Pride is a sin which I can so easily spot in others and too seldom recognize in myself. Or, at least in the moment when I am responding in pride, I fail to check myself and choose humility instead. It is my suspicion, based on my observation of others, that I am not alone in this struggle.

This thought is prompted by reading Andrew Murray’s excellent book entitled Humility. In Chapter 2 of that book, Murray lists the following behaviors as being rooted in pride:

• Lack of love
• Indifference to the needs, feelings, and weaknesses of others
• Sharp and hasty judgments and utterances
• Manifestations of temper and touchiness and irritation (not using the excuse of being outright and honest)
• Feelings of bitterness and estrangement

In fact, when one considers how deeply pride infects our sense of self and how we function, we can see that pride is the primary thing that prevents us from fully satisfying the two great commands to love God fully, and love our neighbor as ourselves.

The antidote to this pride is humility. I cannot in good conscience tell you that I’ve made much progress in fostering humility in myself, but I can say that the starting point for developing this trait is to acknowledge complete and utter dependence upon God as its source. I suspect that full submission to God is the antidote to pride.

I wonder how outsiders would respond to the church if their first impression was that the church is about humility and service to others. Too often, this is not the impression given by Christians to non believers, myself included.

God, grant us the ability to see where pride is inhibiting our relationship with you and with others. Grant us the ability to repent, receive your forgiveness, and live in humble submission to your will.

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As I watch the sunrise from Ventnor pier, I am reminded that God has not promised me a trouble-free day.

So as I begin this day, I thought the following prayer might be appropriate.

My Father in Heaven,

Today I may get really bad news or face a real tragedy. You never promised that life will be easy. In fact, Jesus promised that in this world I will have trouble.

Today I will certainly be confronted by events that are contrary to my wishes. If nothing else, I am living proof of Paul’s statement that the outer man is fading. As I heard someone say, “The older I get, the better I was.”

I am also aware that my thoughts and motivations are not yet fully in line with your two great commands to love you with my entire being and love my neighbor as myself.

Yet I know that I have much for which I should be, and try to be, grateful. 

I was able to walk to the ocean and watch the sunrise this morning. I have never unwillingly missed a meal. I’m laughing as I watch the sandpipers scurry in the surf. These are some of the physical blessings for which I am grateful. 

Better than these are the spiritual blessings you give me.

Paul tells me that I have every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies at my disposal. Yet I feel like I have barely begun to understand the implications of this.

Thank you for calling me into relationship with you through Jesus Christ.

I ask two things of you this morning. 

Give me greater vision to see the multitude of blessings you will bring my way today.

Grant me the ability to accept the hard things without complaining in the full knowledge that you will use them for my good and your glory.

Amen.

If you are encouraged by this post or would like to join in a conversation, please use the comment form below to offer your feedback. If you are reading this in an email and would like to comment, you can reply to the email or click on the “Read in browser” link below to go to the web page where you can enter a comment. I enjoy hearing from you.

““Do not call to mind the former things, Or ponder things of the past. “Behold, I will do something new, Now it will spring forth; Will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, Rivers in the desert.” (Isaiah 43:18–19, NASB 95)

I have a friend who is in his early 80’s that is an inspiration to me. He inspires me because of his desire to be ever learning and growing in his faith.

So often in my life, I have encountered older people who are coasting. Their foot is off the gas or their tank has run empty and they are just waiting for the trip to end. Or, worse yet, they complain about their current situation and attempt to relive past experiences rather than live in the moment. Sadly, these things are often true of older Christians.

My friend is not like that, he is reading Scripture and finding fresh insights every day. He is also reading books that challenge him to think and wrestle with the issues of the day in light of Biblical revelation.

Sure, like all of us that are older, he enjoys sharing stories of his experiences (I really enjoy his stories), but he is not stuck in them, he lives as if the best is yet to come.

In the verses quoted above, Isaiah tells us that God is doing something new. My friend lives as if that is true.

And so should the rest of us.

“Woe to the rebellious children,” declares the Lord, “Who execute a plan, but not Mine, And make an alliance, but not of My Spirit, In order to add sin to sin; Who proceed down to Egypt Without consulting Me, To take refuge in the safety of Pharaoh And to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt! “Therefore the safety of Pharaoh will be your shame And the shelter in the shadow of Egypt, your humiliation.” (Isaiah 30:1–3, NASB 95)

We have ideas of how things should go, but are those ideas in keeping with what God wants?

It’s too easy to point in hindsight to some of the church growth strategies over the last 30 years to show how they had more to do with Pharaoh than with God. 

“Let’s not say anything from the stage that could offend anyone” is a form of going to Egypt. Another manifestation of this is the idea of offering life advice as the sermon rather than expounding Scripture. I don’t need advice in the sermon, I need to hear from God through his word.

Jesus told Peter and the disciples that he (Jesus) assumes all the responsibility for building his church. We are helpers, not initiators in that process.

So, we should be seeking direction from Jesus as to how to proceed. Scripture is our most important guide in this endeavor, but we need the Holy Spirit to guide us as we seek to apply scripture to our context.

Here is a question for church leaders. Do Bible study and prayer have a prominent place in your leadership meetings? Is the first question always, “what does Scripture say about this issue?” Do you spend time in prayer asking the Holy Spirit for guidance after the related Bible passages are studied? 

I once was an elder at a church where the lead pastor designated himself “chief vision caster.” With hindsight, I should have pointed out that such a declaration is blasphemous since Jesus declared himself as the chief vision castor and it is our role to seek him to reveal his vision to us.