Best corrective for pride

“The best corrective against pride … is to know God, His character and the truth about Him.” - Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Pride is something that many of us struggle with. It is one of the 7 deadly sins but is often subtlety working itself out in the background of our lives, while we aren't aware of it. We think we have a handle on it, but it can rear its ugly head so quickly, wrecking its own path of destruction. 

I think that what Martyn Lloyd-Jones suggests, as a corrective measure against pride, is very helpful. We can't 'will' our pride away, but the more time we spend in the presence of Jesus, the more our pride will be put in its proper place. We see no pride in Jesus and so when we rest at his feet, our nature will be shaped by the character of God.

Philippians 2:5 - "Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness."

Living in Grace

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The dangerous dandelion

“Pride is the dandelion of the soul. Its root goes deep; only a little left behind sprouts again. Its seeds lodge in the tiniest encouraging cracks. And it flourishes in good soil: The danger of pride is that it feeds on goodness.” - David Rhodes.

What do you make of this quote? Is there some truth in the fact that Pride grows well in the soil of good soil - or at least soil that is encourages growth?

I know that for many people, moments of pride can come during times of great triumph and when one feels invincible. When are you most susceptible to feelings of pride? 

Proverbs 16:18 - Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.

Living in Grace

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The place of honour

“It is better to deserve honours and not have them than to have them and not deserve them.” - Mark Twain

As you read this quote, think on it in line with the following challenge from Jesus:

Luke 14:7-10 - When he noticed how the guests chose the places of honour, he told them a parable. "When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of honour, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited by your host; and the host who invited both of you may come and say to you, 'Give this person your place,' and then in disgrace you would start to take the lowest place.

But when you are invited, go and sit down at the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, 'Friend, move up higher'; then you will be honoured in the presence of all who sit at the table with you.

Is there a clear message in this for us as individuals or even as communities?

Are we as 'the church' also guilty of this in some way?

Living in Grace

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Full of yourself

It happens often enough that we shouldn't be too surprised when it does occur. We go through a good patch and suddenly start to feel as if we are 'bullet-proof' - we take our eyes off the Lord and soon we start to forget all that Christ has done for us. I don't believe that it is the Lord tripping us up, but I do know that he uses those moments to call us back. Our attention is then not distracted and we can listen to God again.

"make sure you don't become so full of yourself and your things that you forget God..." - Deuteronomy 8:13 (The Message)

Are we full of ourselves at the moment?

Have we taken our eyes off the Lord?

“A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.” ― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

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Without despair and pride

"Jesus Christ is a God whom we approach without pride, and before whom we humble ourselves without despair." - Blaise Pascal

This quote reminded me of the words from Hebrews, where we are invited to approach God's throne with humility and confidence.

^"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathise with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." - Hebrews 4:15-16

This teaches us that there are two things we can let go of as we come to God: Our pride and our despair. 


Living in Grace
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A Great Tree - Ezekiel 31

Redwoods are renowned as the tallest trees in the world, frequently reaching over 90 metres in height. At present the tallest Redwood on record is a monster tree named Hyperion, which stands at 115 metres (which is around 380 feet).

When God spoke to Ezekiel about Pharaoh and he predicted the end of his reign, God asked him to use the image of a tall Cedar tree. You can read the whole chapter in Ezekiel 31, but I will give you a glimpse into the message with these few verses:

¹⁰ “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because the great cedar towered over the thick foliage, and because it was proud of its height, ¹¹ I gave it into the hands of the ruler of the nations, for him to deal with according to its wickedness. I cast it aside, ¹² and the most ruthless of foreign nations cut it down and left it. Its boughs fell on the mountains and in all the valleys; its branches lay broken in all the ravines of the land. All the nations of the earth came out from under its shade and left it. ¹³ All the birds settled on the fallen tree, and all the wild animals lived among its branches.

God is focusing on the pride of Pharaoh, who claimed he was above all other gods. The image of the giant Cedar falling to the earth was vivid enough to make people realise that God was serious and that no one can compare with the Lord's might. 

Just we peek forward into Holy Week today's reading reminds us of how the pride of Pharisees got the better of them and how they wouldn't accept that Jesus was Messiah. Pride gets us into trouble, at the best of times. We would do well to keep our delusions of grandeur in check.

Living in Grace
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Pride comes before a Fall

 

"Pride comes before a fall!"
These immortal words come from the mouth of Solomon (Proverbs 16:18) and still ring true in our time. If we had to sum up the message of Ezekiel 28 then this proverb would be more than adequate to do this. Ezekiel's prophetic word bemoans how the king of Tyre has allowed his wealth and fame to get to his head. He believes he is indestructible, but soon he will come crashing down to reality and all his wealth will be taken away from him.

