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Topic: Pride (04/12/04)
TITLE: Pride is a subtle thing. By Sylvia Huffnagle 04/17/04 |
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Subtle: deceitful, crafty, sly . . .
The pride I wish to address today is that which causes a Christian to hammer themselves when they miss the mark. It’s the pride that causes a Christian to be unable to forgive themselves when they’ve been shown to be weak. Yes, it is pride. The Christian that does these things is exalted in their own mind. How? They forget that they are a little child in God’s sight and they should be a little child in their sight. Why? Because God is most high. So high that Christians can grow toward Him for eternity. What He wants from His children is for them to have a heart to please Him. Yes. He wants them to follow the instructions and overcome. But, if they are seeking Him with all their heart, He is happy with them. When they miss it, God, the Father, wants them to repent. (Turn away from the error in their heart and turn to God’s instruction for help.) Once the un-prideful Christian asks ask Him to forgive them, they can go happily on their way, knowing He has forgotten the whole matter. They made the Father heart of God happy when they dealt with their error. Now, He has a chance to coach them on how to do better in that area. The un-prideful Christian forgives theirself for being full of weakness, ignorance and wrong information and look forward to being conformed into Christ’s image.
It’s pride that keeps Christians from truly letting their problems in God’s hands. The pride that becomes dissatisfied with how fast God moves or how He’s working things out. It questions Him when things are moving too slow. This pride wants to tell God what needs done and how and when to do it. And if He doesn’t please them, (the Christian with this pride) they take the matter back and try to work it out their way. This is a sure way to be defeated. Then the prideful Christian blames the outcome of their choices on God.
Another thing this subtle pride does is keep the one, in its bondage, from ever truly resting in God. In the covenant, the Christian’s part is to trust and obey. It’s God’s part to bring it all to pass.