Introduction
    Yahshua the Messiah pointed out many keys to Yahweh’s kingdom. He stressed a certain kind of love and a certain kind of humility as essential. That love is of the type with which Yahshua loved and that humility is such that is possessed by a little child.
   Love and Humility are very closely linked. Humility is lifted to a higher level when Love is added, and Love can certainly not meet all its potential without humility. It now seems silly to think one can be humble without loving, or love another with a spirit of pride or arrogance. Serving others with a loving humility is essential for a successful relationship in the family and among one’s congregation.

Yahshua’s Love
    That Passover evening before His execution on a torture stake the next day, Yahshua washed the disciples’ feet and then said,
   When He had washed their feet and put on His outer garments and resumed His place, He said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Master, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Master and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him, John 13:12-16. (English Standard Version used throughout, unless otherwise noted.)
   Make no mistake – a believer’s loving, humble attitude extends farther than his practicing footwashing once a year. Humility is a posture we must assume every day.
Afterward, He said to them:
   A new command I give to you, that you love one another as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this shall all know that you are My taught ones, if you have this love for one another. John 13:34-35.
   Yahshua commenced His teachings with humility, and clothed humility with love. This love Yahshua commanded is expressed through humble service to others. That love not only feeds thousands of people, and heals their sicknesses, and teaches them the way of successful living, but gives the credit to, and acknowledges Abba Yahweh. The teaching is one! Yahshua gave us many commandments. But His discourse in John, chapter 13, and what follows in the 15th chapter, is the only time in the Record of the Evangels, that we read something He expressly said was a Command.
   This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends, John 15:12-13.
   Here, He makes friendship with Him conditional upon our obedience to His Command. It appears then, that love is become a salvation issue. Yahweh’s kingdom is maintained and sustained by those who are very loving, one of another.

The Little Child
    Accompanying love for one another – an important foundation principle of our faith – is that humility expressed by a little child. The startling truth is, we need to become convertible believers, our personalities transformed into that personality of a little child. Just like one lowers the top of a convertible automobile, we must lower down pride and arrogance and be converted into humble individuals.
   How humble do we need to become? like a sweet and obedient, little child – but a baby step that is often become a giant leap for most people. What makes humility become essential, is that without it, we will NEVER enter Yahweh’s Kingdom!
   Is that important? Apparently, inasmuch as Yahshua affirmed, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 18:3).
   This seems unexpected, and even amazing Because each child of Yahweh is intended to be a leader in Yahweh’s Kingdom – kings and priests – this seems amazing … this requirement imposed upon leaders, that they must be humble as little children.

Humility in History
    Humility has been a key to many epic and historical, life-changing events – some positive, and some negative.
   Humility, or rather the want of humility, was a major factor leading to Yahweh’s judgments, the imposition of the ten plagues upon Egyptian society before Israel’s exodus at that first. Here, we are talking about the arrogance that Pharaoh manifested before Yahweh.
   So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh and said to him, “Thus says Yahweh, the Elohim of the Hebrews, ‘How long will you refuse to HUMBLE yourself before Me’? Let My people go, that they may serve Me, Exodus 10:3, (emphasis ours).
   While Pharaoh’s arrogance produced the cataclysmic events upon Egyptian society, in contrast, Moses’ humility was an important attribute contributing to his success as a leader, prophet, and servant of Yahweh. While we may wonder who actually penned this tribute to him in Numbers 12:3 – Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth – without question, this outstanding characteristic of humility obtained for him, an Ear to his supplications in behalf of an often recalcitrant people who were as often, less appreciative of their deliverance from lives made rigorous with hard bondage in all manner of service to Egyptian taskmasters.
   Humility, or the want of humility, also figured in Israel’s spending 40 years in the wilderness. Toward the end of their 40-year, wilderness sojourn, Moses told rehearsed to them,
   And you shall remember the whole way that Yahweh your Elohim has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that He might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not, Deuteronomy 8:2
   Moses was able to follow Yahweh in everything because he didn’t think he knew it all, or that his way was always better. He just wanted to do whatever Yahweh desired and he loved and wanted to help Yahweh’s chosen people. He sought to encourage Israel, because he loved these people. Nevertheless, forty years experiencing the loving provision of Yahweh wouldn’t be long enough a time for this people called Israel who tempted Him ten times, to return to Him an attitude of grateful humility. Let’s look at the Scripture again:
   At that time the disciples came to Yahshua, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to Him a child, He put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, UNLESS you turn (converted, changed) and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever HUMBLES himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven,” Matthew 18:1-4, (emphasis ours).
   Thus, that proud nature we have assumed as we have grown up from childhood must be reversed to that humble, loving heart attitude with which every child is endowed in order to obtain a position in the kingdom of heaven.
   The Apostle Paul presents a picture of a believer dressing himself in these essential garments:
   Put on then, as Elohim’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Master has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
   Yahweh will hear and support those who seek humility which is an ongoing project for each believer!

