Tag: pride

Lord, I want to see!

[The disciples] understood none of these things [Jesus was saying]. The meaning of the saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said. (Luke 18:34)

[Jesus] asked [the blind man], “What do you want me to do for you?”
“Lord,” he said, “I want to see.” (40-41)

Jesus, how often am I like the disciples? You want to say something to me that’s important, that I need to hear. And yet the meaning of your words are hidden from me and I don’t grasp what you’re trying to say to me.

Jesus, I don’t want to be blind. I want to see. Open the eyes of my heart so that I can grasp what you’re trying to tell me.

Remove anything in my heart that would prevent me from understanding and receiving what you want to say to me.

Remove the pride of the Pharisee in me.

Remove the unwillingness of the ruler in me to surrender all to you.

Lord, there is joy in surrender. There is joy in following you. The blind man discovered that.

Let me discover that joy too.

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, pride, spiritual blindness, surrender

Romans Devotionals

The grace on which we stand

Post author By Bruce
Post date January 3, 2019
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Happy New Year all!

I realize I haven’t been blogging much the past couple of weeks because of the winter holidays, but God willing, I should be starting to get back into the swing of things again.

It is so easy, sometimes, to forget the very grace that we stand on and to look down on others.

The Roman Christians apparently very tempted to do so when they thought about the Jews who had rejected Jesus.

But Paul warns them against such pride throughout this chapter.

He reminds them of the pride of Elijah, who complained that he was the only one following after God. And God had to sharply rebuke him, saying, “No, you aren’t the only spiritual one. There are 7000 others.”

Elijah too, forgot at times the grace on which he stood.

God didn’t choose Elijah as his own because Elijah was somehow better than those around him. God chose him out of his grace.

Paul emphasizes this, saying,

In the same way, then, there is also at the present time a remnant chosen by grace. Now if by grace, then it is not by works; otherwise grace ceases to be grace. (Romans 11:5-6)

Paul is specifically talking about a remnant of Jews, but all of us who belong to God are chosen the same way: by grace.

And so Paul warns us,

…do not boast that you are better than those branches (the unbelieving Jews). But if you do boast—you do not sustain the root, but the root sustains you. (18)

And again,

Do not be arrogant, but beware, because if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either. (20-21)

Are you tempted to look down on others? Not just unbelievers, but believers? Do you think you are somehow better than they?

Maybe you serve more at church. Maybe you are more spiritually “mature.”

Remember the grace on which you stand. And be humble.

For as Paul concludes,

And who has ever given to God,
that he should be repaid?

For from him and through him
and to him are all things.
To him be the glory forever. Amen. (35-36)

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, grace, pride

1 Corinthians Devotionals

Selfishness and pride

If there is one theme that I’m consistently seeing in 1 Corinthians, it’s the problem of selfishness and pride in the Corinthian church. And so time and again, Paul tries to bring them back to what is central: God.

That’s what we see in chapter 8.

Some Corinthians were saying, “I know! I’m mature. I’m strong as a Christian. You don’t know. That’s why you have such a weak conscience concerning things that shouldn’t bother you at all (in this case, eating food offered to idols).”

But Paul reminds them:

“Hey! Remember what’s central here. You’re not living for yourself.

“You know that there is one God. Great! Remember what that means. He made you, and you exist for his purposes.

“You know that there is one Lord, Jesus. Great! Remember what that means. Remember that it is through him that all things were created and that all things, including you, exist.

“You’re not the center. He is.

“Remember this too: your brother (or sister) also loves God and is known by him. And if you destroy someone that Christ died for by your “knowledge,” you’re sinning against Christ, and God will hold you accountable.”

How about you? Where is your faith centered? Is it centered on you? Or is it centered on Christ?

The truth is, the moment we center our faith on ourselves, we lose sight of the gospel. We lose sight of our need for Christ, and we start thinking ourselves better than we are, while judging those around us.

We never outgrow our need for the gospel. So let us keep our lives centered on Jesus and the grace he has extended to us, and in humility and gratefulness live each day for him.

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, God-centered, gospel, grace, pride, selfishness

Titus

No room for license, no room for pride

Post author By Bruce
Post date December 14, 2015
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We covered the first part of Titus 3 in the last blog, but because it connects with what we’re talking about today, I might as well put it all together.

Again in verse 1, he talks about how we are to obey those in authority, and then he says in verse 2 that we are to,

slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men. (Titus 3:2)

It’s easy sometimes for Christians to become uncharitable or judgmental towards unbelievers because of their sinful actions. But Paul says we are not to slander them, but are rather to be peaceable and considerate, showing them true humility.

The last, I think is especially important. As Christians, we are to be humble and gentle with them in their failings. Why?

At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.

But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.

He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. (Titus 3:3-7)

In short, we were no different from unbelievers before we became Christians. We too did stupid things, we sinned, and were in fact slaves to sin.

God didn’t save us because we were better than the rest of the people around us. Rather, he saved us because of his mercy. And he showed kindness and love to us when we didn’t deserve it by sending his Son to die for us.

Now God has made us new creations through his Holy Spirit who he has poured into our hearts. And now because of all he has done for us, we are made righteous in his sight and we have the hope of eternal life as his adopted children.

So there’s no room for pride as Christians. And we are not to look down on those who are “unholy.” Rather we are to reach out to them with the same love that God showed us.

At the same time, as I mentioned in the last blog, there’s no room for license when it comes to sin if we are Christians.

We are no longer the same. We’ve been washed by the blood of Jesus. We’ve been made new creatures in him. How then can we go back to a life of sin and the things that were destroying us?

And so Paul says,

This is a trustworthy saying.

And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good.

These things are excellent and profitable for everyone. (Titus 3:8)

And again,

Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order that they may provide for daily necessities and not live unproductive lives. (14)

So while there’s no room for pride in our own righteousness, there is no room for license either.

Even in Paul’s day, he faced both problems.

He faced those who proud of how “righteous” they were by keeping the law and those who were proud of their Jewish pedigree.

And he faced those who argued that they could live however they wanted to. (9)

But concerning both, Paul said,

Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him.

You may be sure that such a man is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned. (10-11)

How about you? Do you live in pride, thinking you’re so much better than others?

Remember you were not saved because of who you are or what you did. You were saved because of who God is and what he did.

Are you living a life of license? You were saved that you might be free from that. That you might become completely new and find true life and joy, not the counterfeit this world offers.

How are you living?

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, license, pride

Philippians

Maintaining unity in the church

Post author By Bruce
Post date October 9, 2015
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I wonder how much, as Paul was writing this letter, he was thinking about Euodia and Syntyche.

These were two women who he had worked with closely in ministry and cared about deeply. And yet there was a divide between them.

What it was that caused that divide we don’t know.

Paul certainly doesn’t take sides. Instead, he simply says,

I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord. (Philippians 4:2)

Throughout this letter, he had been saying things like he wanted to see the Philippians standing firm in one spirit, fighting side by side for the gospel. (Philippians 1:27)

That they should be, “like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose,” and following the example of Christ in His spirit of humility. (Philippians 2:2)

More, he encouraged them to stop complaining and arguing with each other that they might be bright lights to those around them. (Philippians 2:14-15)

He then reminds them to put aside their personal pride on who they are and what they’ve accomplished and to focus their eyes on Christ.

They were to make knowing him their chief goal. To remember that they are all citizens of heaven now and that they should live that way. (Chapter 3)

And now, having said all this, he pleads with Euodia and Syntyche to put aside their personal pride. To put aside their personal differences, whatever they may be. And to accept one another. To start working with one another once again.

If Paul were alive today, I wonder how often he would repeat those words if he saw the people in the church today. People who love the Lord and are trying to serve him, and yet because of their pride are at odds with others in the church.

I look at these words, and I feel the pain Paul is feeling. Because too many times, I see this kind of division within the church.

But even as people seeing this happen in the church, we cannot just stand still and let the problem fester. Paul said,

Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life. (Philippians 4:3)

Who this “yokefellow” was, we don’t know. But Paul said, “Please help these women reconcile. Step in and do what you can to bring peace between them.”

Too often, instead of bringing peace, we take sides. Or we start to spread gossip. But if we are to have unity in the church, neither is acceptable. As Paul told the Ephesians,

Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:3)

Are you doing that?

Or are you letting your pride get in the way of making peace with those who have hurt you or those you yourself have hurt?

When you see your brother or sister fighting with another in the church, are you letting your personal loyalty to them get in the way of trying to bring peace between them and the other party?

Too often, people don’t settle their differences. Instead, they let things simmer until things eventually blow up or one of them leaves the church. But does that bring glory to Christ?

The church is to supposed to glorify Christ and show the world who he is. But we can’t do that when there are fissures within the church.

Are you one of those fissures?

Or are you one that brings healing to those fissures?

Which one are you?

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, peacemaker, pride, unity

1 Corinthians

How we see others in the body

Post author By Bruce
Post date May 24, 2015
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I talked last time about how we see ourselves as a part of the body of Christ. But how should we see others?

Paul writes,

The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.

For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body–whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free–and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. (1 Corinthians 12:12-13)

The key thing that Paul is saying here is that we are all one. Sure there are many parts within the body, but we are ultimately one body, and all the parts belong to each other.

He then says that we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body and we were all given one Spirit to drink.

Because of this, because it is the same Spirit that has placed us into the body, and the same Spirit that works in each one of us, how then can we look down on others?

When we see others, we should see the Spirit who is living within them. Should we then despise the Spirit and his work in them?

We saw earlier that Paul strongly states that we cannot say to another member of the body, “I don’t need you,” for we all need each other. All of us are essential to the proper working of the body. (1 Corinthians 12:21-22)

More, Paul says,

On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable. (1 Corinthians 12:22)

Recently I broke my right ring finger playing basketball. I never knew how indispensable it was. I couldn’t grip anything with it wrapped in a splint.

Typing became an absolute pain. Things I used to take for granted became difficult if not impossible with my ring finger injured.

Paul adds,

And the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor.

And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. (1 Corinthians 12:23-24)

Compare our feet with our hands for example.

I’ve heard people talk about the beauty of another’s hands, but I don’t think we ever talk about the beauty of a person’s feet.

