When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Luke 14:7-11 (New International Version, NIV)

We can choose humility or humiliation. If we seek honor for ourselves and attempt to award ourselves a place of honor, someone more deserving of honor can come along and take that place from us. Pride puffs up and causes us to think more highly of ourselves than we should. We can avoid this trap by staying humble.

According to this passage, we shouldn’t try to position ourselves in the highest and most honored place. Rather, if we honor God, He will honor us. Self seeks honor and recognition, but the selfless actually don’t consider these things but strive instead to serve and glorify God. Self-promotion is hollow and does not satisfy like the promotion that is from God. And those who seek the most important place will usually be removed in order to honor someone greater than they are, resulting in their humiliation.

Instead of pushing to get the most honored position, humble yourself, and seek the lowest position or the least important place. When we do that, we can be moved to a higher position by God. A person of true humility seeks to be where God wants them to be. Humility waits on God for promotion.

The way up is actually to go low. Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled and he who humbles himself will be exalted. Don’t seek to promote yourself. Wait on God to promote you. Then, what God gives you, no man will be able to take from you.