Oops - There's Pride
Writer Author Rodney Smith
Christian Article
:
Christianity
- Fiction No
James 4:6 "But he gives more grace, wherefore he says, God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble."
Most of us fall into the trap of pride at some time. We all want to be recognized, acknowledged. It’s a human trait, yet God expects Christians to be
spiritual. People tell us how wonderful we are, and oops – pride flows like
spilt milk.
People are proud of almost any achievement: the schoolboy his completed homework; the football fan his team; the tennis player his prowess; the father having a son, daughter going to university. Yet we should be giving God the credit for everythingl.
The old, true saying is, pride comes before a fall. Similarly, our opening verse, James 4:6, says God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. Of course the humbleness has to be genuine - and God knows if it is. Someone said, tongue in cheek, "I'm proud of my humility."
Does the following ring a bell? Sometimes a church grows fast, and then we hear the pastor boasting it is the biggest in town, and “folks, next year we’ll have another 500.” That means bigger and better premises of course. So a special building fund begins and there’s a four-course dinner at a posh restaurant to gain more donors from already overstretched budgets. The MC beams and addresses everyone. “Wow, it has now reached $50,000, isn’t that wonderful. There’s Ivor Heapsamoney who gave $10,000 of that. Stand up Ivor, and come on everybody, let’s hear it for Ivor. What a fine Christian, and and and….” Oh dear. It’s only by God’s grace we can do anything.
Pride is one of the evil things Jesus lists in Mark 7:22-23 – so if we do have any pride we need to be able to recognize it. Sometimes pride creeps in and we don’t even realize it is there. This writer once attended a Carols by Candlelight in the local town mall. Proceedings began with a young Christian coming to the mike: “Welcome everybody. So and so church is proud to present….”
Hey, where is God in all of this?
We can be so full of ourselves. Sinatra sang “I Did It My Way” and made a fortune, but only because God gave him the talent, good health and grace to do it. Then there are the church “gospel” tracts which are 90 per cent extolling the church and 10 per cent Jesus and the gospel. Let’s not be like that.
Let’s forget ourselves and focus on the grace, glory, mercy, compassion, provision, the greatness of God. Why, even the next breath we take is by His grace isn’t it? Let’s remember eternity is just a breath away, and there’s no guarantee we will wake up tomorrow. It is all in the hands of the Almighty.
“To God be the glory, great things He hath done.” What He has done, not what we have done.
Editor's Comment:
About the Writer Author
State:
New South Wales
Country:
Australia
Email:
jesuslives@beagle.com.au
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users.beagle.com.au/jesuslives
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