I came across a passage from Jonathan Edwards today relevant to our discussion, challenging, and in accord with the sentiment of Benedict.

Spiritual pride is very apt to suspect others; whereas an humble saint is most jealous of himself; he is so suspicious of nothing in the world as he is of his own heart.  The spiritually proud person is apt to find fault with other saints that they are low in grace, and to be much in observing how cold and dead they are, and crying out against them for it, and to be quick to discern and take notice of their deficiencies, but the eminently humble Christian has much to do at home, and sees so much evil in his own heart, and is so concerned about it, that he is not apt to be very busy with others’ hearts; he complains most of himself and cries out of his own coldness and lowness in grace, and is apt to esteem others better than himself, and is ready to hope that there is nobody but has more love and thankfulness to God than he, and cannot bear to think that others should bring forth no more fruit to God’s honor than he.

This strikes me as the heart of Christian humility, an awareness of one’s own sin.  If there is any pride in the Christian life it is not pride in the normal sense; there is boasting in the New Testament, it just happens to be boasting in one’s weakness (2Cor. 12:4-6).

Keith, thanks for the personal examples of how you try to cultivate humility in your own life.  I fear for myself, humility is something I would like to cultivate more than something I actually try to cultivate.  Nonetheless, here are three thoughts for nurturing pure Christian humility:

• Encounter God in Scripture and prayer.  It is knowing God through His Word that humbles us because He is glorious and we are not.  I am most humble when I am most often meditating on Scripture.
• Let others in on what I already know exists– my sin.
• Read C.J. Mahaney’s book on humility.

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