Pride Leads to Destruction

How many times have you heard people talking about living their truth or bragging about what they’ve accomplished?  If you listen to some people, you’d think they had it all together and never had any issues.  They sound super confident and if a problem does arise, they are going to solve it all on their own. 

I almost feel sorry for those people.  How much pressure must you be under to have to proclaim your own glory?  I’ve often thought about the self-worth of someone who feels they have to impress others all the time.  Who are they trying to impress?  Why?  What’s wrong with admitting we have problems and can’t do everything ourselves?  What pedestal have people placed themselves on that no one can know their frailties and failures?  The fear and anxiety of having to be right or “on” all the time to please or impress others must be overwhelming at times. 

I sometimes find myself in the posture of wanting things to be perfect and wanting to perform for people to see.  Thankfully, those times are fewer and fewer.  I have to remind myself that my life belongs to God because Jesus paid a price for it and bought me out of the bondage to sin and death (1 Cor 6:20). I don’t have to impress other people.  My purpose is to be obedient to the will of God and to act in order to fulfill His good pleasure (Phil 2:13) as He works in me.   

I’ve been blessed beyond anything I would have imagined as a child.  I had no idea or inclination I could do half the things I’ve done in my lifetime, but God is faithful and He has blessed me.  Yes, I played a part in it, but God deserves the credit for it.  I did the work He led me to do to the best of my ability, but He gave me the wisdom and knowledge to pull it off, like getting a college degree in engineering.  In some cases, He gave me the strength and will to build the stamina to do something, like walking a half marathon in just over 3.5 hours. In some cases, He gave me the courage to ask for things I wanted to experience, like asking for an internship while I was in grad school with a company that didn’t even have an internship program.  In some cases, He gave me a spirit of adventure, like going to Texas by myself during the summer to work for a company after my first year of college.  In all of these instances and so many more, He provided the opportunity and opened doors so I could obediently walk through them.  I celebrated these times and still do.  We can and should celebrate our achievements and opportunity, but we must sincerely give God credit and glory for them as He gave us our gifts and talents (Prov. 18:15-16).  Achievement would not be possible without Him.

The bible says we have not because we ask not.  This is where pride hurts us most.  Pride says we don’t need to ask.  We can do “it” on our own.  Pride flies in the very face of who God is.  Anyone who’s honest with themselves fully understands that we can do nothing without God’s intervention (John 15:5).  He owns everything (Exodus 19:5).  It is only through Christ that we can only do all things (Phil 4:13). 

If you want God’s full blessing on your life (you’re blessed just to be breathing), humility and obedience are key.  God loves us! Yes, He does! But, a relationship with Him is necessary if we want the full richness and abundance of life.  We cannot obtain it separate and apart from Him, not matter how good we think we are (Romans 12:3).  The fact is we all have areas to improve because we are works in progress. Some people believe because they have money, they don’t need anything else.  They have just replaced God with the money and that is a dangerous thing.  Money can be made and lost or stolen.  God CANNOT.  If you belong to Him, He will never leave nor forsake you.  He provides the power to get wealth (Deut 8:18) – remember it’s just a tool to further His kingdom. 

This world is not ours, it’s His (Psalm 24:1).  When we start to think of it that way, we’ll treat it and each other better and get better results.  As long as we think we know better than Him, we will continue down the path of ruin.  Pride is a hurtful, damaging thing (Prov 16:18).  It will only lead to destruction. 

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Do You Know The Word?

Yes, I know.  The first question is always, do you know Jesus?  If not, now is the perfect time to get to know Him.  Tomorrow is not promised and we all have to make a choice to accept Jesus’s gift of salvation or not.  Remember, waiting is a choice not to get to know Him, even if it doesn’t feel like it.  

Today, I’m asking how much of God’s inspired written Word do you know.  Every so often, this is a question I ask myself without really thinking of the question.  What I mean is I think about how much of the Word I actually know.  The answer comes alive practically every week when I’m writing the blog.  The Word instructs us to hide God’s Word in our hearts so we won’t sin against Him.  So, how much of the Word do you know? 

