Humility - God's Route for Empowerment

Devotional

Day 1: Crawling on All Fours to a King Who Requires No Gifts

The world demands bribes, groveling, and perfect etiquette to approach power. But the cross declares a scandalous truth: the King of Kings invites us empty-handed. This isn’t earned access—it’s grace that dismantles every human system of control. The Burmese king’s court, with its gold-leaf bribes and crawling subjects, reveals how absurdly generous God’s open throne room truly is. His power isn’t leveraged against us but given freely to those who come humbly. [10:25]

“For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:17–18, ESV)

Reflection: Where do you still approach God like a subject bringing gifts to a distant king? How might His grace reshape your posture from transaction to trust?

Day 2: The Stumbling Block of a Defeated Messiah

A crucified Savior made no sense to first-century Jews expecting a political liberator. Power, to them, meant overthrowing Rome—not dying naked on a cross. Yet God’s strength hides in apparent weakness, His victory in surrender. The resurrection cracks open this paradox: true authority isn’t in domination but sacrificial love. To embrace this is to trade the world’s ladder-climbing for the upside-down kingdom. [19:40]

“For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. Consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise.” (1 Corinthians 1:25–27, ESV)

Reflection: What “strength” or “wisdom” do you cling to that might actually hinder you from receiving God’s power? How does the cross redefine success for you?

Day 3: Bald Heads, Bears, and the Danger of Insecure Power

Elisha’s story warns against wielding God’s authority from a place of insecurity. When mocked for his baldness, he called down bears—a violent overcorrection for a petty insult. Humility isn’t self-loathing but knowing our smallness and God’s bigness. True power flows from resting in His identity, not defending our own. [40:37]

“And he went up from there to Bethel, and while he was going up on the way, some small boys came out of the city and jeered at him, saying, ‘Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!’ And he turned around, and when he saw them, he cursed them in the name of the Lord. And two she-bears came out of the woods and tore forty-two of the boys.” (2 Kings 2:23–24, ESV)

Reflection: Where does insecurity masquerade as spiritual authority in your life? How might God’s view of you quiet the need to prove yourself?

Day 4: Double Portions and the Tenacity of the Unqualified

Elisha, a farmer-turned-prophet, chased Elijah relentlessly—even when dismissed. His request for a “double portion” wasn’t greed but hunger to steward God’s calling. True humility isn’t passive; it’s bold persistence rooted in knowing our dependence. The mantle fell not to the qualified but to the one who refused to let go. [31:30]

“When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you.’ And Elisha said, ‘Please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me.’ And he said, ‘You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it shall be so for you.’” (2 Kings 2:9–10, ESV)

Reflection: What God-sized request have you hesitated to make because you felt unworthy? How might His calling matter more than your qualifications?

Day 5: Woe Is Me—The Start of Real Power

Isaiah’s encounter with God’s holiness left him undone: “Woe is me!” This raw humility precedes empowerment. We can’t carry divine authority without first seeing God’s majesty and our inadequacy. The cross doesn’t erase this tension—it anchors us in it. We approach boldly because we know our need, not in spite of it. [36:23]

“And I said: ‘Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!’ Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: ‘Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.’” (Isaiah 6:5–7, ESV)

Reflection: When did you last feel “undone” before God’s holiness? How might this awareness deepen your dependence on His grace today?

Sermon Summary

God values humility, and only through humility do believers have access to his power. A world that craves power struggles to make sense of that. Paul declares in First Corinthians that the cross looks like foolishness to those who are perishing, yet it is the power of God to those being saved. Clever speech cannot make that cross more powerful. Its strength rests in what Christ has done.

Earthly kings help expose how surprising this access to God really is. The king of Burma required gifts, permission, and subjects approaching on all fours. The creator of heaven and earth freely welcomes people who could never purchase an audience with him. That goodness is almost scandalous. Familiarity with church life can dull the wonder of it, making God seem like an equal rather than the living God whose majesty brings people to the end of themselves.

