6 No one from the east or the west or from the desert can exalt themselves.
7 It is God who judges: He brings one down, he exalts another. Psalm 75:6
Humility is a hard-to-grasp concept but we certainly know the opposite when we see it. Look at the majority of American politicians. They love to hear themselves talk about the issues they are concerned about. They may even make a few token gestures to solve a problem that they created. Some are even blatant about their arrogance (Here and Here).
But in the end, they (and others like them) will be brought down. Jesus gave us a parable that echoes this sentiment:
And He began speaking a parable to the invited guests when He noticed how they had been picking out the places of honor at the table, saying to them,
“When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for someone more distinguished than you may have been invited by him,
and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this man,’ and then in disgrace you proceed to occupy the last place. Luke 14:7-9
How do you know if you’re humble? Christ gave us the model in Philippians 2:3-8:
3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!
Fortunately we have the Holy Spirit to help us through each of these tasks.