’s what the word “humble” means in James 4:10. It translates a word that means “to make low” or “to bring low.”

This is the path of self-denial. Self-denial is the very opposite of pride, because instead of exalting yourself (the way up is up), or promoting yourself (the way up is over), or taking pride in your efforts (the way up is through), or seeking to preserve your life at all costs (the way up is around), you deny yourself: you take up your cross and follow Christ instead.

Notice James says you are to humble yourself “before the Lord.” It is not enough just to deny yourself certain pleasures or privileges in life. You could do that and still take pride in your self-denial. You could even end up flaunting your humility before others. But you can’t fool God. James says to humble yourself “before the Lord.” The word translated “before” literally means right in front of God, right in his sight, right in his presence. This is a humbling of yourself primarily before God, not before other people.

Now you would think that shouldn’t be too difficult. I mean, really, how hard can it be to humble yourself before God? God is pretty big, and we’re pretty small. And yet the fact that we all struggle with this shows just how much pride is engrained in our sinful nature.

And what will God do when you humble yourself before him? James says: “He will lift you up.” He will take you from here to there. He will bring you to the top of the mountain.

Now I promised you earlier that I would tell you what the top of the mountain is. We have already seen that it is not financial security, it is not success in your chosen field, and it is not finding the perfect relationship here in this world.

So what is the top of the mountain? The top of the mountain is that place of perfect peace and contentment that we find in God alone. That’s it! That’s the top of the mountain. Not everyone realizes that is what they are looking for, but it is. St. Augustine said it best when he prayed: “Almighty God, you have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in you” (Confessions, I, 1).

And how do you get from here to there? How do you get to that place of perfect peace and contentment in God? God says: “The way up is down.” “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up” (James 4:10). It’s a paradox.

A paradox is something that seems contradictory at first glance but upon closer inspection proves to be true. There are a lot of paradoxes in Scripture: the first shall be last and the last shall be first; blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth; whoever among you wants to be the greatest must become the least and the servant of all. And perhaps at the top of the list: “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” How do you get to the top of the mountain? The way up is down.

Next: Real-Life Applications