Elf on the Shelf Jesus Style Biblical Virtues: Humility

Discussion

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.  Ephesians 4:2

The bible instructs us to be humble, but what exactly does that word mean?  It means to not be proud and to not think of yourself as better than other people.   When you are humble, you do not brag about yourself.    A humble person admits they are a sinner.  A prideful person will point out others sins while ignoring their own sins.

In what ways can we be humble?

• Admit to God you are a sinner. When we admit our sins to Him, it is our way of saying “God, I am a sinner.  I NEED you. I ask for forgiveness of my sins because you are the One and true God who can forgive me.”
• Follow God’s commands. If we ignore God’s commands, it is like we are telling God that we know better than He does.  By following His commands, we are putting our faith and trust in God’s all-knowing power.
• Serve others. By serving others (and not looking to be praised for it!), we are performing an act of “selfless love.”   That means that we are putting aside our needs for the needs of others.  Jesus’ life on earth was the greatest act of selfless love!
• Praise God for His awesome glory! One of the best ways we can demonstrate humility is by remembering how awesome our God is.  Remember that He is the one that formed the earth and everything in it.  Everything belongs to Him.  He blesses us with everything we have been given, but it still belongs to Him.  Remember that we are imperfect people loved by a perfect God!

Scripture

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.  Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.  Philippians 2:3

Activity

There is this REALLY great website called Kids of Integrity.  It has been an inspiration to me as I have been working through preparing these virtues for you.  I came across this science experiment on their site and it is the perfect activity to demonstrate humility.

Head over to Kids of Integrity and do the Practicing Repentance activity.  Be sure to do the discussion questions and explain the key concepts to your child.  This is a really neat activity and a great visual of humility!