That said, I would daresay that feet get massaged much more than hands do and we’re careful that the shoes we wear not only look good, but also make our feet comfortable.

And so Paul concludes,

But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. (1 Corinthians 12:24-25)

“Equal concern.”

Again, this goes totally against the selfish and prideful attitudes people have towards others and their gifts.

Do your gifts make you more concerned about yourself, or about others? Are your gifts making you more inward-focused or outward-focused?

When you look at Jesus and all the powers he possessed, he never used them to glorify himself. Rather, he was always outwardly focused, caring for the people around him.

Paul then adds,

If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. (1 Corinthians 12:26)

Pain is a funny thing. It tends to focus your mind on the part that hurts. Every other part of your body may feel fine, but when you break your finger like I did, you don’t think, “Oh, I’m 99% healthy.”

You think, “Ouch!”

And that’s how we should see others. When we see our brothers and sisters in pain, we shouldn’t just ignore them. We need to reach out to them and minister to them.

For as Paul said,

Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. (1 Corinthians 12:27)

So let us never look down on others within the body. God doesn’t. Neither should we.

Instead we should see them as God does, as people honored and valuable in his sight.

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, pride, spiritual gifts

1 Corinthians

Gifts given to unite, not divide

Post author By Bruce
Post date May 21, 2015
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As I read this passage, I can’t help but think that Paul still had in the back of his mind the problems of division within the Corinthian church.

He had already dealt with it twice in this letter, and though he doesn’t specifically criticize the Corinthians for being divided about spiritual gifts, I think he saw a very real danger of that problem seeping into the church.

I can hardly question his judgment because we see that kind of division today.

So from the very beginning, he makes clear that our gifts should not be used to divide the church but unite it.

He says,

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.

There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. (1 Corinthians 12:4-6)

I don’t think I’ve ever noticed this before, but we see the Trinity in the gifts of the Spirit very clearly here.

Different gifts, same (Holy) Spirit.

Different kinds of service, same Lord (Jesus).

Different kinds of working, same God (the Father).

And I think Paul’s point was that just as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have different functions and yet remain the one God, so our gifts may be different, but we should remain one as a church in heart and mind.

He makes this crystal clear in the very next verse, saying,

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. (1 Corinthians 12:7)

Notice here that the gifts are not given to us for our own personal benefit, as most gifts are. Rather, each gift was given to us to benefit the people around us, especially our brothers and sisters in Christ.

And so once again, there should be no selfishness in our thinking when we consider the gifts of the Spirit. Rather, we should always be thinking, “How can I use these gifts God has given me to benefit others?”

What does this mean for us practically? There’s no room for pride or jealousy when it comes to spiritual gifts.

Paul says on one hand,

If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body.

And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. (1 Corinthians 12:15-16)

Yet some people in their jealousy for others’ gifts act this way.

They get bitter because they don’t like the gifts that God has given them. Or they see others that seem to have the same gift they do but in greater proportion.

As a result, it drives a wedge between them and God and between them and that other person.

Paul then points out the opposite problem,

The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” (1 Corinthians 12:21)

In this case, people look down on others with “lesser” spiritual gifts or gifting and basically brush them off as being unnecessary or unimportant.

Both attitudes are wrong, and both attitudes bring division in the church. And ironically, it all comes about because of gifts that were meant to unite us.

This is getting long, so I’ll continue this discussion in the next few blogs, but for now, ask yourself, “What is my attitude toward others? Are my attitudes concerning my gifts and the gifts of others causing unity in my church, or division?”

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, jealousy, pride, spiritual gifts, unity

1 Corinthians

The divisiveness that comes from pride and selfishness

Post author By Bruce
Post date May 13, 2015
No Comments on The divisiveness that comes from pride and selfishness

In this passage, Paul once again addresses divisiveness in the Corinthian church.

We have already seen one example of this from chapter 1 where the Corinthians were arguing about which leader they were following. (1 Corinthians 1:10-15)

But here in chapter 11, we see the divisiveness that springs up from pride and selfishness. Paul writes,

In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good.

In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it.

No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval. (1 Corinthians 11:17-19)

Many Bible teachers seem to take verse 19 as teaching that we need all our disputes over scripture (leading to all the denominations we have) in order to understand the truth as it really is in the Bible.

While there may be some germ of truth to that, I have always tended to think that Paul was being quite sarcastic here.

“Of course you HAVE to have differences among you. After all, you need to show which of you have God’s approval over all the others.”

In other words, I believe he was scathing them for their divisions because it was springing up from their pride. In trying to prove their own spiritual superiority, they started looking down on others.

Part of that perhaps went back to the old way of thinking the Jews had which said that riches were a sign of God’s blessing.

And so during the communion feasts they would celebrate as a church, the rich would charge in ahead of the poor and gorge themselves on the food, probably because they were the ones who had bought it in the first place.

Their thinking probably was, “Hey, I bought this food, so I should be able to eat it. If there are any scraps left after I’m done, then these others can take those, but I’m getting mine first.”

But Paul wrote,

Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing?

What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you for this?

Certainly not! (1 Corinthians 11:22)

Paul was saying, “What are you guys doing? You are despising the very body of Christ that you’re supposedly celebrating by humiliating those of you who are poor.”

How were they despising Christ’s body? By their pride and selfishness.

How about you? Are you by your pride and selfishness causing division in Christ’s body?

Do you look down on others because they have less than you?

Do you despise others because they are less spiritual than you?

Are you always comparing your gifts to the ones others have, and selfishly hold on to “your territory?”

These kinds of attitudes can tear apart a church.

How do you see the people in your church?

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, communion, divisions, pride, selfishness

1 Corinthians

Warning and encouragement

Post author By Bruce
Post date May 8, 2015
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In this passage, we see both warning and encouragement concerning temptation.

First Paul writes,

So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! (1 Corinthians 10:12)

I think this was especially pertinent for those who thought they were “strong” in their faith.

As I mentioned before, there were many who were “weak” in faith in that they had tender consciences. In particular, they could not eat meat that had been sacrificed to idols without feeling guilty.

Others today may not have that particular problem, but they feel guilty about drinking a glass of wine or beer. Others may feel guilty about playing cards.

And it would be easy for the “strong” to look down on the “weak” and say, “Look how much more mature as a Christian I am. Look how much stronger my faith is. I can do things that these others can’t.”

But Paul tells them, “Be careful. You may think you’re strong, but if you stand in your pride, you could easily fall yourself and prove yourself weak.”

A glass of beer, for example, could turn into two or three or four leading you to get drunk. And if that happens too often, that could turn into alcoholism. In either case, you have just stepped over the line into sin.

But even if you never do, you can fall into the sin of pride, such that you look down on others and abuse your freedom causing them to fall.

Or you could fall into other sins entirely.

You start to fail to trust God in your decisions at work and start compromising God’s values for the sake of the business or for your own position.

Or you lose your temper with those around you.

Or someone hurts you and you cling to unforgiveness and bitterness in your heart.

There are numerous ways in which we can fall. But if we walk around in pride, we can become blinded to our own faults just as the Pharisees did in Jesus’ day.

So Paul warns us, “Watch yourself. You may not be as strong as you think you are, and you can fall just as easily as anyone else.”

But then he gives a word of encouragement.

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man.

And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.

But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

The word “temptation” has two senses. One, of course, is temptation to sin. But it can also mean trials.

And Paul says that whatever temptation or trial you may go through, God knows your limits.

He will not let you go through more than you can handle, but he will always provide a way for you to stand despite what pressures come against you.

There’s also comfort in knowing that we are not alone. Some people think, “I’m the only Christian who struggles with this. Why am I so bad?” And Satan would have you believe that.

But Paul makes clear that whatever temptation you go through, others have gone through it too.

One of the benefits of confessing your sins to others is that you soon find out that many of them struggle with the same things you do. And while you may be weak individually, together, in the Lord, you can find strength.

How about you? Are you feeling strong? Be careful lest you fall.

Are you feeling weak? Be encouraged. You are not alone.

Others have gone through the same things you are going through now.

And God will always be with you to help you stand.

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, pride, temptation, trials

1 Corinthians

How we wield the knowledge we have

Post author By Bruce
Post date May 1, 2015
1 Comment on How we wield the knowledge we have

This passage in many ways is very similar to Romans 14. Because of this, I want to put more of my focus on the first few verses and how it relates to the rest of the passage.

Paul writes,

Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all possess knowledge.

Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know.

But the man who loves God is known by God. (1 Corinthians 8:1-3)

Paul was dealing here with a situation in which some of the Corinthian Christians were bothered by other believers eating meat offered to idols. They felt it would be wrong to do so, and as Paul wrote in Romans 14,

The man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin. (Romans 14:23)

But there were others in the Corinthian church who knew that eating such meat had no effect on their spiritual life, that Jesus had in fact said that all foods were clean. (Mark 7:19)

The problem was that knowledge led to pride, and that pride led them to flaunt their freedom in front of their weaker (in faith) brothers and eat this meat that was sacrificed to idols.

This in turn was leading some of the brothers to break their conscience and eat this meat too. And because they weren’t eating from faith, they were sinning.

And so Paul really gets on these Corinthians who were causing their brothers to fall.

He told them, “Yes, you know that eating food offered to idols is okay because the idols are nothing and are not real gods.”

But Paul tells them,

The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. (1 Corinthians 8:2)

What is Paul saying? I think he’s saying it’s not enough to just have knowledge. You also have to know how to wield that knowledge. And if you don’t know how to wield that knowledge, then your knowledge is incomplete.

How are we to wield the knowledge we have? With love.

Paul tells the Corinthians,

Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. (1 Corinthians 8:1)

Knowledge in itself can be a source of pride. “I know! You don’t.”

It is that kind of pride that often leads people to argue theological issues that go round and round but never go anywhere.

Even worse, it’s the kind of pride that causes people to look down on and judge other people.

And it’s the kind of pride that causes division in the church and tears it apart.

That’s what was happening in the Corinthian church. And so Paul reminds them, “Your ‘knowledge’ is not what pleases God. It’s what you do with that knowledge.

Are you building people up with that knowledge? Or are you tearing them down?”

