Spiritual Formation | 11/7/2025 12:41:00 PM

Written by: Brent Leber / XCTF 2015-22

There are countless times in the New Testament where Jesus does two things: 1) performs astonishing miracles and 2) exhibits exceptional humility. For instance, in Mark 1:40-45 Jesus completely cleanses a man with leprosy, which at the time was impossible for ordinary physicians to cure. However, we know Jesus, the Son of God, was anything but ordinary. He reaches out his hand to touch the man and immediately heals the man of his terrible skin disease. What Jesus said next can often be overlooked. Jesus said, "See that you don't tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them" (Mark 1:44). Against Jesus' order the man went into the public and spread the news about how he was cleansed by Jesus. Scripture says, "As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly, but stayed in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere" (Mark 1:45).
 
The end of Mark 1 is significant because Jesus Christ, the greatest person to ever walk the earth, heals a man from a debilitating condition and then tells him not to tell anyone. Plus, Jesus proceeds to stay outside the town in "lonely places." How many people would have the humility to act the way Jesus does after performing a supernatural healing? How many people would simply withdraw to a lonely place to escape the attention and prestige of being the most influential/powerful person on the planet? I would argue, probably no human being would react the way Jesus did. He had every reason to strut around from town to town showing off his amazing power and capabilities. He could have been loud and had his disciples sound trumpets to announce his arrival into each town. If anyone had a reason to brag about their life it was Jesus. Yet, he shows incomprehensible humility in the way he helps others without seeking praise and attention.
 
Being a student-athlete at Lipscomb is an incredible opportunity. There is nothing better than competing with all your heart for a team with a common goal in mind. Humility is a tough thing to exemplify in a competitive environment. Everyone wants to score the game-winning goal or hit the incredible homerun. Think about the number of athletes you've seen that pound their chest after a dunk or call attention to themselves after an exciting win. Lots of athletes believe that they are meant to be in the spotlight. Yet, Jesus shows us what it's like to practice humility in a world where everyone is fighting for praise and compliments. He's the ultimate teacher of humility because we can learn from His actions. Not once in the Bible does Jesus ever say, "Look at me! Look how awesome I am! I'm better than everyone else and I know it!" Jesus simply continues to do the work God had prepared for him with an obedient and humble heart.
 
Next time you find yourself in a situation (either in athletics or in life) where it would be easy to point to your own abilities, intellect, talent, etc.…stop for a moment, and think about where those positive things came from. The gifts and talents you have are AMAZING, and that's because they are God-given, and not to be used for your own glory, but for His.
If there is one thing I can encourage you with it's this: Use your gifts to point back to God, instead of pointing to yourself. That's humility.

Here are a few questions to ponder on your journey:

1. What are some areas in my life where I need to practice humility?
2. How can I align my humility to look more like the humility of Jesus?
3. How can I encourage my teammates and friends to compete in a humble way that honors God above all else?