What does God require of us? Part 4 Walk Humbly

Walk Humbly

This has not always been the easiest for me. Understanding humility was difficult because I did not understand it, I thought it was weakness. As I grew in faith I honestly, I thought I already had it.

When the humbling moments arrived, they usually came after I had been overly religious, overly controlling, and overly “holy” — or at least I thought I was.

But year after year, reading through the Gospels, I realized something painful: I was not acting like Jesus. The proof of being His disciple isn’t how much Scripture we know, how “right” we think we are, or how well we perform. Jesus said, “By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34–35) And I was failing miserably at that. I did not know how to love like Him— not on my best day.

If I wanted the fruit of a life that actually turns hearts toward God… if I wanted to be a walking testimony instead of a walking contradiction… then my carnal mind had to surrender. And that did not happen overnight. In fact, I’m still in process, still learning, still unlearning, still being shaped.

So what does it really mean to walk humbly with God?
Let me explain what I discovered.

Humility in the Life of Jesus

Jesus gave us so many examples of humility, but these are the ones that changed me the most. He says, “If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other also.” (Matthew 5:38–39) That was a foreign concept to me. My whole life I heard, “Don’t back down,” “Don’t let anyone disrespect you,” “Win the fight.” But Jesus shows us something completely different.

Look at Him in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:47–56). Here’s the scene: Judas comes with a kiss and signals the mob, they apprehend Him like a criminal AND He doesn’t fight back. He doesn’t defend Himself.

Next, He’s in front of Pilate for questioning and Scripture says Jesus “gave him no answer, not even to a single charge.” (Matthew 27:11–14) He’s silent. We see it again, when the religious leaders accuse Him and mock Him, and He’s silent (Matthew 26:57–68). In every one of these moments, He simply turns the other cheek. Not out of weakness. Not out of fear. But out of humility — a humility rooted in complete surrender to the Father. A humility rooted in identity— He is not of this world.

Then we see another side of His humility when He washes the disciples’ feet (John 13:1–17). The King of Kings kneeling down, washing dirt off their feet — that is servant leadership. Jesus didn’t just talk about serving; He embodied it. Knowing that they would scatter after His crucifixion.

Post resurrection, we see Him serve again. In John 21:9–14, He makes breakfast for the very men who had abandoned Him. He feeds them physically and then spiritually as He restores Peter. His correction was never harsh or humiliating. His direction was never controlling. He served them, He loved them, and He led them — and that’s why they trusted Him with their whole lives.

And then… the greatest act of humility. He goes to the cross — beaten, broken, barely clothed — and He suffers. With full knowledge and full power to change the course of His life, He chooses surrender. He lays it down for all of us. Not because He was powerless, but because humility is powerful.

Humility is obedience.

Humility is love.

The Full Circle Alignment Through Relationship

Jesus’ words in Matthew 23:23 pull us back to center. They peel back the layers we’ve added. They reveal the ways we’ve made faith complicated when God made it simple. And they remind us that humility isn’t weakness — it’s alignment.

It’s choosing God’s heart over our own definition of faith.

It’s choosing love over image.

It’s choosing obedience over performance.

But here’s the truth: you can’t walk in that kind of humility without relationship. We build that relationship through prayer, reading His Word, worship, and serving. These aren’t religious tasks — they’re connection points. They’re how we stay close enough to hear Him, see Him, and follow Him.

Jesus modeled this perfectly. He stayed connected to the Father at all times. He prayed. He withdrew. He listened. He obeyed. And He said, “The Son can do nothing by Himself; He can do only what He sees His Father doing.” (John 5:19)

That’s humility.
Not thinking less of yourself — but surrendering yourself.
Not shrinking back — but submitting your will.
Not performing — but aligning.

Micah 6:8 wasn’t a religious command. It was a way to live, a way to love, and a way to be identified as God’s chosen people. God’s heart was always for Israel to be a nation set apart (Deuteronomy 7:6). But they missed it, over and over again.

Through Jesus, we are invited into that same identity. We are grafted in — brought into the family of God by mercy, not merit (Romans 11:17–24; Ephesians 2:12–13). We get to represent Him. We get to carry His name. We get to walk out the very covenant Israel struggled to keep.

And here’s what I’ve learned studying Scripture: Every time a king came to God in humility, God responded. Humility has always moved His heart.

Humility is what holds everything in Micah 6:8 together.
It keeps justice from becoming self‑righteous.
It keeps mercy from becoming selective.
It keeps obedience from becoming performance.

And Jesus walked it out perfectly. In His mercy, He didn’t just save us — He left us a blueprint to follow.