if after death the Lord will censure thee?
Reasons to be humble:
To safely reach your final goal.
To acquire lasting peace of heart.
To acquire peace and consolation.
Temporal effects of true humility:
Your soul will wear all virtues.
Your heart feels neither grief nor bitterness.
Offense and scorn are soothing to your soul.
You are able to bear with others’ faults and with his own.
Eternal benefits of humility:
The Lord will impart eternal glory to the humble.
Bear mockery and contempt with humility, and you will find a rich and priceless treasure.
To hate our sins in true humility will win God’s love for all eternity.
God always delights in true humility.
Effects of pride:
Without humility all earth is nothing but glittering vanity.
You who are proud are hiding your utter nothingness from yourself.
I am a worm, born of ashes and dust, and yet so proud that I trust in my own strength.
To ridicule or disdain your neighbor is a sign of vanity.
How will human praises help you if after death the Lord censures you?
How to become humble:
Be quick to forgive offenses.
First call God to mind, then behold yourself.
Do not be attached to the views of your own mind.
Abstain from self-complacency.
Subject your will to others cheerfully.
Esteem your fellow man and disdain yourself.
Bear correction due your errors in peace and patience.
Acquire trust in God, not yourself.
How to avoid pride and bear wrongs and humiliation:
Consider well your utter wretchedness.
Remember you are but of lowly station.
Remember that you are made of worthless dust and ashes.
Remember that all gifts you have been given are favors flowing from God’s hand.
Recall that it is God who sends us gifts of every kind.
Behold the dismal grave awaiting you.
When you fail in your work, remain calm and humble; God is still in control.