Tag: pride

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Was It Not I?

Daily Reading

1Chronicles 18-21

Daily Thought

“After this,” the first two words of 2Chronicles 18, point backward as the cause for what follows. God reminded David, “I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be prince over my people Israel, and I have been with you wherever you have gone and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a name, like the name of the great ones of the earth (2Chronicles 17:7-8). Now watch what happens “after this”: “David defeated the Philistines and subdued them” (18:1); “he defeated Moab, and the Moabites became servants to David” (18:2); “David also defeated Hadadezer king of Zobah-Hamath” (18:3); “David struck down 22,000 men of the Syrians” (18:5). In chapters 19 and 20, victories continued. He defeated the Ammonites and more of the Syrians. Rabbah was overthrown, and “David took the crown of their king from his head” (20:2). “Thus David did to all the cities of the Ammonites” (20:3). Finally, the the giants of the Philistines “fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants” (20:8).

“The Lord gave victory to David wherever he went” (18:6, 13), but by chapter 21, after winning over and over again, David began to think perhaps he had as much to do with the winning as God. This is the temptation of success: “Was it not I?” David’s pride began to grow, so God used the master of temptation to expose it, “then Satan stood against Israel and incited David to number Israel” (21:1). The census was designed by David to display his might, but it was designed by God to betray his heart. His pride was exposed and David was reminded of his true strength and returned his heart to God. David’s sin became David’s confession, “Was it not I who gave command to number the people?” This was not a question, but a statement, the confession of a godly man, no justification, no rationalization, no shifting the blame. “It is I who have sinned and done great evil” (1Chronicles 21:17). 

The best confessions begin with the pronoun “I” and include no other. David owned it.

Daily Prayer

God Almighty, You are my Lord and my Savior. You go before me and I do well to follow You. You lead to victory over sin, over Satan, over death, and You give me faith, hope, and love. Yet, I continue to do things on my own, seek to be in charge, and steal the glory that rightfully belongs to You.

What amazes me is Your mercy and grace. When I confess my failures, when I acknowledge my sin and my need of You, You grab my hand again, forgiving me, and leading me again along that wonderful path of Yours, the path that leads to life. You are my true Strength, the Master of my life.

Amen

Daily Question

How do you go about confessing your sins to God?

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The Deadlier Disease

Daily Reading

2Kings 4-5

Daily Thought

Naaman was commander of the army of Aram and showed up at the door of the prophet Elisha with power–horses and chariots, silver and gold. He also showed up with leprosy. Naaman thought himself a great man and should be treated as such. God, however, is not impressed with power and Elisha, the prophet of God, instead treated the leper, not the great man, “Go, wash yourself in the river.” Naaman went away angry. Naaman was a hero and expected a hero’s cure, something flashy in keeping with his stature. “Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper” (2Kings 5:11). 

Naaman thought his problem was leprosy. Elisha treated a deadlier disease called pride.

A Roman centurion, a great man and mighty warrior, showed up at the door of Jesus with his servant who was paralyzed and suffering. Said the centurion, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed” (Matthew 8:8). God is not impressed with power, but delights in humility and faith. Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment (Matthew 8:13).

I come to God to fix my problems, my illnesses, my finances, my enemies. Instead, God treats the deadlier disease, my pride, my greed, my lust. That’s the miracle. 

Daily Prayer

Heavenly Father, why do I try to impress You with what I can do? As if I can bring anything to You that You need. You created all things, You own the cattle on a thousand hills. It’s not because You have any need that You delight in my company. You simply delight in my company. I don’t understand that, but I’m thrilled.

God, thank you for healing my heart. I bring nothing to You except my faith, my devotion, my obedience, and my love.

Amen

Daily Question

How do you know what you should pray for?

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A Name Remembered

Daily Reading

2Samuel 16-18

Daily Thought

Absalom, the son of David, was pretty and proud, and, for a moment, stole the hearts of the people and his father’s crown. “Now in all Israel there was no one so much to be praised for his handsome appearance as Absalom. From the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him. And when he cut the hair of his head (for at the end of every year he used to cut it; when it was heavy on him, he cut it), he weighed the hair of his head, two hundred shekels by the king’s weight (2Samuel 14:25-26). The custom of royalty was to drench one’s hair in fragrant oils, braiding in gold dust and jewels and piling it high above the head as a crown of glory. Absalom had an abundance of glory on his head. This glory would be his downfall.

“Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and set up for himself the pillar that is in the King’s Valley, for he said, ‘I have no son to keep my name in remembrance.’ He called the pillar after his own name, and it is called Absalom’s monument to this day” (2Samuel 18:18). Absalom desperately wanted his name remembered, and it is. Mention to a Sunday School class the name Absalom and they will tell you about David’s son, and they will tell you about his his long and beautiful hair, and then they will giggle, because he got it stuck in a tree. “Absalom was riding on his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great oak, and his head caught fast in the oak, and he was suspended between heaven and earth, while the mule that was under him went on” (2Samuel 18:9). 

While he dangled, David’s soldiers discussed what to do until Joab “took three javelins in his hand and thrust them into the heart of Absalom while he was still alive in the oak” (2Samuel 18:14). Thus the crown returned to the rightful king David. Absalom wanted his name remembered, and it is. How it is remembered should have mattered more. 

Daily Prayer

Father God, protect my heart from seeking my own benefit. Whenever I seek my own, it costs somebody something. May I learn to live completely content with the riches I have in You so that I will be someone who seeks to serve rather than be served.

I have learned love, the highest love, sacrificial giving love, from You. You who knew no sin became sin so that I might be brought into Your family. There is nothing I can add to Your worth or Your wealth. You have no need of my offerings or my sacrifices. All that I am, God, comes from You. You delight in me and I am happiest when I pursue what You have created me to do. Take my desires God and shape them to Your will. May I desire You fully forever.

Amen

Daily Question

How do you want to be remembered?

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The Question

Daily Reading

Luke 17-18

Daily Thought

The Pharisees were held in high regard by the people. They were thought to be very religious and very righteous, and the Pharisees, themselves, agreed with this assessment. Tax collectors, on the other hand, were despised by the Jews, and deservedly so. They sold out to the oppressive Romans, collected taxes from their fellow Jews, and got rich by collecting more than was due. 

Jesus told a parable comparing these two. “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector’” (Luke 18:11). 

The question, however, is not, “Am I as good as my neighbor?” The Pharisee was. In fact, he was better, “I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get” (Luke 18:12). So the Pharisee, when he prayed, asked for nothing, and that is what he got. 

Jesus continued, “But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’” (Luke 18:13). 

The real question is, “Am I as good as God?” The tax collector is not–not even close. Neither, by the way, is the Pharisee–not even close. The tax collector, however, would rather count on God being good than he being good, and when he prayed, asked for something, for mercy, and that is what he got.

Daily Prayer

Jesus, I live in a world that too often competes and compares, rather than love and lift up. Keep me from pride. Give me humility like You. I mean, You are God, and yet You think of others more than Yourself and sacrificed Your life fully for our sake. May I learn to love others like You do, rather than learning to serve self like the world does.

Jesus, be merciful to me, a sinner. Thank You for Your love, Your salvation.

Amen

Daily Question

What are some of the things you pray about the most?

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The Tide Came In

Daily Reading

Ezekiel 25-27

Daily Thought

God now prophecies, not against Judah, but against the nations surrounding her, for they took pleasure in her pain, yet shared her guilt. The climactic judgment is against Tyre, for she prided herself most of all. 

“O Tyre, you have said,
‘I am perfect in beauty.’
Your borders are in the heart of the seas;
your builders made perfect your beauty.” ~Ezekiel 27:3-4

There is a story told of the wisdom of King Canute of England. When entering a room, the flattery began. “Your highness, there is nothing you cannot do,” sang one. “Great Canute, you are the monarch of all,” fawned another. “Nothing in this world dares to disobey you.  The world bows before you, and gives you honor.” 

The king answered. “In that case, bring me my chair, and we will go down to the sea.  Put it right at the water’s edge.”

“Sea,” cried Canute, “I command you to come no further! Waves, stop your rolling!  Surf, stop your pounding! Do not dare touch my feet!” He waited a moment, quietly, and a tiny wave rushed up the sand and lapped at his feet.  Another wave swept forward and curled around the king’s feet. The tide came in, just as tides always do. The water rose higher and higher. It came up around the king’s chair, and wet not only his feet, but also his robe.

“Well, my friends,” Canute said, “it seems I do not have quite so much power as you would have me believe. My men, there is only one King who is all-powerful; and it is he who rules the sea, and holds the ocean in the hollow of his hand. It is he whom you ought to praise and serve above all others.”