What is Humility?
    Humility is the opposite of pride, and the opposite of presumption and is neither, pretentious as Yahweh cannot be fooled. Humility neither talks about how bad one’s self is, nor brags or boasts about how good one’s self is.
   Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than themselves. Philippians 2:3
   Let’s give definition to certain words in this verse: Strife is angry or bitter disagreement. Vainglory is excessive pride in one’s self or one’s achievements, or excessive vanity. Esteem is a judgment occurring in one’s mind about the value of one’s self or that of another person.
   Humility does not think more highly of itself (Rom. 12:3) and is not wise in its own conceit (Rom. 12:16). For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself, Galatians 6:3.
   Humility is submission to the will of our Father, Yahweh.

Sure Indicators of Pride
    Do I often talk about myself? Do I talk, but not listen? A humble person is quiet, more swift to hear and slower to speak (James 1:19). When he asks a question, he allows the other time to answer fully. He does not answer for someone else before they can open their mouth. He doesn’t interrupt others in conversation. (By interrupting others, one is saying that what he has to say is much more important than what others might have to say, and suggests that one thinks he is much better and more important than every other.)
   But the humble person will respect others enough to value whatever they feel is important, and value of listening to them in order to understand them. May Yahweh help us!
   If you get to feeling pretty good about yourself, just consider, there is more hope for a fool than for a man who is wise in his own eyes (Prov. 26:12).

What Does Yahweh Say?
    My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor your ways My ways, says Yahweh. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts, Isaiah 55:8-9.
   Apart from having a disposition toward humility, we can’t even think the same way as Yahweh thinks. Moreover, He declares, “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite” (Isa. 57:15).
   Humility is basic to our future as Yahweh’s children, as essential to a transformed, renewed-in-the-spirit-of-our-mind nature, as faith, hope, and love.

Yahshua’s Example
    Yahshua’s example is recorded for our instruction. Yahshua’s humility comes through in His garden prayer in which He says, “Not My will but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42).
   During His ministry, Yahshua manifested His submission to the Father by telling people, “I have been sent…” rather than standing on his own authority. He only wanted to be known as the Father’s Agent.
   In John 5:30, He declared, I can do nothing on My own. As I hear, I judge, and My judgment is just, because I seek not My own will but the will of Him Who sent Me.
   And again,
   For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will but the will of Him Who sent Me. And this is the will of Him Who sent Me, that I should lose nothing of all that He has given Me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in Him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day, John 6:38-40.
   Another attribute of loving humility, and expounded upon by Yahshua in the Evangels, finds its root in the Torah. There, we are commanded to lovingly correct our brother when we see that he is sinning.
   From Leviticus 19:17, we read:
   You shall not hate your brother in your heart: you shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and not allow sin upon him.
   Yahshua obeyed this command and He was able to do so, because He knew what was naturally in man (John 2:25) … that in his flesh, dwelt no good thing (Rom. 7:18). And because He was a practitioner of love, He was able to bring sin to one’s attention without hurting the person or provoking him to reject this message of reconciliation to His Father’s favor. And we can learn to do this, too, by carefully examining Yahshua’s tact. As you read the record of what He said and what He did, strive yourself to imitate the Messiah.
   And the Master’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. Yahweh may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will, 2 Timothy 2:24-26.
   My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins, James 5:19-20.
   We can appreciate Yahshua’s example of, and His teaching about, love and humility by reading the accounts of His ministry in the four Evangels. Interestingly, elsewhere in the New Testament we read about what constitutes love in 1 Corinthians 13, but notice how that love is longsuffering and is kind; envies not; is not puffed up or vaunts itself; does not behave itself unseemly; seeks not its own; is not easily provoked; thinks no evil, rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things and endures all things – all these attributes of love are only possibly expressed by those who are humble. We can see then, how humility comprises a large part of love and that only the path of humility, love and, of course, righteousness, leads us to where Yahshua is now, by His Father’s side..

Humility for Believers
    We must become humble as a little child – quiet, obedient, helpful, friendly, open and loving. But we decide to be humble. Coming to humility by a decision of our will assures us that our heart is really in the project.
   By humility, Yahweh has given us a powerful key to success in our relationships within the community, within the Assembly – both as members and as leaders – and with Him.
   There are several, really good and essential reasons for every one of us to strive toward becoming humble. Consider this as principal among the many reasons:
   If My people, who are called by My Name, shall humble themselves and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from Heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land, 2 Chronicles 7:14.

Conclusion
    Consider life as having a two-fold purpose: Becoming humble as a little child and loving others as Yahshua has loved – neither looking upon, nor seeking His own, but the profit of others; spending and being spent in behalf of others; loving more abundantly, even though we should in return be less loved – and all done, and able to be done, because of having become humble.
   Love and humility – they should become our life’s goal … strongly related one to the other, and not possible to have one without the other.
   Indeed, without the binding link between them, neither humility nor love will be expressed as Yahshua commanded. If perfect love casts out fear, it can only do so by a love that is rich with humility.
   Both humility and love are integral to all human relationships that thrive. A good, close relationship depend upon both love and humility. The expression of one’s love and humility are a powerful key to avoiding, and to solving, problems.
   Yahweh is ever ready to help you to become converted into the humble and loving child He wants you to be. May Yahweh bless you with a deep understanding of this essential topic and grant you a heart of love and a purposeful dedication to a spirit of humble service. Amein.