Devotionals for the Heart: The beauty in being humble and obeying God

The Beauty of being Humble and Obeying God
A devotional by Christine Monteiro

“After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do’.”—Acts 13:22 (NIV)

Lately, I've been questioning myself because my mind has been wandering with so many life events that I think are unfair. I somehow started to lose focus on my life.

I am now busy focusing on my suffering and how to end this. I began to compare my situation to others. How come the wicked can live better than I do? Why do their lives seem so perfect and pain-free even when they wreak havoc in the lives of other people? I started to question myself. Did I upset God? Is He punishing me? Did I not hear Him speaking to me? What does God want me to do? I become numb with my thinking. Deep inside, I believe that despite the hardship I am facing, God has a purpose for my pain. But at the same time, I am tired of experiencing hardship.

One day, the Bible story of King David captured my thoughts. I started to recall his story. I started reading a book about him, as well as doing devotions about this king’s life. I was fascinated by wanting to know about his life and how God still blessed King David despite his wrongdoing. I started to envy him because despite King David’s sins of adultery and murder, God still saw him as a man after His own heart. Suddenly, I realized that being blessed is not about being sinless. The Bible says in Matthew 5:45 (NIV), that God, “causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”

Sometimes, we unfairly judge other people’s lives based on what we see, but we forget that God has His own opinion of everyone and perspective on life. God had a different idea about King David. God said in Acts 13:22 (NIV), “he will do everything I want him to do.” When I read that part, I felt like God had high confidence in King David to the point where he knew David would do everything God wanted. I wonder if I have the capability of obeying God in the same way.

How can I, in this modern-day, make God so confident in me that He knows I will do whatever He wants us to do? This part of the Bible story resonated with me deeply. I realized that it doesn't matter how hard I try to impress God because He knows my heart better than anybody else. My attempts to impress other people in the name of God is known to God. He sees my true intentions and reads my heart.

The only thing that God wants us to know is that He is the God of grace. We don't need to pretend to get validation from others. Just like David before he was king and known as a man after God’s heart (1 Samuel 13:14), people saw him as a young shepherd boy who is incapable of many things. But God has a different perspective. He saw the future king in David. We need to learn how to see ourselves as God sees us. We need to not listen to the world’s perspective but ask God to help us see from a higher perspective. We need to humble ourselves before the Lord then He will lift us up (James 4:10).

Being humble will look different in this world because the world is filled with arrogant people who put self before God. However, we need to learn not to depend on the world’s validation, but to focus on how God sees us. By practicing humility, we are being His salt in this earth (Matthew 5:13) and light in this dark world (Matthew 5:14-16). It takes practice to be salt and light in this world for God, but we can properly represent Him with His help. And by obeying His Word (The Holy Bible), we can overcome every obstacle.

Let's Pray:

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for your perspective on us and your grace on our lives. Being humble is not easy. Our hearts sometimes harden due to our foolishness, and we remain in a comfort zone that is too comfortable. We often forget how to align with your heart and make you confident in us, knowing that we will do anything you ask. I pray that we become like King David who remembered to return to You no matter how far away from You he felt because of His sins. Teach me how to humble myself and be willing to trust You as you mold me into who You want me to be in this life on Earth. Help me to obey You every day. In Jesus’s Name I pray, Amen.

Song of Reflection #1: “Run to the Father” by Cody Carnes. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #2: “So Will I (100 Billion X)” by Hillsong Worship. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #3: “Heart of God” by Hillsong Worship. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #4: “Humble Yourself” by Maranatha! Music. Listen to it here.

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Author Bio:

Christine Monteiro is a certified transformative coach, writer, and keynote speaker who is passionate about helping others navigate the complexities of purpose, personal growth, and resilience. 

Christine’s journey to becoming a coach started four years ago, following the loss of her husband to brain cancer. That experience left her feeling as though she had lost her purpose—a feeling she deeply understands in clients who she works with now. Through self-discovery and training, Christine found the missing pieces in her life and regained her purpose and drive that now motivates her to help others.

Christine coaches her clients from all walks of life—from young adults to retirees—helping them to embrace change, set meaningful goals, and confidently pursue their dreams. She has received training through Creative Results Management and holds credentials from the International Coaching Federation (ICF). Christine also has certifications in Positive Psychology and Mental Health Coaching from Yale and Light University. Her diverse approach to coaching her clients combines empathy with strategic insight, helping them to navigate every stage of life.

When she writes, Christine likes to focus on topics like finding purpose, coping with grief, and achieving personal transformation. As she writes, Christine draws from her own experiences as a single mom and empty nester. She enjoys sharing these insights on various platforms to reach a wider audience and foster community support.

When not coaching or writing, Christine spends her time sipping black coffee and swimming in the pool. She has found that having three independent children gives her a privilege to have a lot of “me time” that she didn’t have when they were growing up.