“Therefore thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against you, O Tyre, and will bring up many nations against you, as the sea brings up its waves” (Ezekiel 26:3). Tyre, a seafaring port on the coast of Phoenicia, boasted of her ship building and sea trade. But a ship serves the sea and the sea serves at the pleasure of God.

And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” ~Mark 4:39, 41

Daily Prayer

God, You are God and I am not. That’s one of the smartest things I can say. “I did it my way,” one of the dumbest. I am not in charge and the universe does not revolve around me. Sometimes I act like it does. I am sorry.

Almighty God, You are the center of my universe, my King of kings, my Lord and Savior. To live for Your pleasure is to live life to its fullest because it is what I was created to do.

Amen

Daily Question

Is it okay to be proud of your accomplishments? Why or why not?

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The Rock of Our Refuge

Daily Reading

Isaiah 13-17

Daily Thought

Much of a prophet’s duty is the announcement of judgment, and for the next 12 chapters Isaiah will speak for God against nations, culminating in chapter 24 with judgment against the world. Their sin is our sin and is two-fold at its core: we forget our God and then we take his place; “for you have forgotten the God of your salvation and have not remembered the Rock of your refuge” (Isaiah 17:10).

It works for a time, we “plant pleasant plants” and “make them grow on the day that you plant them, make them blossom in the morning that you sow” (Isaiah 17:10-11), and we begin to believe only in ourselves. When all is sunshine, the world seems like a place we can manage on our own, but there is darkness in our heart, and rather than serve, we want to rule, to be our own god. It started in the Garden with Eve, “for God knows that when you eat of the tree your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God” (Genesis 3:5). It is the sin of Satan: 

“You said in your heart,
‘I will ascend to heaven;
above the stars of God
I will set my throne on high;
I will sit on the mount of assembly
in the far reaches of the north;
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.’” ~Isaiah 14:13-14

It works during the day, and we desire to rule, but only one can rule and so we war, and then comes the night; “at evening time, behold, terror! Before morning, they are no more!” (Isaiah 17:14). We destroy ourselves.

The judgment of God is levied not to ruin, but to restore, to remind us of our God: “In that day man will look to his Maker, and his eyes will look on the Holy One of Israel. He will not look to the altars, the work of his hands, and he will not look on what his own fingers have made” (Isaiah 17:7-8). His judgment lifts our eyes from the pride of our own hands and returns our gaze to the glory of the one who made everything.

Daily Prayer

Heavenly Father, You are the God most high, and yet you kneeled low so that we might be saved. Your Son came in humility, considering us better than Himself. You, God, showed that kind of humility for our sake.

I look forward to seeing You return again, in power this time. You have already demonstrated love to its fullest, dying for us even though we had turned out back on You. When You come again, we will see You in full glory, full power, full majesty, and still full of love.

Amen

Daily Question

When people don’t believe God is in charge, who is?

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Superman

Daily Reading

Proverbs 27-29

Daily Thought

Mohammed Ali was seated in an airplane and the flight attendant asked him to put on his seatbelt. “Superman don’t need no seatbelt,” said Ali. “Superman don’t need no plane,” responded the attendant. The apostle Paul instructed everyone not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think (Romans 12:3). Mohammed Ali ain’t Superman. “Think with sober judgment,” wrote Paul. Think rightly. 

Let another praise you, and not your own mouth;
a stranger, and not your own lips. ~Proverbs 27:2

It is okay to accept praise. In fact, it is wonderful–from the lips of others, not your own.

A friend once approached a singer after a service, complimenting him on his solo, but he refused to allow it. “Oh no,” he protested, “it was all God, not me,” to which my friend replied, “Surprising, I think God would have reached the high notes.” 

That was mean, I thought, but I reconsidered. Yes, it was rude, but he had a point. Why did he not simply say “thank you”? It was not God singing, it was him. Certainly, when you are praised, it is okay to acknowledge the partnership you have with God. God asks, “Who will?”; you say, “I will.” He gives you talents and gifts, you develop them. Someone says, “Good job”; you respond, “Thank you.”

The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold,
and a man is tested by his praise. ~Proverbs 27:21

How we handle praise tests our character as much as how we handle criticism.

Daily Prayer

My God, the silliest notion I have is that I am good enough on my own; that when all is said and done, I can inventory my life and say, “Open the gates of heaven and let me in.” I need You to save me, and You did. I now live because of You and for You, and I commit to throw off everything that distracts or gets in the way.

Keep my heart open to Your glory. Help me do what is right, what is good. May my life and my ego reflect Your glory and point others to Your grace.

