Humbled By Holiness - Luke 5:8

                   
When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” - Luke 5:8

    What awe must Peter have felt for it to force his guilt to the surface of his conscience. His awe was inspired by the presence of the Lord. As Peter stood before Christ and felt the raw power of God in his midst his immediate response was to humbly admit that he was no more than a sinner, unworthy of Christ’s divine presence. Peter’s humility stood in stark contrast to his life  . . . before Christ. As a sinner Peter was constantly exposed to the pitfalls of a fallen world. As a sinner Peter constantly fell to the excesses of his own human pride, to the temptations and vexes of the world. But once in the presence of Jesus his worldly pride was ripped away from him as the angst of his guilt was fueled by the work of the Holy Spirit in his life. He stood, convicted of his sin before his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
     “The centurion answered and said, ‘Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.’ ” - Matthew 8:8. Humility often manifests itself in our unwillingness to seek the presence of God for fear that our sins are too great. Guilt makes us shrink away from holiness because we have finally recognized its power! Repentance abides in a man who humbles himself before the Lord. Why else would we take such a submissive position before God were we not confessing our sins? And if we are confessing our sins are we not also asking for forgiveness? “Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin, For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.” - Psalm 51:2-3.
    Let us be clear: humility has never existed side-by-side with pride. It cannot; it will not. We must lay our proud hearts aside. But unlike Peter we should bid our Lord to come nearer to us rather than leave us. As in the words of C.H. Spurgeon - “Come near to me, Lord, since I am a man and, being a man, am weak—and nothing can make me strong but Your Presence. I am a man so weak that if You depart from me, I faint, I fall, I pine, I die! Come near to me, then, O Lord, that by Your strength I may be encouraged and be fitted for service. If You depart from me, I can render You no service whatever. Can the dead praise You? Can those with no life in them give You glory? Come near me, then, my God, though I am so feeble! And as a tender parent feeds his child, and the shepherd carries his lambs, so come near to me.”* 
    May we always prostrate ourselves before the Lord God in humility and leave the pride of the world behind us.

*“Peter’s Prayer”, C.H. Spurgeon, Sermon # 3407, delivered 6/10/1869