There is an interesting twist in this prophecy, because when you read from verse 11-19, you will note some startling similarities to Satan's demise. Ezekiel says:

“You were the model of perfection,
    full of wisdom and exquisite in beauty. 
 You were in Eden,
    the garden of God.
Your clothing was adorned with every precious stone" (v.12-13)

There are a number of scholars who see this as a re-telling of what happened to Satan. Just like the king of Tyre, Satan allowed all this fortune and blessing to go to his head and soon he was full of pride. In his pride he believed he was better than God and so the Lord chose to bring him back to reality. Please read this chapter for yourself - it is very interesting!

We are barely two weeks away from Easter and this passage is a good reminder that God honours the humble and brings low the arrogant. Jesus came to be the suffering servant and yet he was also exalted as the Resurrected King.

Living in Grace
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Looking down on others - C.S. Lewis

“A proud person is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.”- C.S. Lewis (Mere Christianity)

I find these words of C.S. Lewis to be so true. When we are arrogant and consumed with superiority, we constantly have to look down on others - this is usually to make ourselves feel better than the "other." The trouble with pride, as Lewis points out, is that in the end, it stops us from looking up. I see this as a spiritual weakness - we fail to look up to God (not that God is only "UP" there in the heavens) and in so doing, prevent ourselves from receiving God's grace. God can't give grace to those of us who feel that we don't need it.

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

Living in Grace
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Born on September 11

Speak to anyone about 9 - 11, and everyone will know what you are talking about immediately. In fact, many of us could tell you exactly where we were when the first images of that fateful day came through. It will forever be etched in our memories.

Without trying to minimise the pain of all involved, I wanted to write about something different today, even though a suitable topic would be on the 9/11 tragedy. In noting other events that have taken place "On This Day" in history, I notice that DH Lawrence was born on 11 September 1885. Lawrence is best known for his novels Sons and Lovers, The Rainbow, Women in Love and Lady Chatterley's Lover.

Despite being very controversial at times and a little mixed up in his personal life, there are many interesting thoughts that have come from his pen. Take these as an example:

Ours is an excessively conscious age. We know so much, we feel so little.

In every living thing there is the desire for love. 

Man! The only animal in the world to fear.

What strikes me is that these words ring true 100 years later. We live in an age where people are afraid to show their emotions, yet we all desire to be loved and to KNOW love. Human beings have also continued to be dreadfully good at destroying one another and God's creation.

All of this reminds me of Solomon's words of wisdom.

Proverbs 13:15 - Good judgement wins favour, but the way of the unfaithful leads to their destruction.

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

Proverbs 27:20 - Death and Destruction are never satisfied, and neither are human eyes.

 

Thoughts??

 

Living in Grace

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Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/d_h_lawrence

Turtle or Hen

"A turtle lays thousands of eggs without anyone knowing, but when the hen lays an egg, the whole country is informed." - Malayan proverb.

We all know people who like to brag about their accomplishments - no matter how small or big they are, these people love to cluck like a hens and shout so the world can hear. We may be impressed by what they have achieved, but we will still think they are loud and arrogant.

On the other hand, the person who achieves much, without bragging or boasting, impresses us much more. Their humility seems to add to their achievements and we want to honour those people more.

In a Spiritual sense, we can also have 'hens' and 'turtles' in the church. Some people like to tell the world what they have done, but the 'turtles' who get on and quietly do the work of laying the 1000 eggs, end up being noticed in the end.

Worth thinking about, don't you think?

Proverbs 25:14 -  Like clouds and wind without rain is one who boasts of gifts never given

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We are not as Invincible as we think

Today marks the anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. The 15th April 1912 will go down as the day 1500 passengers aboard the "unsinkable" Titanic died in the icy waters of the Atlantic Ocean. If you would like to read some interesting facts about the Titanic go to this link and enjoy the article.

The reason I am reminding us of this fateful day in Nautical history is because the Titanic will always confirm that "people are not as invincible as we think we are!" This ship was lauded as being "practically unsinkable" and no one believed it would end in the way it did. As humans, we got arrogant and with this pride, we fell into the age-old trap of self-reliance. We thought we had it all covered, but there were a few things that the owners, engineers and builders had neglected to check out. The most obvious one being the number of life boats on board the Titanic - there were only enough boats for 1 out of 3 passengers!

