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You have heard of the title
Pharisee and it most likely makes you think of pride personified.
And rightly so because when it came to sacrifice,
they were kings of the temple...they gave a
tenth of everything they received...not just a tenth of everything they earned.
It was said of
them, "they
even tithe their herbs."
And there were more
excesses… The Torah called for fasting only on special festivals, but not the Pharisees, they went for spiritual overkill for they fasted twice a week;
every Monday and every Thursday...
And then they
basked in the reputation all this sacrifice
gained for them….enjoyed every minute of it and went back for more.
So, that which was essentially good lost much of its goodness
because it was swallowed up in a tsunami of spiritual
swagger.
Praise
and pride... they are so
difficult to handle without contaminating us...letting us view our accomplishments through distorted magnifying
glasses.
A prime example:
During the Beatles heyday,
John
Lennon, stated that
they were more popular than Jesus Christ.
Then
there was Voltaire, the atheist, who almost destroyed France with his twisted
philosophies. He was going to rid that nation of every Bible and dethrone God.
He boasted that within 100 years there wouldn't be left one Bible left
in France, except in some dusty old museums.
But before his
death, he lost his mind.
When the doctor, nurse or friends would enter his room, he
would shrink back into his bed and shriek
"The Nazarene. The Nazarene."
The nurse attending
him declared that for all the money in France she would
never again nurse another dying infidel.
And just before he did die, he cried out, "Thou hast conquered, thou Nazarene."
Ironically, the
house in which Voltaire lived was purchased 100 years later and became a Bible Publishing house.
And think on this… surgeons do save countless lives, but never do they create even one single life...and they must remember that, otherwise
they will be consumed by deteriorating pride.
A truly humble man is hard to find…
yet God delights
to
honor such selfless people.
Booker
T. Washington, the renowned black educator, was
an outstanding example of this truth.
Shortly
after he took over the presidency of Tuskegee Institute
in Alabama, he was walking in an exclusive
section of town when he was stopped by a wealthy
white woman.
Not knowing the famous Mr. Washington by sight, she asked if he would like to earn a few dollars by chopping wood for her.
Because
he had no pressing business at that moment,
Professor Washington smiled, rolled up his
sleeves, and proceeded to do the humble chore
she had requested.
When he was finished, he carried the logs into the house and
stacked them by the fireplace.
A
little girl recognized him and later revealed his
identity to the lady.
The
next morning the embarrassed woman went to see Mr.
Washington in his office at the Institute and apologized
profusely.
"It's
perfectly all right, Madam," he replied.
"Occasionally I enjoy a little manual labor. Besides, it's always a
delight to do something for a friend."
She
shook his hand warmly and assured him that his gracious
attitude and response had endeared him
and his work to her heart.
Not
long afterward she showed her admiration by
persuading some wealthy acquaintances to join her in donating
thousands of dollars to the Tuskegee Institute.
With our titles and our power
and our education and our successes and just plain over-zealous
pride over everything and anything, we need to be careful lest we think too highly of ourselves...well
beyond what these gifts deserve.
And so by way of
considering... the earth gives forth water
and the seeds we plant
then grow into trees and all kind of
harvests...
and from the oils and
minerals in the soil, we create so
much... but if we
are not careful, we can boastfully forget who really
created the earth and all therein...and end up being prideful fools for such forgetfulness.
The
Bible thrusts upon us the following truths...
Proverbs 11:2 When
pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.
Psalm 18:27 You (God) save the humble but bring low those whose eyes are haughty.
Psalm 149:4 He (God) crowns the humble with salvation.
James 4:10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.
Psalm 18:27 You (God) save the humble but bring low those whose eyes are haughty.
Psalm 149:4 He (God) crowns the humble with salvation.
James 4:10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.
So why don't we chase after humility and accept it
on bended knee?
Ah, the answer is
simple enough. "We'd like to be humble, but what if no one notices?" (John Ortberg)
(to
be continued next Tuesday)
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Here Comes Summer (July 2012)
·
Spring
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·
Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow (April 2012)
·
Wayward and Windy (April 2012)
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