Paul concludes by saying,

But the man who loves God is known by God. (1 Corinthians 8:3)

How do we know if a person truly loves God? John tells us in his first epistle:

Whoever loves God must also love his brother. (1 John 4:21)

That’s exactly what the Corinthians weren’t doing. They were using their knowledge not to build people up, but to tear them down by eating meat sacrificed to idols in front of their weaker brothers. The result:

So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. (1 Corinthians 8:11)

And Paul warns them,

When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. (1 Corinthians 8:12)

Paul then shows them how their knowledge should lead them to act in the current situation.

Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall. (1 Corinthians 8:13)

How about you? How do you wield the knowledge you have?

Do you use it to puff yourself up, while destroying your brother or sister? Or do you use it to build them up?

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, knowledge, love, pride

1 Corinthians

Warnings against pride

C.S. Lewis once called pride, “The Great Sin” in his book Mere Christianity. Why? Because it’s pride that builds walls between us and God, and also builds walls between us and others.

We see the former right at the beginning of the world in the garden of Eden. It was the pride of wanting to be like God that tempted Eve and caused her to fall. It was pride that apparently caused the fall of Satan as well.

And here in this passage, we see the pride that was tearing apart the Corinthian church, and putting a wall between Paul himself and the Corinthian believers.

From verses 4-13, and also 18-19, it appears that a number of the Corinthians were looking down on Paul.

It seems that because of their pride in what they had and what they knew, and because of their self-satisfaction in life, they looked at Paul in all his weakness and suffering as if he were somehow inferior to them.

But Paul tells them,

“Do not go beyond what is written.” Then you will not take pride in one man over against another. (1 Corinthians 4:6)

What does he mean, “Do not go beyond what is written?”

It’s not clear, but I think he’s referring to what we’ve been taught concerning our position in Christ. Namely, that we are saved, not because of who we are or what we’ve done, but because of his grace.

If we remember we are all products of his grace, there is no reason to take pride in ourselves over others. Or to argue that this person is greater than that person.

Paul makes this clear, reminding the Corinthians,

Who makes you different from anyone else?

What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not? (1 Corinthians 4:7)

The answers: “God,” “nothing,” and, “for no good reason.”

Those are pretty humbling answers.

But so often we don’t think that way, slamming down walls between us and God, as well as with those around us.

Would that we were all fully cognizant of the true meaning of God’s grace in our lives.

How much better would our relationships be with God, with our spouses, with our fellow church members, and with all whom we associate with?

How about you? What walls are in your life because of your pride?

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, humility, pride

1 Corinthians

How we approach our work for the Lord

Post author By Bruce
Post date April 16, 2015
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In a lot of ways, I’m kind of reiterating what I said yesterday, but certain things kind of struck me as I reread the passage today and I wanted to highlight them.

One thing is the privilege that we have to work hand in hand with God. Paul said,

We are God’s fellow workers. (1 Corinthians 3:9)

Think about that for a minute. God doesn’t really need us. He could do everything he wanted to accomplish without us.

But he chooses to use us. And he invites us to join him in his work. I read that and just say, “Wow!”

God doesn’t just save us to sit down and bask in his grace. He wants us to also become an active part of his Kingdom.

And so he stretches out his hand toward us and says, “Won’t you join me in this work? Let’s work together on this.”

The second thing we need to remember though is he doesn’t call us into this work to bring glory to ourselves. Paul said,

What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe–as the Lord has assigned to each his task. (1 Corinthians 3:5)

A servant doesn’t draw attention to himself. For the most part, the best servant is invisible. You barely notice he’s there, and yet all that needs to get done is done. And in the end, he should say humbly,

We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty. (Luke 17:10)

Still, though an earthly master might not show any appreciation for his servant and even treat him as a nobody, God again sees us as his fellow workers. And he gets down into the mud with us to do the things he has asked of us.

More without him working in us and through us, we wouldn’t be able to accomplish anything. For as Paul writes,

I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. (1 Corinthians 3:6)

So where is the room for pride? There is none. Paul tells us,

So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. (1 Corinthians 3:7)

One final thing to remember in whatever ministry we’re in is that the people we’re working with are not, “my people.” Rather they are God’s field, God’s building. (1 Corinthians 3:9)

Too often, we get wrapped up with marking out our territory in ministry. And if we’ve been doing certain things in the church for a number of years, we mark those duties as our territory, and the people we’re working with as our people.

But the Lord assigns each person their own task, and sometimes those tasks change as he invites other people to join in his work. And he does that for the betterment of his kingdom.

Yet many Christians become upset when Christ calls others into work that “encroaches” on their territory. And they become jealous when they find that others are more skilled or talented than they are.

Let us remember, however, that each person has their part in the body of Christ. Each person has been assigned their task. And as much as we are fellow workers with God, we are also fellow workers with each other.

So let us work with one another, casting aside our jealousy and territorial way of thinking, realizing that it is God’s field, not ours. It is God’s building, not ours.

Most importantly, let us focus on the relationship we have with God.

One of the main reasons he calls us to join him in his work is so that we can spend more time together with him. And as we do, we will find joy.

How do you approach the work God has given you?

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, church, God's field, humility, pride, tasks, work

1 Corinthians

With what we are building up the church

Post author By Bruce
Post date April 15, 2015
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It’s interesting pulling this whole passage together. Usually when I have read it in the past, I’ve taken different parts of it and looked at them individually, but I’ve never really read it as a whole.

What is Paul talking about here? He’s talking about how we are building up our churches, and he warns us that we need to be careful how we build.

He reminds us first of all that Christ alone is the foundation of the church. (1 Corinthians 3:11)

But with what do we build on that foundation? The charisma of this pastor or this leader? Jealousy? Backbiting? Pride?

Charisma isn’t bad, but you can’t truly build a church on a pastor’s charisma.

And the rest? It will tear a church apart.

And so as each person, from the pastor all the way down the chain to the newest Christian, does their work within the church, they need to ask, with what materials am I trying to build this church up?

And depending on what we use, we will be judged.

Paul says,

If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light.

It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work.

If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward.

If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames. (1 Corinthians 3:12-15)

In other words, none of us will go to hell because we fail in the duties that God has given us. But we can lose our reward. And some will literally get into heaven with nothing to show for all they did here on earth.

Why? Their hearts were not right before him. And again, Paul is pointing specifically to hearts of pride, jealousy, and division, things that can destroy the church.

It is with this in mind that he says,

Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?

If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple. (1 Corinthians 3:16-17)

The “you”s here are all plural in the Greek.

And Paul is saying, “You Christians collectively are God’s temple.”

Put another way, “The church is God’s temple.” And if we do things that destroy the church, God will bring judgment upon us. If our pride, jealousy, and divisive spirits tear apart the church, God will hold us accountable.

So Paul tells us to get rid of these things. Get rid of the “wisdom” of this world that leads to pride, jealousy, and division.

Instead, embrace the “foolishness of the cross,” that would lead us to be humble and grateful to God, and accepting of those around us.

How about you? Whether you’re a pastor or the newest Christian in the church, you have a part in building up Christ’s church. With what are you building it up?

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, church, humility, jealousy, judgment, pride

1 Corinthians

No room for boasting

In illustrating the “foolishness of God,” Paul uses the people in the Corinthian church as an example.

Now if you were going to save as many people as possible, wouldn’t you start with the rich, powerful, wise, and influential? Wouldn’t that make sense?

But Paul says of the Corinthians,

Brothers, think of what you were when you were called.

Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth.

But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things–and the things that are not–to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. (1 Corinthians 1:26-29)

This is not to say God doesn’t save the rich, powerful, wise, and influential. Paul says here, “not many,” not, “not any.”

Still, God saves people not because of what they have or who they are, but because of his grace.

And time and again, he puts to shame those who claimed to be strong and wise by those who were, by their standards, their inferiors.

But these “inferiors” put the strong and wise to shame by one thing: their faith in God.

For instance, God took an old man named Noah who was willing to actually take God at his word and build a huge ark when no one needed a boat that big (if they needed one at all).

Noah’s neighbors must have thought he was nuts. But in the end, he was proven wise when the rain started to fall and the flood waters started to rise.

Later, God took the Jewish people out of captivity in Egypt and had them surround a fortified city, just marching around it for 6 days.

Then on the seventh day, they marched around it 7 times, blowing their horns, after which they shouted and charged the city.

When Joshua’s soldiers first heard this plan, they must have questioned Joshua’s sanity. For that matter, the inhabitants must have wondered what those crazy Jews were doing.

But when the Israelites charged on that seventh day, the walls fell and they captured the city.

Years later, God took a bunch of young Jewish exiles in Babylon who refused to eat the food provided by the king because it was against their dietary laws, and instead just ate vegetables and drank water.

Their fellow exiles must have thought they were out of their minds. In the end, however, these four men were not only healthier than their compatriots, but wiser and more capable as well.

Time and again, throughout history, you see God doing this kind of thing.

And he did it again through the cross.

What people considered as a sign of weakness and defeat, an ignoble death on the cross, God used for our salvation. And he used it to save, not those whom the world admires, but those whom it despised.

People despise us because they consider us weak. Because to them, only the intellectually inferior and emotionally crippled need God. They despise us because we would put our trust in him instead of ourselves.

But ultimately, they will be put to shame.

A warning, however.

Remember that you have nothing to boast about if you are a Christian. It’s not because of who you are or what you have done that God saved you. It’s because of who God is and what he has done.

As Paul wrote,

It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God–that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. (1 Corinthians 1:30)

So as Paul concludes,

Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:31)

Who are you boasting in? Yourself? You will be put to shame.

In God? Then there is no room for pride.

What is your attitude today?

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, boasting, faith, pride

Romans

What destroys fellowship

It is so easy to think of the Christian life as an individual thing. I suppose with the individualistic mindset of Western countries, this is particularly true.

But the Christian life is not meant to be lived alone. We are meant to be in fellowship with other believers.

Yet there are many Christians who no longer attend church.

Why? There are many reasons, but through Paul’s words, we can find one common reason. Paul wrote,

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. (Romans 12:3)

And again,

Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. (Romans 12:16)

If there is one thing that will destroy Christian fellowship, it’s pride.

It’s a pride that says, “I don’t need other Christians. I’m fine by myself.”

It’s a pride that says, “These other Christians are at a much lower spiritual plane than I am. What can I possibly get from hanging around them?”