Amen

Daily Question

When was the last time you were praised for something? How did it make you feel?

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Great Sinners

Daily Reading

Psalm 40-45

Daily Thought

David begins the 40th Psalm, “I waited patiently for the Lord” (Psalm 40:1). That seems proper, but by the end of the psalm, David’s mood changed, “O Lord, make haste to help me!” (Psalm 40:13). 

What happened to patience?

Verse 12! “For evils have encompassed me beyond number; my iniquities have overtaken me, and I cannot see; they are more than the hairs of my head; my heart fails me.” David counted his sins, and they were too many to count so he stopped.

David warns against the proud, “those who go astray after a lie” (Psalm 40:4). The lie they tell themselves is “I am not so bad”; therefore, their god is not so big. 

Jesus said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” ~Mark 2:17

Great sinners need a great Savior, and David’s sins were countless. He needed God and he needed him now.

As for me, I am poor and needy,
but the Lord takes thought for me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
do not delay, O my God! ~Psalm 40:17

Daily Prayer

My God, keep me from comfort in sin. May I love Your righteousness so much that I never delay to confess and turn away from the wrong I do. Thank You that Your mercy is endless because my sins are countless and I need your never-ending forgiveness.

Develop in me a habit of goodness, that I would desire to do what is right. When I fail, pick me up and set me on the right path again, and I will do the next right thing. I want my life to reflect Your glory, so others will desire the same salvation You have given me. I love Your salvation!

Amen

Daily Question

How many sins did you commit yesterday?

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Hungry Rats

Daily Reading

Hosea 8-14

Daily Thought

“When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son” (Hosea 11:1). God recalls his love and care for Israel, rescuing them from slavery, feeding them in the wilderness, leading them to a land he specially prepared for them. And yet “when they had grazed, they became full, they were filled, and their heart became proud; therefore they forgot me” (Hosea 13:6). They were fat and happy.

I was pre-med for a year, before I discovered my powerful dislike for biology. I did have fun with rats, though. I learned that if you want to teach a rat something, it better be hungry. It is the “90 percent rule.” Feed a rat, weigh it, then diet it down 10 percent. Hungry rats solve mazes faster, click pedals more often to get food and generally behave better than when they are satisfied. If they are not hungry, they are not that eager to learn.

Israel had much to learn. Perhaps when Mick Jagger wailed, “I can’t get no satisfaction,” that was a good thing, if we are looking only to the here and now, for the here and now cannot satisfy. We are made for so much more. “For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come” (Hebrews 13:14). All of life is lived on the edge of eternity.

“Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied.” ~Luke 6:21

Daily Prayer

Father God, May I be satisfied in Your love, and unsatisfied with anything less. You created me to live in a close relationship with You. May I hunger, starve even, when I neglect to nurture and feed that relationship. God, keep me forever eager to grow in the knowledge and love of You. May I live always in the light of eternity.

Amen

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The Concert of Creation

Daily Reading

Ezekiel 28-30

Daily Thought

“The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Day to day pours out speech,
and night to night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words,
whose voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world.” ~Psalm 19:1-4

Creation is dazzling and delightful, grand and good. It loudly and clearly trumpets the splendor of God. And we miss it. We worship idols, instead. We worship ourselves. Presented with the concert of creation declaring the majesty of the Creator, we rather pick up a mirror–“Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor,” accuses Ezekiel (Ezekiel 28:17). That was the sin of Tyre; it is the ruin of all who exchange the Creator for the created. Our sin is our self obsession. The nations worship idols, but ultimately themselves, 

Say to the prince of Tyre, “Thus says the Lord God:
‘Because your heart is proud,
and you have said, ‘I am a god,
I sit in the seat of the gods,
in the heart of the seas,’
yet you are but a man, and no god.’” ~Ezekiel 28:1

God’s purpose for the prophet is clear, to declare again and again, “Then they will know that I am the Lord,” ed`(Ezekiel 28:23, 24, 26; 29:9, 16, 21; 30:8, 19, 26). Once should have been enough, “In the beginning God” (Genesis 1:1).

Daily Prayer

God, I love You and praise You, and my praise comes first from hearing it in Your creation. The beauty and majesty, the order and truth that is seen in the heavens and the earth make known that there is God. It is You who deserves my allegiance, my trust, my life.

May my life display sacrifice and love toward You. My actions will sing Your praise before my voice does. You are my God; may I live a life that backs it up.

Amen