Scripture for the Day Dec 7th 2020: Proud or Humble?

Old Ditty

There is an old ditty that goes: “It needs more skill than I can tell / To play the second fiddle well.” In a similar vein, Leonard Bernstein was once asked which instrument was the most difficult to play. He thought for a moment and then replied, “The second fiddle. I can get plenty of first violinists, but to find someone who can play the second fiddle with enthusiasm—that’s a problem. And if we have no second fiddle, we have no harmony.”

 Green, M. P. (Ed.). (1989). Illustrations for Biblical Preaching: Over 1500 sermon illustrations arranged by topic and indexed exhaustively (Revised edition of: The expositor’s illustration file). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.

Before the Fall

Pride comes before the Fall, no matter how honorable we think we pride ourselves on being part of something honorable. 

Let's look at the definition of the word Pride and decide if this is something you want to exhibit. The Logos Bible Software Factbook references pride as follows:

Ambition, Arrogance, Arrogant, Selfishness, Self-Righteousness, Selfwill, Stubborn, Stubbornness, Vainglory, Vanity, Boasting, "Selfish ambition", vanity, inordinate self-esteem, gloating.

Let's look at the word Humble in the same resource:

Absence of pride or arrogance.

The world is upside-down 

...and it seems that God states things in a contrary manner. Lose your life to gain it (Mark 8:35). The message of God seems foolish to the natural man, yet it is Wisdom (1 Corinthians 2:14). He scoffs at the scoffers, Yet He gives grace to the afflicted (Pr 3:34). God humbles the proud and exalts the humble. Get it?

I am honored to be part of Trump Chat. I am humbled that I am part of the MAGA movement. I am grateful for the achievements in my life. But proud I am not. Because, brothers and sisters, Pride comes before the fall.

Would you know it, the LORD addresses the fallacy of pride in 231 passages in the NASB. I attached the passages as a PDF below. It's a 224-page reference library on pride. God's Word is priceless.

You see, pride does not come with anything good in it, though the world tries to tell us it is ok to be proud. 

Pr 16:18
Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

God Hates Pride

Isaiah 14:12-15
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! O Lucifer: [or, O day star]
13 For thou hast said in thine heart,
I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God:
I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will be like the most High.
15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

God's Will and Your Will - Are They the Same?

LORD, five times, satan declared: I will. In contrast, Jesus says: 

Luke 22:42 KJV
42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

When we humble ourselves instead of gloating, we give God all glory. When we do, God will honor us. 

LORD, thank you for Your glory, and for humbling my heart. 
Let me never exalt myself over other people, nor over You,
Thank You for instilling humbleness in my heart. 
May all people on earth, even all angels, reject pride in themselves, so that You may lift them up. 
Let Your will be done, not anybody else's'.

In Jesus' name
Amen

#Devotional #Scripture4TheDay #Pride #Humility