It’s a pride that says, “I’m at a different social status than these others. What do I have in common with them?”

It’s a pride that says, “This person has hurt me and that person has hurt me. I’m not going to go back to church until they apologize.”

But Paul reminds us,

Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. (Romans 12:4-5)

Here we see an important truth: All Christians are part of the body of Christ. And we don’t merely belong to ourselves anymore.

We belong to Christ, first and foremost. But we also belong to each other.

Why?

Because all of us bring something different to the body of Christ. We all have different functions within his body. And the whole body depends on us to fulfill that function.

So Paul says,

If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith.

If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach;

if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully. (Romans 12:6-8)

You may think that you don’t need others. But even if that were true, others need you. And God gave you the gifts you have to bless others.

Remember that in serving others, we serve God.

That’s why Paul admonishes us,

Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. (Romans 12:11)

But if we out of our pride withhold what God has given us from the church, God will hold us accountable.

Always remember: we belong to the others in the church. And they belong to us. We need each other.

So let us get rid of the pride that would separate us from our brothers and sisters. Instead,

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. (Romans 12:10)

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, body of Christ, pride

Romans

All that’s left for us to do

Post author By Bruce
Post date March 11, 2015
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The way to salvation is, in a sense, contradictory. That is to say, it is so easy, and yet so hard.

Paul writes,

But the righteousness that is by faith says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ down) “or ‘Who will descend into the deep?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). (Romans 10:6-7)

In other words, we don’t need to drag Jesus down from heaven to effect our salvation. Nor do we have to drag his dead body from the grave in order for us to be saved.

Jesus has already come. He has already paid for our sins on the cross. And he has already been raised from the dead.

So what is there left for us to do then?

But what does it say?

“The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. (Romans 10:8-10)

In short, all we need to do is acknowledge in our hearts who Jesus is and what he has already done for us.

Who is he? He is Lord.

What does that mean exactly. Paul makes it crystal clear in the next few verses.

As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”

For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile–the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:11-13)

The last quotation he brings out is Joel 2:32, and the word translated “Lord” is not simply “Adonai” which can be used of mere men as well as of God. Joel uses the divine name, “Yahweh.”

In short, “Everyone who calls on the name of Yahweh will be saved.”

So Jesus is not merely “a lord,” but he is God himself.

Paul says as much in Philippians 2 where he quotes Isaiah 45:23 in which Yahweh says,

Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear.

He then applies it to Jesus, saying,

At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:10-11)

So if we are to be saved we need to confess Jesus for who he really is, Lord and God.

More we are to believe in what he has done. That he died for our sins and was raised from the dead. And then beyond that, we are to call on him.

It’s not enough just to know Jesus is Lord. It is not enough to know that he died for us and was raised again. The demons know all this.

We must call on him and ask him to save us. And if we do, he will.

It is so easy. Yet it is so difficult.

Why? Because people simply do not want to believe. Many people claim they can’t believe. But God has given enough evidence for all of us to believe.

It’s not that people can’t believe. They choose not to.

They choose not to because of pride.

“It’s too simple. I must be able to do something to save myself.”

Or, “I don’t need God in my life. I’m fine as it is. I don’t need a crutch in my life.”

Or, “I’m too intelligent to believe in God.”

Others are simply too in love with their sin. They know that if they acknowledge Jesus in their lives, they can’t keep living as they are. And they don’t want to give it up even though it is destroying them.

How about you? What will you do with Jesus in your life?

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, faith, pride, salvation

Romans

Pride and insolence

In this passage, we see two problems concerning the grace of God.

The first problem is pride. It’s an attitude of, “I don’t need God’s grace. I’m good enough. The people around me on the other hand…”

Paul addresses this attitude in verses 1-3, saying,

You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.

Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth.

So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? (Romans 2:1-3)

Here you see the judgmental attitude some people have. They look around at the people around them and judge them as “sinners.”

But at the same time, they are blind to their own sin. They are so proud, thinking, “Other people may be messed up, but I’m not.”

Yet Paul asks them, “What right do you have to judge others when you do the same things?”

We condemn others for being stubborn and thick-headed, for example, but we can’t see our own pride that causes us to be just as stubborn and thick-headed when relating to them.

Or we look at murderers in the news and are horrified. We demand punishment for them.

But in our hearts we cut people off for the hurts they’ve caused us. In our hearts, we murder them, and they are dead to us.

And so Paul says, “You have no room to judge others. You have no room to look down on others as ‘sinners’ when you do the same things as they do. You need God’s grace just as much as they do. And without it, you’re lost.”

Paul then addresses another problem. Those who presume upon God’s grace, and say, “Well, since God will forgive me anyway, I’ll just live as I want and ‘repent’ later.”

But Paul tells such people,

Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance? (Romans 2:4)

I like the wording of the ESV here.

Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? (Romans 2:4, ESV)

In other words, God’s grace is not given to us in order for us to indulge in sin. God’s grace is given to us in order that we might repent and turn away from our sin.

Yet so many people presume on the grace of God, living as they please, hurting both God and the people around them.

So Paul says to both types of people,

But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.

God “will give to each person according to what he has done.”

To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.

There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.

For God does not show favoritism. (Romans 2:5-11)

In short, no one’s going to get away with anything. If we in our pride, think we are above God’s grace because we are so much better than others, we will be judged, and shown to be just as bad as those we judge.

If in our insolence we abuse the grace of God, we also will be punished.

How about you? Do you think you’re above the grace of God? Or do you think that God’s grace is something to be despised?

Such attitudes will lead to judgment.

So let us come humbly before God, admitting our need, and marveling at the love and grace he gives us.

There is no room for pride or insolence in the kingdom of God.

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, grace, insolence, judgmentalism, presumption, pride

Acts

A pride that leads to destruction

Post author By Bruce
Post date December 13, 2014
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Solomon wrote,

Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. (Proverbs 16:18)

We see this in the life of Herod Agrippa I.

To be clear, this is a different person from Herod Antipas who had been involved with John the Baptist and Jesus in the gospels.

Herod Agrippa was the grandson of King Herod, who had attempted to kill Jesus as a baby. And he was just as bloodthirsty as his grandfather was.

He was responsible for the death of James, and would have killed Peter had God not delivered him. And for Peter’s escape, Herod killed the men who had been guarding him.

Herod was a powerful man…and very proud. He had exerted his power to the point that the cities of Tyre and Sidon, two cities that had been in dispute with him, had humbled themselves and sought to make peace with him.

And as he sat before them, they shouted out,

This is the voice of a god, not of a man. (Acts 12:22)

Herod accepted this praise, and because of it, an angel struck him, and shortly thereafter, he died.

If there is one thing that God hates, it’s pride, because pride places a wall between us and him. We start to think we can live without God and that we don’t need him.

Our pride also puts a barrier between us and others. How often, because of our pride, do we destroy our relationships, our friendships, our marriages, and our families?

And as with Herod, pride will ultimately lead to our destruction if we refuse to repent.

If we in our pride say, “I don’t need you God,” God will eventually give us what we want: life for all eternity without him.

But when we get it, we’ll find out that we’re cut off from life, love, joy, and peace. Because all of these things find their source in God. That’s what Herod found out.

How about you? Is your pride standing between you and your friends, your spouse, the people at work, or the people at church? Even worse, is it standing between you and God?

As Peter wrote,

God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. (1 Peter 5:5-6)

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, destruction, humility, pride

John John 19 Luke Luke 23 Mark Mark 15 Matthew Matthew 27

Railing at God, humbling ourselves before him

Post author By Bruce
Post date October 29, 2014
No Comments on Railing at God, humbling ourselves before him

This is one of the most famous stories from the cross. Along with Jesus, two robbers were crucified by his side. And at first, both mocked him. In the ESV, it says,

One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” (Luke 23:39)

Somehow, that word, “railed,” really strikes me. It makes me think about how many people rail at God when they face the consequences for their sin.

Here was this criminal who had done wrong and was being punished for it, but far from being repentant, it seems he felt that he was being wronged.

Perhaps he felt justified in the things that he had done, and so as he railed at Jesus, he said, “Are you really the Christ? Then save me from this! I don’t deserve this!”

Apparently, according to the other gospels, the second criminal joined in with the first in railing at Jesus, at least at first.

But perhaps as Jesus refused to answer, but instead only looked with pity upon his abusers, the second criminal started to quiet down.

He saw the dignity of Jesus in a situation where all dignity had seemingly been stripped away from him.

He saw the compassion, love, and forgiveness Jesus had for those who had crucified him.

And as he did, perhaps he remembered all the stories he had heard about Jesus. Perhaps, he had even gone to listen to Jesus at one time and seen him perform all those miracles.

As he considered all these things, perhaps he then looked at himself, and for the first time, admitted, “I was wrong. I made all these excuses for what I did. But ultimately, those were just excuses. I was wrong. I deserve this.”

And so after hearing again the railings of the man beside him, he said,

Don’t you fear God…since you are under the same sentence?

We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong. (Luke 23:40-41)

Then he turned to Jesus, and pled with him,

Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. (Luke 23:42)

I’m not sure, but perhaps for the first and only time on the cross, Jesus smiled. And he said,

I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise. (Luke 23:43)

And in that moment, the man was saved. In death, he found life.

As I said, so many people are like the first man on the cross. They do wrong, but when they are caught in their sin and suffer for it, instead of admitting their wrong, they rail at God.

Sometimes, people wonder how God could allow eternal punishment.

I think part of it is because there is no repentance in hell. Rather, there is an eternal railing against God.

They rail that they were justified in their actions. And they rail that God would punish them for what they know deep in their heart is wrong.

And part of hell is the knowing they are wrong and are getting what they deserve but being too proud to admit it.

But for those who will only recognize their sin, humble themselves, and repent, as the second criminal did, there is forgiveness and there is life.

But that time is now. Because once you are dead, it is too late. As the apostle Paul wrote,

I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation. (2 Corinthians 6:2)

How about you? Have you humbled yourself before Jesus? Have you received his salvation?