I know some may be asking, why do I need to know the Word?  I have my bible on me at all times.  I know what you mean.  Before I started writing this, I checked and I have bibles everywhere.  I have bibles in my bedroom, my living room, in my car, on all my devices and yet, if I don’t have some Word hidden in my heart, I can’t pull it out when I need it the most.  When things are happening, I may not have time to find a scripture to help in that situation.  I will say the more time you spend in the Word, more of the Word will get into you.  I’m a witness to that.  I don’t know what scriptures get you through your days, but I wanted to share a few of the one that help me every day.

When I find myself getting distracted by what is going on in the world around me and things seem bleak, I go to Roman 8:28, “All things work together for the good of those who love God, who are the called according to His purpose.”  This scripture reassures me that no matter what happens or what is going on the Lord is working it out for me, because I am His.  He has it all in control. 

When I’m asked to do something that scares me or I feel ill prepared to handle in my own strength, I turn to Phil 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”  I remember that I don’t have to operate in my own strength.  Christ is there to strengthen me.  I can be weak and He will be strong because His Holy Spirit lives on the inside of me.

When I get into myself and am feeling selfish, I look to Matt 22, “Love the Lord with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind…..And love your neighbor as yourself.”  This quickly reminds me that this life is not all about me.  If God is Lord of my life, through Jesus, my life should reflect that.  I don’t mean there should not be self-care, because there should.  We all need rest and rejuvenation.  But our wants and desires should not outweigh the needs of others.  Jesus proved that by going to the cross and if He is our example, we must take this seriously. 

When I’m confused or trying to justify my own way, I think to Prov 4:7, “Wisdom is the principal thing, so get wisdom and with all your getting, get understanding.” Godly wisdom comes from God Himself.  If we live our lives according to His Word, we don’t have to worry about anything else, because He has it in hand.  He will do what He says, we just have to do our part and be obedient.  It might not always be easy and we may not always like it, but if we want our lives to glorify Him, wisdom will help get us there. 

When my faith is weak or things I see make me question or doubt, I go to 2 Cor 5:7, “For we walk by faith and not by sight.”  It reminds me that I don’t know everything…God does.  He created everything that was created and He knew the ending before He created the beginning. Why wouldn’t I trust Him?  Even when we (human beings) betrayed Him and sinned, He still provided a way back for us, a plan He had before the beginning of time.  This leads me to, Hebrews 11:6, “Without faith is it impossible to please God,” and to James 2:17, “Faith without works is dead.”  We can’t please God without faith, and the faith we have in Him, leads us to do good works so that He will be glorified. 

These are just a few of the scriptures I hold close to my chest, when I need to pull something out to get me back on track.  There are many more.  I hope you have some “go to” scriptures that provide support when you need them – the ones I mentioned above have been invaluable to me.  Remember, God is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, more than you can ask or think, but you have to trust Him and know He can.  Knowing His word reminds you of Who He is. 

Be blessed! 

Jesus Paid It All

Happy Resurrection Day!!!!  I hope you are celebrating our Risen Savior with you family and friends because He deserves all honor and praise and glory. 

This advent season has been different.  I can’t completely explain it, but it’s different.  Maybe it’s the fact that COVID has been a thing for over a year.  Maybe it’s the fact that I’ve been somewhat physically isolated from people for the past year.  Maybe it’s because I’ve made a conscience effort to be closer to the Lord this year.  Whatever the reason, it’s different and I’m more in touch with the sacrifice Jesus made for me and the fact that I still, after over 40 years of being saved, don’t deserve it. 

When I really sit back and think of all the ways, I still mess up every day, I am humbled and overwhelmed by His love for me.  The fact that He still calls me His own, is amazing and shocking.  I mean, I have been blessed with so much, but still I sometime find myself complaining about things that don’t matter.  I still get caught up in what’s happening to me or wanting something I definitely don’t need.  Then I think back to what Jesus suffered so I can live and not worry about what is to come, because He has already overcome the world (John 16:33). 