Although I believe we can  'do all things through Christ who strengthens us' (Philippians 4:13), I do feel that we need to maintain proper perspective. As a human being, I am deeply loved by Jesus, but I am not Invincible. In fact, the sooner we realise that "we are not God" the better for us all. It will be the pride of humanity that we lead to our ultimate demise.

What do you think?

Proverbs 16:18 - "First pride, then the crash— the bigger the ego, the harder the fall" (Message)

Living in Grace
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Asking for trouble

In the midst of a heavy rainstorm today I noticed a guy working on an electricity box. My immediate response was "Wow, that guy is asking for trouble!" There are some things that one shouldn't do and this is certainly one of them.

What other things are asking for trouble? Perhaps a few of these...

• Pronouncing that you will definitely beat an opponent before the match
• Getting out your car at a Game Reserve
• Driving too fast 
• Jumping through a fire
• Eating your food with a double portion of chillies
• Playing sport without having enough liquids
• Turning your eyes away from the Lord and stating that you don't need God

 Deuteronomy 13:13 - "Troublemakers have arisen among you and have led the people of their town astray, saying, “Let us go and worship other gods”

1 Samuel 14:29 - Jonathan said, “My father has made trouble for the country."

May we have enough sense today not to ask for trouble. 

Living in Grace

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Stiff-necked - Lent #14

Have you ever woken up in the morning with a sore neck? It feels stiff and even just moving it a little bit is painful - you try to move it from side to side, but it doesn't seem to help. Can you relate to this in anyway?

Well, God refers to the Israelites as a 'stiff-necked' people in a few places in the Bible. Take Exodus 32:9 as an example - “I have seen these people,” the Lord said to Moses, “and they are a stiff-necked people." I believe that God refers to them as 'stiff-necked' because they are unwilling to turn from their sins - they are stubborn and selfish. It is almost as if the Israelites have woken up and their necks are "frozen" in one place - and they are now looking in the wrong direction. They seem unwilling to change their mindset and to look to God.

We can also be stiff-necked at times. We can also be stubborn and self-centred. We too can keep looking in the wrong direction. We too can look to our own devices and not to God.

Proverbs 16:18-20
18 Pride goes before destruction,
    a haughty spirit before a fall.

¹⁹ Better to be lowly in spirit along with the oppressed
    than to share plunder with the proud.

²⁰ Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers,
    and blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord.

So the next time you wake up in the morning with a stiff neck ask yourself, "Am I a stubborn person? Am I willing to trust in God's ways and to fit in with his plans?"

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Turtle on a post

Author Alex Haley has a picture in his office, with a turtle sitting on a fence post (just like the one in this blog post). Below the picture, he has his own quote:

"Anytime you see a turtle up on top of a fence post, you know that he had some help!"

He uses the picture to remind himself that we need to remain humble. We may find ourselves "up" in the world, but we all need help in getting places - just like the turtle needs help getting onto a fence pole. So, perhaps we should hear his thoughts today - humility is a godly characteristic and one which endears us to others.

Proverbs 29:23 - "Pride ends in humiliation, while humility brings honour."

In sharing this illustration with some folk today, one person mentioned that she sometimes feels that she has been left "up the pole" by situations and Life. She related to the turtle trying to walk away, but not getting anywhere. Perhaps if we feel like this, then we need to ask others to help us down from the fence post and to care for us. 

Let me know your thoughts on the Turtle picture and quote.

Living in Grace
D3LM3

P.S. - No turtles were harmed in the writing of this blog. All turtles posing for pics on fence posts have been returned to their natural environment :)

Is it wrong to be proud?

Is it wrong to be proud?
Well, in a biblical sense, we know that pride is sinful. Just read this verse and one gets the message...Proverbs 18:12 - "Before his downfall a man's heart is proud, but humility comes before honor."

But I am speaking about a different form of pride and I have no other word to express how I felt last night - Proud, honoured, humbled, impressed, amazed - they all fall short of how my heart was overwhelmed! Watching the World Cup Soccer at the new Moses Mabhida stadium made me proud to be a South African. The stadium is amazing - it is 'world class' and it is right here in Kwazulu Natal.

As a football fan, I have watched games at Old Trafford, Anfield and even done the tour of Wembley stadium, but last night all I was thinking was 'WOW, this is an amazing place!' It may have been the effect of the lights, the friendly atmosphere of the fans, the vuvuzela's or even the smell of the sea air, but last night I FELT PROUD!

I just wanted to let you know:)

Oh yes, and I also felt something I have never felt before...
... By the end of the match, when Germany were winning 4-0, I felt a twinge of sadness for the Aussies. Strange, but true! (To my Aussie friends, we still love you).

Living in Grace,
D3LM3