The crucified Messiah overturns expectations of a political deliverer who crushes enemies. Forgiveness also overturns the assumption that every offender must personally pay the debt. Christ’s resurrection establishes that this apparently absurd hope is true. The Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead can dwell in mortal bodies.

Elisha’s calling brings human inadequacy and divine power together. An overlooked servant keeps following Elijah and asks for a double portion of his spirit. At the Jordan, uncertainty does not prevent God’s power from working. Yet the account of the bears also serves as a warning: spiritual power does not automatically settle personal insecurity. Gifted people can hurt others when wounded pride drives their actions.

Humility therefore cannot end when power arrives. Believers are called to seek God’s character, persistently ask for his Spirit, and let his goodness shape their use of his gifts. His power is not for building personal kingdoms, but for bringing his wisdom, discernment, and help into ordinary life.

Key Takeaways

1. Free Access Should Deepen Holy Wonder. God’s welcome is not ordinary access to an ordinary authority. The contrast with earthly kings makes his goodness stand out: the creator receives people who cannot bring a gift large enough to deserve his attention. Familiarity with that welcome should deepen humility rather than turn God into an equal. [12:23]
2. The Resurrection Makes Absurd Hope True. A crucified deliverer looks defeated, and forgiveness without personal repayment cuts against the way the world normally works. Christ’s resurrection means that this hope rests on what actually happened, not on a comforting story. Faith in the cross therefore rests on the living Christ rather than on an argument that sounds impressive. [20:51]
3. Inadequacy Does Not Cancel God's Calling. Elisha stands at the Jordan without an obvious sense of confidence that his request has been granted. He strikes the water and calls for the God of Elijah, and God’s power works through him. A believer’s lack of strong feelings does not, by itself, mean that God’s Spirit is absent or that the calling has disappeared. [34:19]
4. Spiritual Power Does Not Heal Insecurity. Elisha’s response to mockery raises a searching warning about power operating alongside oversensitivity. Giftedness does not remove the need for humility, and wounded pride can turn spiritual authority toward harming others. Believers must keep asking what God has called them to do rather than letting insecurity build a personal kingdom around his gifts. [42:59]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[03:05] - Humility and Access to God's Power
[04:11] - The Cross and the World's Wisdom
[06:00] - Earthly Kings and Costly Access
[10:25] - Approaching the King of Burma
[16:46] - God's Goodness and Holy Majesty
[18:12] - Why a Crucified Messiah Offends
[20:51] - Resurrection Makes the Difference
[22:00] - Human Limits and the Spirit's Fullness
[25:18] - Elisha's Calling and Persistent Following
[31:09] - A Double Portion and an Uncertain Beginning
[36:23] - Encountering Majesty Without Living in Fear
[39:44] - Insecurity and the Misuse of Power
[42:36] - Seeking Power Without Building Personal Kingdoms
[44:58] - Prayer for Humility and God's Goodness

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

1 Corinthians 1:18-25
“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.' Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” [04:11]

2 Kings 2:1-15
“Now when the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. And Elijah said to Elisha, 'Please stay here, for the LORD has sent me as far as Bethel.' But Elisha said, 'As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.' So they went down to Bethel. And the sons of the prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him, 'Do you know that today the LORD will take away your master from over you?' And he said, 'Yes, I know it; keep quiet.' Elijah said to him, 'Elisha, please stay here, for the LORD has sent me to Jericho.' But he said, 'As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.' So they came to Jericho. The sons of the prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha and said to him, 'Do you know that today the LORD will take away your master from over you?' And he answered, 'Yes, I know it; keep quiet.' Then Elijah said to him, 'Please stay here, for the LORD has sent me to the Jordan.' But he said, 'As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.' So the two of them went on. Fifty men of the sons of the prophets also went and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. Then Elijah took his cloak and rolled it up and struck the water, and the water was parted to the one side and to the other, till the two of them could go over on dry ground. When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, 'Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you.' And Elisha said, 'Please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me.' And he said, 'You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it shall be so for you, but if you do not, it shall not be so.' And as they still went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it and he cried, 'My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!' And he saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces. And he took up the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. Then he took the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and struck the water, saying, 'Where is the LORD, the God of Elijah?' And when he had struck the water, the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and Elisha went over. Now when the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho saw him opposite them, they said, 'The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.' And they came to meet him and bowed to the ground before him.” [25:18]

