Thursday, October 29, 2015

ARROGANCE AND HUMILITY

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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.

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)
 
 
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