The "Love Our City" pillars—"Do Justice, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly"—are inspired by Micah 6:8, which states:

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you except to be just, and to love [and diligently practice] kindness (compassion), and to walk humbly with your God [setting aside any overblown sense of importance or self-righteousness]?”

As we conclude our blog series on these pillars, our focus shifts to the third pillar: walking humbly with our God. Throughout this series, we have explored the profound impact of aligning our hearts with kingdom justice, especially in our society marked by complex dynamics. In such a context, walking humbly—particularly in relation to doing justice—is not just important, it is essential.

Humility in the Kingdom of God is fundamentally relational. While it involves a correct and humble self-view, it must extend beyond our internal thoughts to our interactions with others. True humility is the outworking of a transformed heart, manifesting in how we treat those around us. Without this external expression, thinking of oneself as humble risks becoming self-righteousness. Jesus provides clarity on this in the conclusion of his Sermon on the Mount, specifically in Matthew 7:1-5:

“Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. 3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

This passage, often misused, highlights the dangers of pride. Jesus warns against the pride that blinds us to our own faults while interacting with others. Only those who are grieved and humbled by their own need for God can truly help others with their faults. Jesus condemns the pride that views oneself as superior to others, just as the Pharisees did when they judged others' walks with God. It's important to note that Jesus is condemning a type of judgment that is hypocritical and self-righteous, not the righteous judgment that calls out sin in a loving and humble manner.

Kingdom justice requires us to approach our actions with humility. This call to action is echoed in Psalm 139:23-24 (ESV), a prayer for humility and self-examination:

Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!

1 Peter 5:5-6 (NIV) also instructs:

In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but shows favour to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.

Jesus invites us to take His yoke upon us and learn from Him, stating that He is gentle and humble in heart, and in doing so, we will find rest. The imagery of clothing ourselves with humility reminds us that humility is a virtue we must consciously adopt and maintain in our Christian walk.

As we reflect on our journey through this series, let us commit to these three pillars—doing justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly—as a guiding compass for our actions and interactions and see our city transformed in the process.