In other parts of the world, people are persecuted for their love for Christ.  And I mean persecuted, not just having a hard day.  Many around the world are imprisoned or even killed for proclaiming the name of Jesus.  When I think of these brothers and sisters, I’m ashamed of some of the things that appear to be important to me.  Many of them are not…they are just things or activities I enjoy, but none of them compare to the sufferings of others.  This year has helped me see that more clearly. 

I’ve been thinking about how we were lost to God, due to our own actions.  We (in the form of Adam and Eve) gave Him up…to have some fruit.  When you say it out loud, it sounds crazy.  But Jesus came that the lost could be found through Him.  He gave His very life so that we could have life and it more abundantly (John 10:10).  We owe Him everything and yet we grumble when He asks us for something that is inconvenient or not consistent with our plans for ourselves.  At the end of the day, our Love for God and for our fellow man are what count….it is all about our heart.  If we love God, we trust Him and have faith He will do exactly what He said.  If we love God, we will keep His instructions (John 14:15).

Jesus paid it all, but we have a price to pay as well – our obedience.  Are you willing to pay the price?  I am.

Our Flaws are Our Own

So, this week has been an interesting one.  I’ve been dealing with understanding why we have flaws, because so many people attempt to justify the things they do saying God made them one way or another.  This morning while I was studying my bible, I had an epiphany.  God did not make us with flaws and imperfections.  God doesn’t make anything that isn’t perfect (Deut 32:4).  He is incapable of it.

Let’s be clear – God made Adam and Eve perfect.  They were given everything in the garden except one tree and because of temptation, they couldn’t see everything else God had given them and be satisfied.  God held one tree back to Himself and they couldn’t stand the thought of not having that too.  Yes, the serpent was manipulative and he lied with some clever reasoning, but none of those reasons mattered (Gen 3).  The fact is that God gave them a directive and no amount of extenuating circumstances gave them the right to disobey.  They could have simply told the serpent, “God told us not to touch the tree and we will not disobey.” (Gen 1: 15-17)  If they had resisted the devil, he would have fled like he did from Jesus after He fasted in the wilderness.    

If you think about it, had they never sinned, they would likely still be in the garden.  So, why do we sin?  Why do we have addictions?  Why are people broken?  Why are we flawed? It’s not because we’re human. It’s because Adam and Eve sinned in the garden.  Everything that happened after they sinned, introduced sin and death into all of us (Romans 6:23).  They are the original culprits and we have continued in their tradition.  It’s because of their sin that pain, illness and death entered the Earth.  

So, let’s look at a current example of this phenomena – Coronavirus.  It’s been a year since the first lockdown of the country and this virus is still taking lives, never having been significantly impacted because of the actions of people.  Coronavirus started as one strain and because we didn’t do what was needed at the beginning, it continued to live and mutate into multiple strains over time.  While we now have a vaccine for it, there are still strains that may not respond to it.  This is similar to the flu virus.  It’s what viruses do. When they are allowed to live long enough to mutate into other strains, they cause more symptoms (some more or less intense than others).  

Sin is the same way.  It has been around since practically the beginning of man’s creation and it has mutated over the millennia into looking like many sinful symptoms – lying, murdering, gossiping, sexual sin, pride, selfishness, etc (Gal 5:19-21).  But all of these come back to the heart.  Thankfully, we have an answer who addresses the root illness no matter what the symptoms look like – Jesus.  He died on the cross to give us an antidote to sin – a changed heart….a saved heart.  God loved us so much that He sent His son to die for us to give us a way back to Him and His righteousness.  

