on pride (again)

Make a list of what you believe to be your strengths. Your gifts, talents. Things that you enjoy doing. Things that, when God lays it on your heart to serve someone, you would first think to do. If you are convinced that you know of a spiritual gift that God has blessed you with, be sure that you include it in your list.

Now, consider the list you have made. Do you know that it is also a list of your weaknesses? These are your greatest vulnerabilities because they are areas of life and experience where it is easiest to act independently of God. These are areas where you can quickly forget about Him, both in terms of depending on Him for the power and ultimately giving Him the glory. When someone thanks you for your service, or compliments your devotion, your human pride easily sneaks in to lap it up! Consider this statement by Augustine:

Other sins find their vent in the accomplishment of evil deeds, whereas pride lies in wait for good deeds, to destroy them.

God has recently been showing me areas in my life where, even if there was no overt pride felt or expressed, there were still "cracks in the character" where pride seeped in and motivated my responses to tests and trials, rather than the humility of mind that He desires. That I am shocked to find these weaknesses is telling of the depth of my need for Christ, even after He has grown me for these years.

Praise God for His love and patience with me! I figure that all of my life, most (if not all) of my struggles and failures will be traceable to pride. As C. S. Lewis said,

Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind.

always near

If the devil were wise enough and would stand by in silence and let the gospel be preached, he would suffer less harm. For when there is no battle for the gospel it rusts and it finds no cause and no occasion to show its vigor and power. Therefore, nothing better can befall the gospel than that the world should fight it with force and cunning.

—Martin Luther

The world does actively fight the gospel; it is an offensive message to people that any, much less their best, effort is of no avail in securing reconciliation with God or righteousness before Him. The good news is that Jesus accomplished what no other person could, by his sacrifice reconciling us to God and qualifying us to receive his righteous life in exchange for our sin.

When I read the quote from Luther, my mind moved on through the world's reaction to the gospel (generally) to the world's reaction to me (specifically) as a Christian and the message that my life speaks.

Recently one of the men I work with was involved in a traffic accident. He was riding his motorcycle to work when someone turned directly in front of him. He now has one less motorcycle and one more broken leg than before. The results could easily have been more tragic, and although surgery may be required, he will heal all right, thankfully.

It is often said that people just don't see motorcyclists; in the past when I have ridden motorcycles, I've always assumed that not only do other drivers see me, they will try their best to hit me! I figured that such wariness was the biggest contribution to my own safety that I could make. In reflecting on this again recently, I came to realize that there is an analogy to be drawn in my Christian walk.

We learn from scripture, along with so much more, that we have an enemy in life. For safety's sake, a motorcyclist might think of other drivers as adversaries, but in the Bible we are told that Satan really is our adversary. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8.) I have known Christians who don't believe that there is a devil, even though the scriptures declare him real; there is danger for them and for me if I don't take seriously his cunning and scheming.

However, just as my wariness when riding a motorcycle does not guarantee my safety, the power to resist and overcome the schemes of the devil lies not in my efforts or resourcefullness but in God's protecting hand. His promise to never leave or forsake us, the fact that he, in the person of his son Jesus Christ, overcame the world, is safety that I can rest in by faith. My own awareness and God's protecting hand are seen in James 4: Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you...

one of those days

Here in the Texas heat, it seems that the last several weeks have been characterized more by perspiration than inspiration, but today God has placed encouragement on my heart that I must share.

Yesterday, I kind of "hit bottom." In the evenings when I go home from work, I habitually turn on the news; if one wants encouragement, don't do this! I had sent a note of encouragement to a close friend; the response so far is silence. Candidly, he owes me no reply, but I'm disappointed. Vacation is over. The culmination of all of this, yesterday, was dejection, poor attitude, emotional fatigue. In short, I spent the day yesterday thinking of myself.

Today has been much better. It began with my brothers at my men's breakfast, spending time together in the word. But the even stronger shot in the arm, and I know it's God by his spirit whispering in my ear, came moments ago, in the form of the "random quote" that came up when I looked:

It is not after we were reconciled by the blood of his Son that God began to love us, but before the foundation of the world.

—John Calvin

The next time you have "one of those days," remember that it really is one of those, like every other: God loves you dearly, warts and all.