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, forgiveness, hell, pride, salvation

Luke Luke 18

Parable of the tax collector and the Pharisee: Remembering our need for grace

Post author By Bruce
Post date July 31, 2014
No Comments on Parable of the tax collector and the Pharisee: Remembering our need for grace

It’s amazing how though times change, some things never do. And in this passage, we see an example of this. Luke writes,

To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable. (Luke 18:9)

This attitude was particularly common among the Pharisees of the day. The Pharisees had dedicated their lives to keeping every jot and tittle of the word of God. But in doing so, it led to a spirit of pride, and you see it here.

In Jesus’ story, a Pharisee was praying out loud by himself (perhaps even to himself), saying,

God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get. (11-12)

In other words, “God you are so lucky to have someone like me in your kingdom. See what a good person I am? Not like this…tax collector!”

Unfortunately, we see much the same attitude in many Christians today.

Oh, they may claim to live by God’s grace, but their attitude says otherwise. Because a person who truly lives by God’s grace sees two things very clearly. Their utter sinfulness and their need for God.

That’s what we see in the tax collector.

Tax collectors in those days were hated because not only were they considered collaborators with the Roman government who had conquered Israel, but because they consistently cheated the people when collecting taxes.

But this tax collector came before God, and beating his chest cried out,

God, have mercy on me, a sinner. (13)

And Jesus said of him,

I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. (14)

How about you? Are you truly living by God’s grace?

I’ve mentioned that people who live by God’s grace see two things clearly, their own sinfulness, and their utter need for God.

What are the characteristics of a person like this?

First, they are humble and grateful for what God has done for them.

There is no room for pride in their hearts. Pride in their own righteousness. Pride in their gifts. Why not? Because they realize that the only thing they deserve from God is death.

And yet they realize that God has showered his grace on them and given them a life they did not deserve.

So each day, their hearts are filled with thankfulness. Not bitterness because others don’t appreciate them. And certainly not pride for what they’ve “accomplished.” Thankfulness.

Second, they have a heart that extends the grace they have received to others. They don’t see themselves as better as others. Rather they see others as people that need the very same grace that they themselves have received.

There can be no despising of others, when you realize just how wretched you really are. There can be no looking down on others in judgment when you realize just how much you have been forgiven.

Instead, there is compassion, and a heart that reaches out that others may experience God’s grace as well.

How about you? Do you truly recognize the need for God’s grace in your life?

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, God's grace, humility, Pharisee, pride, tax collector

Luke Luke 16

Justifying ourselves

One major problem of the Pharisees was that they were so self-righteous.

They were so proud of keeping every little rule there was that they couldn’t see the sin that was so obviously there in their lives.

And when their sin was pointed out, they found ways to justify themselves and their actions.

So Jesus told them,

You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight. (Luke 16:15)

In this case, Jesus was condemning them for their love of money. The Pharisees, as I mentioned in the last blog, justified this love by saying, “But this is God’s blessing for my being so righteous.”

Yet in their hearts, money had become their idol. They loved it more than God.

The only thing they perhaps loved more than money was the praise of those around them. So when they “generously” gave to the needy around them, they made sure to let everyone know about it.

But though these things may be highly valued by people, Jesus said they are detestable in God’s sight.

Money and the praise of others are not bad in themselves, of course. But when they become the purpose for our lives, when they become our gods, then they become a stumbling block in our relationship with God.

The Pharisees found other ways to justify their actions.

They placed burdens on the people with all their rules and regulations that they added to the law of God, all the while finding loopholes for themselves, and patting themselves on the back for finding them.

Jesus pointed out one example in their ideas on adultery.

Certain Pharisees, in order to get around the law against adultery, divorced their wives in order to marry other women. But Jesus told them,

Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery. (Luke 16:18)

The worst thing they did, however, was disassociating themselves from “sinners” instead of reaching out to them.

They used the law as an excuse to condemn people instead of trying to save them, and in doing so, they shut the door to the kingdom in people’s faces. (Matthew 23:13)

Even so, Jesus said people were forcing their way past the Pharisees into the kingdom of God.

The very people that the Pharisees rejected were being touched by Jesus and were pressing their way past the Pharisees and their legalistic rules into the kingdom. (Luke 16:16).

How about you? What’s in your heart? Are you outwardly righteous, when all the while you’re justifying the evil in your heart?

Are you so self-righteous that you can’t see the evil in your heart?

Let us not be blind as the Pharisees were. Rather, let us ask Jesus to remove the scales that blind us to the sin in our lives, and to tear down the walls of pride that would keep us from him.

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, pride, self-righteous

Luke Luke 16

Who or what we serve

The god of Money is very big in our society. Many people long for it. They work for it. They even give their lives for it. But Jesus tells us here,

No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.

You cannot serve both God and Money. (Luke 16:13)

I’ve mentioned before, this one is tough for me, especially when it comes to giving. And the question I have to ask myself is, “Who or what am I serving?”

Am I serving money? Trying to do all I can to earn and then hold on to my money?

Or is money simply a tool I’m using in order to serve God? Does God have access to my wallet anywhere and at any time?

If he doesn’t, I’m not serving God. I’m serving money. And that’s idolatry.

That was the problem of the Pharisees. And when they heard Jesus, they sneered at him.

In those days, having wealth was a sign of their goodness. The feeling was, “God only blesses the righteous. Since I have all this money, I must be righteous.”

On the other hand, this caused the Pharisees to look down on everyone else who was not wealthy, including Jesus.

So not only did they commit the sin of idolatry, but the sin of pride was also deeply embedded in their hearts.

How about you? Are you proud of what you have? Are you making what you have your god?

Is your service to this god keeping you from being generous and touching the lives of those around you for the sake of God’s kingdom?

Who or what are you serving?

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, generosity, greediness, money, pride

Luke Luke 14

When we reject Jesus

After Jesus mentioned how God would reward the generous in the resurrection of the righteous, one of the guests at the dinner said,

Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God. (Luke 14:15)

This man was referring to the great banquet that will be held someday when the Messiah comes into his kingdom. And as he said this, I’m sure every man at that table said, “Amen,” fully expecting to be at that table when God’s kingdom came.

The ironic thing? They were having dinner with the Messiah right at that very moment and didn’t recognize him. More than that, they rejected him as Messiah and eventually had him crucified.

As a result, they would be locked out of the kingdom, while all those they looked down upon, the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind, the very people they locked out of their own feasts, would be allowed into the kingdom.

More than that, those sinners they despised and the Gentiles they thought unworthy of the kingdom would all find a place in the kingdom, while they would be left out.

So many people want to go to heaven, but like these Pharisees, want no part of Jesus.

Instead, they rely on their own concept of righteousness to get them into heaven, while looking down on all those that fail to meet that standard.

And like these Pharisees, when their time comes, they will find the gates of heaven closed to them, while those they despised will enter.

How about you? Are you trying to get into heaven, even expecting to go to heaven, when all the while, you’re rejecting the one who is the only way into heaven?

Only those who put their faith in Jesus and his work on the cross will enter. So put aside your pride and come to Jesus. For as he himself said,

I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, God's kingdom, Jesus the way, pride, salvation

Luke Luke 11

The problem with legalism

From blasting the Pharisees, Jesus turned to the teachers of the law. Why?

Jesus told them,

And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them. (Luke 11:46)

In this one verse, we see the problem with legalism.

First, it loads people with guilt without any remedy in sight.

The experts of the law actually made things more difficult than they had to by adding rule upon rule to the law of God.

When, for example, the law said that you shouldn’t do work on the Sabbath, these experts made countless rules on what “work” actually meant.

For example, women couldn’t wear jewelry on the Sabbath if they went out because it was possible they might take it off for some reason and carry it around with them. And of course, “carrying a burden” was prohibited on the Sabbath.

You also had to be careful how far you walked. If you walked too far (just over half a mile), you were breaking the Sabbath.

There were literally hundreds of such rules on top of the laws that God had given. And if you broke any of them, you were considered a “law-breaker.”

People today may not have the hundreds of additional rules that these teachers of the law did, but how often do we see people put restrictions on others, not because the Bible says it, but because they personally feel it’s wrong.

“Don’t drink” (as opposed to, “Don’t get drunk”).

“Don’t watch movies.”

“Don’t dance.”

All of this leads to the second problem, a judgmental attitude. The idea that “You are not a good Christian because you don’t keep these rules.”

Along with that comes a prideful attitude because, “I keep the rules.”

But often times, while they “keep the rules,” they forget what the Pharisees did: mercy, justice, and love. They think they’re righteous, but in God’s eyes, they are as much a stench as the Pharisees and teachers of the law were.

But perhaps the worst problem with legalism is that all it does is tell you what is right or wrong.

It doesn’t have the power to help you do what is right or wrong. It only judges you when you fall. The result is people who feel the hopelessness of trying to keep all these rules.

The people in Jesus’ time were totally weighed down by these rules of the teachers of the law, and yet, if they asked the teachers of the law what to do when they failed, all they would be told is, “Do better.”

Which is, of course, no help at all.

Even if you get rid of all the additional rules, and stick only to the law Moses gave the people, it still doesn’t have the power to save you. In the end, you end up like the apostle Paul, saying,

What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? (Romans 7:24)

But unlike the people of Jesus’ time, Paul had hope. He said,

Thanks be to God–through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Legalism can’t save you. The Law can’t save you. But Jesus, through his death on the cross, can. He took the punishment for our sin, and so Paul could say,

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1)

So let us cast aside legalism and the feelings of pride and condemnation it leads to.

Rather, let us turn to Christ and his cross. And through it, not only will our sins be forgiven, but we will find the power to live the way God intended.

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, condemnation, legalism, pride

Luke Luke 11

What’s in the heart

Here in Luke 11:37-44, Jesus gives a blistering criticism of the Pharisees. And basically what it came down to was what was in their hearts.

The Pharisees looked so good on the outside. They were so careful to keep the law. But inside, they were full of hypocrisy.

One thing Jesus pointed to was the greed that stained their hearts. Oh, they gave their tithes to God, down to the herbs they grew in their gardens.

But when they saw a person in need, they walked by without a second glance. Their love for money far outweighed their love for those around them.

They also were so quick to pass judgment without really looking at the situation through God’s eyes.

One example was their criticism of Jesus’ healings on the Sabbath and the unjust way they not only treated Jesus, but those he healed (John 9).