We, who are saved, are no longer bound by sin (Romans 6:13-15).  We may still sin, because our soul/spirit lives inside a sinful, earthly body, but the Holy Spirit empowers us to live right if we submit to Him (John 16:5-15).  We choose every day to obey or not.  Those who don’t have a relationship with Jesus, and don’t have the Holy Spirit living on the inside of them, don’t have the power to fight sin.  That’s why we have to be obedient examples and show them the same love Jesus showed to us – so our lives point to Him.  

As we celebrate Jesus’s triumphant entry in Jerusalem, just one week before he was crucified, let us be the light and salt Jesus has called us to be.  We never know who is watching.

Hearing and Doing

Ever heard someone say, “Don’t judge me.  God knows my heart” when they do something inappropriate or wrong.  I have…and it irks me.  When we know what’s right, we’re obligated to do it.  The Word is clear on this – we are to be doers of the Word and not hearers only (James 1:22-25).  

There was a time when I would sit in church and the Pastor would preach a message about changing habits or lifestyle choices and I would think, ‘Oh, what a great message,’ but would not internalize it. I wouldn’t do any self-reflection to see how the message or God’s Word directly related to my actions and my life.  I wouldn’t ask the Lord to reveal the areas of my life I needed to address.  I wouldn’t ask Him to change me so that I lined up with His Word.  I would just go on….and then I read the book of James.  I was convicted and realized I was a hypocrite. 

I could see the things other people were doing wrong, but my stuff wasn’t as obvious in my own mind.  I wasn’t intentionally trying to hurt anyone or just blatantly committing sin, but I also wasn’t going out of my way to try helping anyone either.  I was not sacrificing for anyone less fortunate. I was comfortable and I was enjoying the comfort……in some ways to the expense of others.  God created us for good works…not that good works can save us.  If we believe in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and are in relationship with Him (because God is One), we perform good works as an act of love and obedience.  

I don’t know about you, but I like doing things for those I love.  I like seeing them happy or pleased when I give them something they like.  If we love God, we will keep His commandments, including loving our neighbor as ourselves.  If we don’t love our neighbor, the love of God is not in us (1 John 4:20).  By love, I mean meet the need of my neighbor.  Love here is an action word, not just shallow talk.  Love is backed up by actions.  

In the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), we see this best demonstrated. The Samaritan, who in general was looked down on by Jewish people because of his ancestry and had nothing to gain, saw a man injured on the side of the road.  Instead of ignoring the injured man like two religious leaders had just done, he picked the injured man up and took him to an inn where the Samaritan paid for his care with a promise to pay more when he returned if needed.  The Samaritan saw past any differences or conflicts he had to the hurting person underneath.  He loved His brother through deeds and actions.  He was the most like Christ and that is our commission.  

In a world with growing tensions and divisions among people, where hate is allowed to thrive in many cases, we have to be about doing God’s Word and not just hearing it more than ever.  The world needs us to be Hearers and Doers!

Sometimes Stuff is Us

Many times we’re in situations and we’re looking for someone to blame.  “It’s that person’s fault or it’s this person’s fault,” we say.  Because, there is no way we are the ones who made the bad choice or didn’t do the right thing.   We look for excuses instead of looking at our own actions.  Let’s take a step back and evaluate this a little. 

I work with several managers and some of them have not learned that they are responsible for what they do and for those who report to them.  For example, if you lead people, you are responsible for them getting the work done or holding an employee accountable to getting it done.  You use all sorts of strategies to get the most out of the people who work for you.  You work to motivate them and gain buy in for the work.  But, if those don’t work, you have to give direct, specific instructions.  If they then still don’t do the appropriate work, you have to hold them accountable.  We all have someone to answer to and just like anything when you are working for someone else, they get to set the parameters.  

I sometimes get, “this didn’t get done because my employee didn’t do it” or “they just don’t want to work.”  My next question is so what are you doing about it……and then silence.  If the manager hasn’t taken any action, they are just as culpable as the employee who didn’t do it.  