2 Kings 2:23-24
“He went up from there to Bethel, and while he was going up on the way, some small boys came out of the city and jeered at him, saying, 'Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!' And he turned around, and when he saw them, he cursed them in the name of the LORD. And two she-bears came out of the woods and tore forty-two of the boys.” [42:59]

Observation questions

In 1 Corinthians 1:18–25, how do people’s responses to the cross differ, and what expectations make a crucified Messiah difficult to accept? [18:12]
What requirements did visitors face when approaching the king of Burma, and how does that contrast with the access God offers through Christ? [12:23]
In 2 Kings 2:1–15, what repeated actions show Elisha’s determination to stay with Elijah, and what does he eventually ask for? [31:09]
What does Elisha do at the Jordan after Elijah is taken away, and what do the watching prophets recognize afterward? [34:19]

Interpretation questions

Why does the cross challenge the belief that real power always means defeating opponents? How might that challenge a believer’s expectations of God during conflict? [19:23]
How does Jesus’ resurrection make faith in the cross more than confidence in a comforting story or a persuasive argument? [21:10]
Elisha acts at the Jordan without the account describing how confident he feels. What does this suggest about the relationship between a believer’s feelings and dependence on God? [34:19]
The account of Elisha and the bears raises difficult questions. Although the passage does not explicitly explain Elisha’s inner motives, how might it prompt believers to examine the relationship between spiritual authority, wounded pride, and harm to others? [41:34]

Application questions

God freely welcomes us, but he remains the creator of heaven and earth. In your own prayer life, which is harder to hold onto—his welcome or his majesty? What might help you approach him with both trust and wonder? [38:42]
The cross challenges our desire to win and make others pay. Think of a recent disagreement: where did you feel the urge to prove yourself or get the upper hand? What might a humble response look like now? [18:58]
A lack of strong feelings does not, by itself, mean God is absent. Is there a responsibility or opportunity to serve that you have held back from because you feel inadequate? What small, faithful step could you take while depending on God? [34:19]
Spiritual gifts do not remove insecurity. When you feel overlooked, corrected, or mocked, what reactions tend to surface? Who could help you recognize when hurt is shaping how you treat others? [42:59]
Elisha persistently asked for what he could not provide for himself. Where have you stopped asking God for help or relied mainly on your own ability? What would you like to keep bringing to him in prayer? [42:36]
God’s power is for serving his purposes, not building a personal kingdom. In one situation at work, at home, or among friends this week, where do you need his wisdom and discernment? What would serving someone rather than protecting your own importance look like there? [44:04]

Sermon Clips

34s

#StayHumble

“I wanna encourage you to call on God for that. But then as God comes into you live and as he fills you with his spirit, I want to let you know that there's this human part of us that we need to continually work out with humility. Say, god, who are you? What did you call me to do? Not what all my insecurities driving me to do. We've seen enough damage across churches where people are gifted, where people come in, and all of a sudden, they lack this humility to remember who they are as humans, and they start saying, am equal to god.”

35s

#HolySpiritPower

“I believe the word for us is, number one, can we see God for who he really is? Number two, can we call God to say, God, I want your power. I I even crave, like, Elisha. Like, it was through his tenacity, like, he refused to be shaken off. And because of his tenacity, actually, granted his request. Do you know that you can make requests of God for a fullness of his spirit? That's above and beyond anything you could do as a natural human being.”

32s

#StandFirmInFaith

“They're gonna reject you because the message that you carry is fundamentally in opposition to the way that the world wants to live. And when they reject you, you can't be like an Elijah to be like, oh, I'm just so ashamed. I can't say this. I don't know what to do. There comes a place whereas you see Elisha's story come through, you come to a place where, like, I have can... I have encountered the living God. And when I encounter the living God, that's what holds me through difficult times.”

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Humility - God's Route for Empowerment | Nathan Robinson