In so doing, they forgot the words of Micah who said,

With what shall I come before the LORD and bow down before the exalted God?

Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?

Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil?

Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

He has showed you, O man, what is good.

And what does the LORD require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:6-8)

Jesus called them on all of this.

But he also pointed out the stain of pride in their hearts. That the reason they desired these positions of leadership was not to serve the people, but to be seen as important.

And because of these things, he called them unmarked graves which men walk over without knowing.

Why was that so bad? Because graves were unclean by Jewish law. To touch them was to make yourself unclean. (Numbers 19:16)

So Jesus was saying to these Pharisees, “Not only are you unclean, but you make everyone you come into contact with unclean too.

Worse, these people don’t even know that they’ve been made unclean because they think you’re righteous.”

Harsh?

Yes. But the truth often is. And the thing is, these people needed to know that while they were fooling others, they certainly weren’t fooling God, and they were headed for disaster unless they repented.

And so are we if we are merely “clean” on the outside but filthy on the inside.

It’s not enough to do religious things. To go to church. To tithe to the church.

These things are not enough when all the while, you’re filled with pride and greed, lacking the love of God in your heart. And not just lacking love for God, but lacking God’s love for those around you.

God sees beyond the exterior into your heart. And he is looking for people after his own heart.

What’s in yours?

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, exterior, greed, heart, justice, Mercy, Pharisees, pride

John John 9

When you think you know it all

Post author By Bruce
Post date June 6, 2014
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The irony in this passage is very thick.

The man who had been blind could see who Christ really was and worshiped him.

The people who could see all their lives, couldn’t recognize who Jesus was though he was standing right in front of their faces.

Worse, they couldn’t recognize him though they saw all his miracles and all the arguments they tried to bring against him fell to the ground, leaving them speechless.

Why couldn’t they see? Because they already thought they knew it all.

They “knew” what the Messiah was supposed to look like and be like. They “knew” the truth of the Old Testament, the books of the Law and the Prophets.

All their lives, they lived in pride of that knowledge they held. So when Jesus came and shattered all they had thought they knew, they found it hard to let go. They found it hard to admit they were wrong.

Jesus said,

For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind. (John 9:39)

What did he mean? He meant that he is the dividing point. The fork in the road. And those who humble themselves and accept him as Lord and Savior will see and be saved.

But those who refuse to let go of their pride and think they know it all will become blind to who he really is. Not because they can’t see, but because they close their eyes to the truth.

The Pharisees were this way. They asked Jesus,

What? Are we blind too? (John 9:40)

So many people today say the same. “I’m blind? You’ve gotta be joking. I’m an educated man. I’m an educated woman. I’ve experienced life. I know.”

But Jesus said,

If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains. (John 9:41)

In short, “Yes, you are blind. And if you were humble enough to admit it and your need for help, your sin could be forgiven.

But because you are too proud to admit what you don’t know, because you’re too proud to hear the truth that I give, your sin remains.”

And he says the same to people today.

How about you? Do you think you know? Or are you willing to humble yourself, and accept the truth that Jesus gives?

Are you willing to accept that Jesus himself is Truth?

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, blind, humility, pride, truth

Luke Luke 6 Matthew Matthew 7

Sermon on the Mount: Hypocritical judging

Post author By Bruce
Post date March 11, 2014
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One of my favorite comedy groups when I was growing up was Isaac Air Freight. (Does anyone still remember them?)

They did a lot of Christian comedy sketches, and one that’s always stuck with me was one called “Final Minutes” which was loosely based on “60 Minutes.”

In it, they interviewed a couple called “The Loggers.” They were Christians, who had a very “unique” characteristic. They literally had logs sticking out of their eyes.

Because of that, they were constantly knocking things down with them. And all the while, they’d criticize other people.

When the interviewer asked them about the logs in their eyes, they both asked innocently, “What logs?”

“Well,” the interviewer said, “There are these huge logs in your eyes. You’re constantly knocking things down with them.”

“Hmmm…they never seemed to bother us before.”

And that’s exactly how a lot of Christians are today. They are constantly criticizing others, while failing to see their own faults.

Jesus tells us, “You think you’re the one to help the blind by judging and criticizing them. But you can’t even see the problems in your own life. Their problems are but a speck compared to the logs in your own life.

You’re blind, and you don’t even know it. And if you who are blind try to lead others who are blind, you’ll both fall into the pit.

You think you’re a teacher for the ignorant. But your students will become like you, taking in all the faults that you don’t even know you have.” (Luke 6:39-40)

He caps it by saying,

You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. (Luke 6:42)

What is Jesus’ point? I think the main point is humility.

One of the biggest planks in people’s eyes is pride.

There are times when we need to confront our brothers and sisters about their sin. Jesus commands us to do that. (Matthew 18:15)

The apostles reiterate it in the epistles. (Galatians 6:1)

But with what attitude do we do it? With pride? With an attitude of, “I am better than you.”

Or with a humble and gentle spirit that realizes that you need God’s grace and mercy as much as they do.

So before you rebuke someone, ask God, “What sins are in my life? What logs are in my eyes? I can’t help others if I myself am blind.

Am I suffering from pride? Am I suffering from unforgiveness? Am I suffering from the very vices the person I’m criticizing is suffering from?”

And as God reveals these things to you, repent.

If you cannot come to a person in full humility at your own weaknesses and need for God’s mercy, you should probably put off confronting them until you can.

Because even if they learn from you to avoid the sin you criticize them for, they’ll also learn pride, hypocrisy, and every other sin you’re carrying with you.

As Jesus said,

A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher. (Luke 6:40)

What logs are in your eyes?

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, humility, hypocrisy, judgmentalism, pride

Proverbs

Pride

Post author By Bruce
Post date November 3, 2013
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A lot of themes are repeated over and over in Proverbs, and one of them is the danger of pride.

How does pride hurt us?

It hurts us when we refuse to listen to rebuke. Rebuke can be painful, but it can save us much greater pain in the long run.

Solomon writes in verse 1,

A wise son heeds his father’s instruction, but a mocker does not listen to rebuke. (Proverbs 13:1)

I didn’t enjoy my father’s rebuke. The sharpest words I ever heard from him were, “I can’t trust you anymore.”

They were words he said because I had lied to him one too many times. But they really struck me. I didn’t want to be a person that people couldn’t trust. And so I’ve always striven to be honest with the people around me ever since.

Solomon later points out,

He who scorns instruction will pay for it, but he who respects a command is rewarded. The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death. (13-14)

And again,

He who ignores discipline comes to poverty and shame, but whoever heeds correction is honored. (18)

When we listen to those who are wise, it gives us life. Many of them have experiences that we haven’t. And by listening to them, we can avoid the pitfalls that they themselves had fallen into.

But by holding on to our pride and ignoring their rebuke, it can lead us to disaster.

Pride also wrecks havoc on relationships. Solomon writes in verse 10,

Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.

A lot of our quarrels, especially with our spouse, are bred from pride. We don’t want to admit we are wrong. And so we stubbornly defend what we’d realize is indefensible if we were only honest with ourselves.

I know there have been times in my marriage that my wife said we should do something, but I didn’t want to do it. And God told me, “Drop your pride. Listen to your wife.”

Sometimes, even though I felt I was right about something, God still told me, “Drop your pride. It’s not worth fighting about.”

It’s not easy to swallow our pride. But if we want our relationships to work, and especially our marriages, it’s something we need to learn. And often times, we find that we’re better off for actually listening to our spouse.

How about you? Are you in control of your pride? Or is your pride in control of you?

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, pride, quarrels

Psalms

Humility

Another short but sweet psalm, in which David shows us the kind of heart we need when approaching God, which is appropriate considering that people sang this on their way to worship God in the temple.

What kind of heart should we have? A humble one. David wrote,

My heart is not proud, O LORD, my eyes are not haughty (Psalm 131:1).

It is impossible to come before God with a heart of pride.

There are a lot of ways people do this, but I think about Job. When going through his suffering, he started to make himself God’s judge, questioning His justice. And he was determined to argue his case with God, proving his injustice.

So many people do the same today. They have an attitude in which they think they are God’s equal intellectually and think they can actually win a debate against God.

Many atheists think, “Even if there is a God, I can give him good arguments why I didn’t believe in him.”

But as with Job, they’ll find that when they actually come face to face with God, all their arguments will be revealed for the empty things that they are.

Other people are like Job’s friends, haughty, looking down on others, and quick to judge them. But God is equally against those kinds of people, as he showed when he rebuked Job’s friends for making false accusations against Job.

But David was different. He was humble in his attitude towards God and towards others.

And when there were things he didn’t understand, when he couldn’t understand why God allowed different trials into his life, he humbled himself, and said,

I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. (1b)

Compare this with what Job said when he repented before God.

Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. (Job 42:3)

We too will face situations that we can’t understand. We wonder why God allows things to happen in our lives, and we’re tempted to question him.

But like David, let us put our questions to rest, and simply trust in him, knowing that he is with us and really does care for us.

Let us trust him as a “weaned child,” a child that has all that he really needs, and waits in quietness and trust that his mother will continue to provide for him in the future.

So as David closes this psalm,

Put your hope in the LORD both now and forevermore. (3)

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, humility, pride, trust

Job

Pride in what you think you know

Post author By Bruce
Post date May 18, 2013
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After more of Job’s moanings in chapter 14, Eliphaz speaks up again, and once again proclaims that only the wicked suffer.

But what I find even more interesting is how he begins the chapter. He says,

Would a wise person answer with empty notions or fill their belly with the hot east wind?

Would they argue with useless words,
with speeches that have no value? (Job 15:2-3)

And again,

Are you the first man ever born?
Were you brought forth before the hills?

Do you listen in on God’s council?
Do you have a monopoly on wisdom? (7-8)

Eliphaz says this to criticize Job, but everything he said could have been applied to himself. He was the one acting as if he had been the first one ever born. He was the one acting as if he had listened in on God’s council, and had a monopoly on God’s wisdom.

And yet, he would find out later that he had been dead wrong about Job. That it was he himself who had been filled with empty notions and hot air. That it was he who had spewed out useless words and speeches with no value.

What about us? Do we walk around thinking we know better than everyone else? Are we quick to say our platitudes of wisdom, when all the while it is we who are walking around blindly to all that is really going on?