My point is that we all have issues and we have to acknowledge them and not automatically judge or blame others.  There’s plenty of blame to throw around and we need to own our part in whatever it is.  It’s not just someone else.  The scripture speak to this as speaking ill about the speck in your brother’s eye, when you have a log in your own (Matt 7:3-5).  

Let’s work to be honest with ourselves and really do some self-reflection…..comparing ourselves to God’s standard – Jesus.  We will come up short….no doubt about that.  But, as we compare our lives to His, it should provide us a roadmap of where we need to pray more for God’s help in changing us.  It will also give us some practical actions we can take to be more like Jesus.  Don’t ever think you’re too far gone and you can’t possibly be forgiven for your sins.  Remember the thief on the cross beside Jesus, about to die.  He asked Jesus for forgiveness and just like that he was forgiven…..no questions asked.  He truly believed with his heart and confessed Jesus with his mouth and in an instant his dirty rags were exchanged for God’s righteousness through Jesus (Luke 23:40-43). 

God loves you so much, but you have to honest with yourself and with Him.  Sometimes we are the culprit in our own destruction and we have to own our part in it to be delivered. 

It’s What God Thinks that Matters

Since I’ve been an adult, I’ve really stopped being concerned about what people think of me.  Yes, of course, I want to be thought highly of.  I mean, who doesn’t?  But I’ve worked hard to live a life that is pleasing to God, because when it all comes down to it, His opinion of me is the only one that really matters.  

If you take a moment to look back over your life, how many times have to done something or agreed to do something to please someone else?  Or because you wanted them to think a certain way about you?  How many of those times have you known it wasn’t really something you should do?  Why is it so important what other people think of you?  What can they do for you?  Other people’s opinions are just that, opinions.  Everyone has them and like armpits, some of them will stink.  The thing is that we’re all human and we sometimes get it wrong...for me that's often.  We can’t be concerned about people thinking highly of us, so we can get ahead or get further along (Prov. 29:25).  Leave it to God to elevate you to the place He has for you.  If we focus on doing what God has called us to do and we remain humble, He will exalt us (James 4:10).  We won’t be concerned about tooting your own horn.  If we're doing things to exalt ourselves with people, if won’t be genuine and it won’t last, because the motivation is incorrect (Gal. 1:10).  Our motivations matter (Ecc. 4:4).  The means do not always justify the ends.   

After we consider our thoughts about what other people think of us, let’s deal with the elephant in the room…..our belief about ourselves (Prov. 21:2).  When we can’t do something, we think we’re a failure, as opposed to seeing the experience as a learning opportunity.  When we do something well, we think “I did that” or “I’m good”, but we need to recognize, we can do nothing on our own.  Our opinions of ourselves are so often based on what we accomplish and who we are.  

The real question is what does God think of us? God has said some things about His children and we need to make sure our opinion of who we are lines up with His (Eph 1:3-14).  That way we always recognize that God has given us everything we need to succeed in His calling for our lives and when we do the work, we can fulfill everything He has told us about ourselves (Deut. 8:18; 2 Peter 1:3).  When our thoughts are not consistent with God’s thoughts, we find ourselves unfulfilled and not giving Him what He requests of us.   Once we become part of his family, our identity is found in Him.  No matter what happens we are still His.  

God’s wisdom flies in the face of the world’s wisdom.  When we recognize that we don’t have to live trying to please others or ourselves, we are free from the emotions associated with pleasing or letting them down….because at the end of the day, no one is always going to happy about what we do. We need to not give them the power to drive our emotions or our actions.  If you decide to live in the space, where God’s opinion is the only one that matters, you only have one voice to listen to….His.  By following God’s will and not your own, you will love Him first and then your neighbors.  You will do well to those who mistreat you (Matt 5:44; Luke 6:28).   He will never lead us astray.  He loves us and wants what’s best for us.  Jesus came so we could have direct access to the Father and His powerful Holy Spirit, who empowers us to do what is right.  As we continue this journey, let’s keep our mind focused on the opinion that really matters.