PRIDE

I have been counseling several people this past week and one of the glaring issues in their life is Pride. It is so good to be practicing the One Anothers in Scripture because it changes me too. I am as prideful as any one and by God's grace over the years He has continued to do the work of sanctification in my life to kill my pride.

James 4:1 What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? 2 You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. And you are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. 4 You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: "He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us"? 6 But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, "God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble." 7 Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.

What a great passage that I cannot begin to unpack in this entry. This should be the passage that is in our forefront as we deal with other. This passage is NOT to unbelievers - this passage is ADDRESSED to believers. The problems I have had with people almost always comes back to my pride. Here is the rub - we don't see our pride when we are being prideful. I did not see how prideful I was for years until I saw someone else that was almost exactly like me. I saw the pride in that person and realized I had a log in my eye. I all to often still end up being a prideful man but I desire to not be that man and truly live in the later part of this passage. I realize I am a wretched sinner - no good in me - so what do I have to be prideful about? Nothing. Any ability or gift is exactly that - a gift from God - so if it is all from God how can I take pride in it - oh - wait a minute I can take pride in it and rob Jesus Christ of His glory. May that never be. I hope God continues to humble us all.