For many of us, like Job told his friends, wisdom would be to keep our mouths shut.

Am I saying that we should never share the wisdom we have with others? Of course not. But part of wisdom is knowing when and how to say something.

And wisdom knows much better than to speak when it really doesn’t know what it’s talking about. Wisdom waits until it has all the relevant information before speaking.

How about you? Are the words you speak really full of wisdom? Or are you just full of hot air?

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, pride, wisdom

Esther

Two proud men

It’s very interesting to me that one chapter after I praise Mordecai for honoring the king, I have to criticize him for his pride and stubbornness in not doing so for Haman.

The Bible is silent on why Mordecai refused to kneel before Haman, but we can make some guesses why.

This is, of course, speculation on my part so feel free to disagree with me (and more than a few do), but I find it hard to believe it was because Haman was expecting worship as God.

For one thing, Xerxes was the one who had ordered the people to pay Haman honor. For another thing, I can’t imagine that Xerxes would order that people honor Haman in a way that he wouldn’t demand for himself.

We also see later that Xerxes raises Mordecai to second in command in the kingdom, but it seems highly unlikely that he would do so if Mordecai refused to kneel before him as he refused to do for Haman.

So what was the reason for Mordecai’s refusal? If you look at Mordecai’s family history, it seems that he was related to King Saul, the first king of Israel.

As you may recall, God ordered Saul to destroy the Amalekites, whose king was Agag. Saul failed to do so, and God stripped him of his kingdom for his disobedience. (I Samuel 15).

As a result, not only was there a long history of hostility between the Jews and the Amalekites, but there was also a personal element to this hostility between Mordecai and Haman.

My guess is that it was this that caused Mordecai to balk at bowing before Haman and paying him any honor.

In short, it was his pride.

Haman, meanwhile, apparently had his nose stuck so high in the air as he walked that he didn’t even notice Mordecai’s slight until the royal officials informed him of it. At which point, Haman became furious at this lack of respect.

And when he found out that Mordecai was a Jew, he determined not only to kill Mordecai, but to wipe out the Jews as well, probably because of the hostility between their peoples.

Haman allowed his pride to guide his actions, and it ultimately led to his downfall.

Mordecai also allowed his pride to guide his actions, and it very well could have led to the destruction of the Jews apart from God’s grace.

I wonder if Mordecai realized just how wrong his attitude had been as he wore sackcloth and ashes as he mourned by the king’s gate. (Esther 4:1)

What about you? What guides your actions?

Does God’s Spirit and his Word guide your actions?

Or does your pride?

If we let pride rule in our lives, it will cause ruin in our lives.

How many marriages have fallen because of pride? How many relationships? How many careers and ministries?

Let us learn to be humble. Humble before God. Humble before others.

As James wrote,

God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble. (James 4:6)

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, humility, pride

Ezekiel

Adulterous

In many ways this passage reminds me of Hosea. Hosea cast Israel as an adulterous wife, and Ezekiel here casts Jerusalem as the same.

Ezekiel starts by showing the love that God had for Jerusalem. That though it had been founded by evil people (the Amorites and Hittites), and though it had been despised, God had cared for it and made it into something beautiful.

When David took over Jerusalem, he had the ark of the covenant brought in, and Solomon later built a temple for God. During that time, God blessed the city and made it his.

In fact, in Solomon’s day, the Bible says that Jerusalem had become so prosperous, silver was considered of little value (1 Kings 10:21).

But then, starting with Solomon, things started going downhill.

Solomon started marrying foreign wives, and they led him into idolatry. That idolatry spread throughout the nation, and soon, the things that God had given them were used to worship other gods.

God’s temple itself was used for worshiping other gods at times.

The Israelites made treaties with the Egyptians, Assyrians, and Babylonians, all the while adopting the gods they served and rejecting the one true God.

God said that unlike women who received money to prostitute themselves, Jerusalem was like an unfaithful wife that actually paid others to prostitute herself.

And while Jerusalem tried to deceive themselves into thinking they were not so bad, God said they were even worse than Samaria (the former capital of the northern kingdom of Israel) and Sodom, both of which were destroyed for their sins.

Because of all this, God was bringing judgment on the land.

But God also promised that the day would come that he would restore them and make atonement for them, taking away the shame they brought upon themselves.

So what do we take from all of this?

First, let us never forget all that God has done for us. That he snatched us from out of our sin and shame, and clothed us in his righteousness and beauty.

Let us remember with thankfulness all that Christ did on the cross that we might be forgiven. And let us not return to the things that brought us shame, committing adultery against God.

Second, let us never let pride deceive us into thinking that we saved ourselves. That we are responsible for all the blessings in our lives.

As James wrote,

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. (1:17)

Even if you think that you have earned everything you have, remember who it is that gave you your life, your talents, and your strength. Everything is ultimately from him.

Third, don’t compare yourselves with others, saying you’re not so bad compared to them. We look through clouded glasses, and what we think is not so bad, often is.

And like Jerusalem, in God’s eyes, we are often doing things that are just as bad, if not worse, than those around us.

Fourth, no matter how far we may fall, God’s promises never change. Though we may be unfaithful, he remains faithful to us (II Timothy 2:13).

Jerusalem would fall to the depths, but even so, God restored it. And he can restore you.

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, pride, spiritual adultery

Jeremiah Obadiah

Reasons for judgment

I know. At first glance, it seems a bit strange to combine Jeremiah and Obadiah. But there is some method to my madness.

If you look at Obadiah, it actually has a lot in common with Jeremiah 49:7–22.

A lot of the imagery and wording is so similar, you have to believe that Obadiah had some access to Jeremiah or vice versa.

It is not unusual for biblical authors to quote other biblical authors. And it’s possible that God told Obadiah, “Remember what Jeremiah said here. Repeat what he said.” Or vice versa.

Or it’s possible that God independently gave each of them the same words to speak. That too is not entirely unusual.

At any rate, God here is passing judgment on the nations surrounding Judah. At a guess, it would seem that these prophecies happened at the same time as the events of Jeremiah 27–29.

In those passages, as you recall, Jeremiah was warning many of these same nations to submit to Nebuchadnezzar.

Also in the prophecy against Elam, Jeremiah timestamps it as being early in the reign of Zedekiah.

Why did God pass judgment on these nations? He doesn’t always give reasons, but there are several repeated themes.

First, the worship of false gods.

For Moab, it was the god Chemosh. For Ammon, it was the god Molech. These are the gods mentioned in these passages, but each nation had their own gods that they worshiped, turning their backs on the one true God.

Second, pride. God said of Moab,

“Since you trust in your deeds and riches, you too will be taken captive…

We have heard of Moab’s pride—her overweening pride and conceit, her pride and arrogance and the haughtiness of her heart.

I know her insolence but it is futile,” declares the Lord, “and her boasts accomplish nothing.” (Jeremiah 48:7, 29–30)

Of Ammon, he said,

“Why do you boast of your valleys, so fruitful? O unfaithful daughter, you trust in your riches and say, ‘Who will attack me?’” (Jeremiah 49:4)

To Edom, he said,

“The terror you inspire and the pride of your heart have deceived you… I will bring you down.” (Jeremiah 49:16)

And of Kedar and Hazor, he said,

“Arise and attack a nation at ease, which lives in confidence,” declares the Lord. (Jeremiah 49:31)

Finally, you see a lack of mercy and compassion on the part of these nations.

Moab ridiculed Israel when it fell (Jeremiah 48:27).

When Assyria had taken the northern kingdom of Israel captive, Ammon callously took over the land that had been left abandoned (Jeremiah 49:1).

As for Edom, despite the fact that they were descendants of Esau and the Israelites were descendants of his brother Jacob, Edom “stood aloof” when Israel was attacked and rejoiced over its destruction (Obadiah 12–13).

Idolatry. Pride. A lack of mercy and compassion. Do these things reign in your life?

You may not worship Buddha or other “gods,” but how about money? How about possessions? Whatever is most important in your life is your god.

What about pride? Who do you put your trust in? Yourself? Or God?

C.S. Lewis called pride “the great sin.” Because it is pride more than any other sin that separates us from God.

It is pride that causes us to think that we don’t need him. It is pride that causes us to walk away from him.

A lack of mercy and compassion.

This is what Jesus criticized the Pharisees and teachers of the law for. “I desire mercy, not sacrifice,” he said.

But though they claimed to love God, they certainly didn’t care about people.

How about you? Do you actually care about the people around you? Or do you not give a rip, thinking only of yourself?

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, compassion, idolatry, Mercy, pride

Jeremiah

Where our hope lies

Here we see more warnings of judgment to come.

Jeremiah first warns the people that they will be taken captive and put to shame because of their sins. That while they would hope for light, God would cover them in the utter darkness of despair (Jeremiah 13:16).

Then he uses the drought Judah was going through to show them that this was just another warning for the people to turn from their sin before utter disaster hit. (Chapter 14)

In the midst of the drought, Jeremiah pleaded with God for mercy in spite of the people’s sins. But after he finished praying,

The Lord said to me, “Do not pray for the well-being of this people.

Although they fast, I will not listen to their cry; though they offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them.

Instead, I will destroy them with the sword, famine and plague.” (Jeremiah 14:11-12)

Still, Jeremiah pleaded with God for the people, and in the end said,

Do any of the worthless idols of the nations bring rain? Do the skies themselves send down showers?

No, it is you, O Lord our God. Therefore our hope is in you, for you are the one who does all this. (Jeremiah 14:22)

The thing that Jeremiah realized, which apparently none of the other people of Judah did, was that their only hope lay in God.

The people of Judah put their trust in themselves, in their alliances with other countries, and in their own wisdom and strength.

But that pride would end up destroying them. And the gods they stubbornly clung to wouldn’t be able to pull them out of the trouble they were in.

Where does your hope lie? Does it lie in God? Do you put your trust in him for everything in life? Do you do things his way?

Or are you like the people of Judah, trusting in yourself, and counting on the gods of this world to pull you through the troubles you are going through.

There is only one place we can truly find hope, and that’s in God. So let us turn to him and follow him before it’s too late.

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, Hope, pride

Isaiah

Where your glory comes from

Post author By Bruce
Post date October 3, 2012
No Comments on Where your glory comes from

Where does your glory come from? From where do you get your praise? What in your life do you take pride in?

For the people of Tyre, it came from their trading business.

They were a port city, and had a thriving maritime business. They were wealthy and successful. They were also a very ungodly people, worshiping their own gods, including a god very common in our day, the god of money.

And here, in all their pride and glory, God brings judgment on them, warning them that the day would come when they would be overthrown.

He warned that though they were famous and had great wealth, it would all be stripped from them. Isaiah says of them,

Wail, you people of the island. Is this your city of revelry, the old, old city, whose feet have taken her to settle in far-off lands?

Who planned this against Tyre, the bestower of crowns, whose merchants are princes, whose traders are renowned in the earth?

The LORD Almighty planned it, to bring low the pride of all glory and to humble all who are renowned on the earth. (Isaiah 23:6-9)

And while God tells them they will once again be restored,

Yet her profit and her earnings will be set apart for the LORD; they will not be stored up or hoarded.

Her profits will go to those who live before the LORD, for abundant food and fine clothes. (18)

In other words, all her pride and glory will be for the benefit of the Lord and his people, not their own.

What can we learn from this?

Lasting glory can come from only one place. It’s not from money, or fame, or anything else of this earth because all of these things are temporary.

Lasting glory can only come from God. And glory doesn’t come from molding ourselves into an image of our own devising. Rather it comes from reflecting the Lord’s image as we draw near to him.

As Paul wrote,

And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:18).

I like how the NASB puts it, that we are being transformed into Christ’s image “from glory to glory.”

And so what should we take pride in? Jeremiah answers that, saying,

This is what the Lord says: “Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the Lord. (Jeremiah 9:23-24).

How about you? Where is your glory? Where is your pride?

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, boast in the Lord, glory, pride

Isaiah

A self-centered life

Who are you living for? For many people, the answer is, “Myself.”

That’s definitely who Shebna, the palace steward, was living for. He thought so much of himself, that he even had a tomb carved out for himself, something that usually only royalty did. And he was hardly royalty.

Not only that, he did this in a time of trouble for Judah. It was under attack by the Assyrians and many people were hurting.

So the Lord rebukes him, saying,

What are you doing here and who gave you permission to cut out a grave for yourself here, hewing your grave on the height and chiseling your resting place in the rock.

Beware, the Lord is about to take firm hold of you and hurl you away O you mighty man.

He will roll you up tightly like a ball and throw you into a large country. There you will die and there your splendid chariots will remain — you disgrace to your master’s house!

I will depose you from your office, and you will be ousted from your position. (Isaiah 22:16-19)

In his place, the Lord said he would put Eliakim, a man who would be “a father to those who live in Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.” (21)

And God said of him,

I will drive him like a peg into a firm place; he will be a seat of honor for the house of his father. All the glory will hang on him (23-24).

I heard a message by a pastor who had fallen hard several years ago, but who by God’s grace is slowly being restored, both in his personal life and in his ministry.

But the thing he said was that he fell because everything had become about him. He had forgotten that it was a privilege given by God to be in the position he had been in.

It’s so easy to rip pastors who fall. And they should be held to a higher standard. The Bible says to whom much is given, much is required.

But the thing to remember, the thing I remember, is that anyone can fall.

And whenever we make ourselves the center of our lives, we’re in danger of losing all that we have: our marriages, our families, our ministries, everything we have in life.

So instead of ripping those who fall, we need to take a serious look at ourselves.

We need to ask ourselves, “How about me? Who’s the center of my life? Is it me? Or is it the Lord? Am I living to serve myself? Or am I living to serve Him and the people he has given me.”

The ironic thing of it all is that if humble ourselves and make our lives about serving God and others, like Eliakim, we will be given honor and glory.

Who are you living for?

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, humility, pride, self-centeredness

Isaiah

What do we boast in?

I read a story once of a little boy that had made a bunch of paper boats and paper planes from some old newspapers he found in the basement of his house. He was so proud of them, he brought them to his father and mother.

Unfortunately, it was kind of damp in the basement, and so the newspapers smelled really bad as a result.

So his parents, much to the child’s dismay, quickly threw out the source of his pride. (They were nice enough, however, to give him some fresh paper to make some new planes and boats with).

In this passage, the people of Judah were proud and arrogant.

They were proud of their “spiritual knowledge” in following the divination of the Philistines.

They were proud of their prosperity, with all their gold and silver, as well as the horses and chariots in their army.

But Isaiah warned that the day would come when all the things they took pride in would come to nothing. And instead of walking in pride, they would be humbled and ashamed of everything they had done.

He wrote,

Go into the rocks, hide in the ground from dread of the Lord and the splendor of his majesty!

The eyes of the arrogant man will be humbled and the pride of men brought low; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.

The Lord Almighty has a day in store for all the proud and lofty, for all that is exalted (and they will be humbled), for all the cedars of Lebanon, tall and lofty, and all the oaks of Bashan, for all the towering mountains and all the high hills, for every lofty tower and every fortified wall, for every trading ship and every stately vessel.

The arrogance of man will be brought low and the pride of men humbled; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day, and the idols will totally disappear. (10-18)

In other words, like the child, many people will come before God proud of what they’ve accomplished.

But when their accomplishments are revealed for the dirty, smelly rags that they are, everything they took pride in will become their shame.

And so they will throw away the things that they were so proud of and flee from the Lord because they will be too ashamed to stand in his presence. Instead, they will hide in fear of his judgment. (Isaiah 22:19-21)

So Isaiah said,

Stop trusting in man, who has but a breath in his nostrils. Of what account is he? (22)

What is Isaiah saying? Stop trusting in yourselves, your wisdom, and the things that you have accomplished. All you’ve done and all that you have are of no worth. They will pass away.

Instead turn your eyes and your hearts toward God. Put your trust in him. He is the one we are to boast in, not ourselves.

In what do you put your pride? In what do you put your trust?

May our pride and trust not be in ourselves, but in Jesus. For as Paul put it in quoting Isaiah,

Anyone who trusts in [Jesus] will never be put to shame. (Romans 10:11)

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, boasting, pride

2 Chronicles 2 Kings

How we respond to God’s word

Post author By Bruce
Post date July 26, 2012
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Pride would be the downfall of Judah’s next two kings, Amaziah and Uzziah.

In the case of Amaziah, his problem can be summed up in 2 Chronicles 25:2 where it says,

He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, but not wholeheartedly.

This particularly showed when a prophet confronted him for hiring some Israelite (that is, northern kingdom) mercenaries for his battle against Edom.

The prophet said, “If you march out with these men, God will not be with you because he is not with any of these people from the northern kingdom.” (2 Chronicles 25:7-8)

When Amaziah heard this, he got very upset, mostly because he had spent a lot of money hiring these people. But in the end, he reluctantly let them go.

The second time he was confronted by a prophet went much worse. After defeating the Edomites, he took their gods and started worshiping them.

When a prophet of God came to rebuke him for this, Amaziah told him,

Have we appointed you an adviser to the king? Stop! Why be struck down? (2 Chronicles 25:16)

So the prophet stopped speaking, but only after warning the king once more of God’s impending judgment.

That would come when Amaziah foolishly decided to attack the northern kingdom of Israel.

King Jehoash called him on his pride, saying, “Be content with your victory over Edom. Don’t come marching here thinking you will gain victory over us as well.”

Amaziah refused to listen, however, and paid for it with his life.

How about you? How do you respond to the words of God?

Do you obey them reluctantly? Do you simply ignore them?

Or do you obey wholeheartedly?

So many times, we think we know what is best, while rejecting what God has told us.

In our pride, we think we can succeed by living by our own wisdom.

But it’s a pride that will lead to our downfall.

Solomon wrote,

There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death. (Proverbs 16:25)

Let us not walk in our own wisdom, but in the path that leads to life.

Tags amaziah, Bible Original, Bible verse, pride, respond to God's word

Exodus

Stubbornness and Pride

It’s really amazing looking at these chapters to see just how stubborn Pharaoh was.

Maybe there was some excuse for the first three miracles as his own magicians were able to produce a counterfeit to Moses’ miracles. But after that, there was no excuse at all.

Plagues kept appearing and disappearing at Moses’ commands, so there could be no excuse who was responsible.

Also, God’s protection over the Israelites set a clear distinction between them and the Egyptians whenever he sent the plagues.

Even some of Pharaoh’s own officials started to believe and tried to convince Pharaoh to let the people go.

But Pharaoh refused to bend.

Why? I think at some point, pride just kicked in, and said, “I won’t yield no matter what. I don’t care what happens; I refuse to yield.”

Perhaps the most visible example of this came after the first plague when, after seeing his magicians duplicate Moses’ miracle at the Nile, he simply turned and went into his palace.

But by refusing to let go of pride, and acknowledge God in his life, everything fell down around him.

The economy was in ruins because of the plagues, and a large amount of his army was wiped out at the Red Sea.

It’s easy to say how stupid Pharaoh was, but how about us?

How often do we stubbornly hold on to our pride, even when things are falling down around us?

How many marriages have fallen apart because the husband and wife refuse to let go of pride and stubbornly keep doing things their own way instead of God’s?

How many times have people gone to financial ruin because they stubbornly held on to their spending habits or gambling habits despite clear warning signs that they were headed for trouble?

How many times has God warned us in his Word or through other people about other destructive habits in our lives, and yet we refused to bend and repent?

In Proverbs 16:18, it says,

Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.

When we hold on to pride and refuse to listen to God, eventually our world will fall down around us.

It happened to Pharaoh, and it will happen to us.

It’ll happen in our relationships. It’ll happen in our finances. It’ll happen in every aspect of our lives.

But if we are willing to humble ourselves before God, let go of pride, and submit to him and his ways, that’s when we will find his blessing in our lives. We’ll find it in our relationships, finances, and in everything we do.

As James 4:6 says,

God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.

And again in 4:10,

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

Lord there are times that I am stubborn and don’t want to listen to your voice. And there have been times when I have suffered because of it.

Lord, help me to let go of the pride in me that would destroy.

Instead, give me a heart that is humble and open to your correction that I may be lifted up in every aspect of my life. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, pride, stubbornness