Sins
Merriam-Webster: a feeling that you respect yourself and deserve to be respected by other people; a feeling that you are more important than other people; inordinate self-esteem.
Wikipedia: (negative connotation) an inflated sense of ones's personal status or accomplishments, also a disagreement with the truth.
As we all know that pride is one of the seven deadly sins, and the first sin. We saw it with Lucifer, who was cast out of heaven. He started feeling himself, as the saying goes, and he took others with him. We saw it in Adam & Eve with the forbidden tree. The consequence was their shame, they were kicked out of the Garden of Eden, and death. God Hates Pride, period! It is the center and root of sin. It is consumed of the idea of self; me, myself and I. It lives in one's heart, it desires one to seek his/her own glory. Pride is a liar, it's selfish, it's sneaky, it brings conflict, and it's a blatant disrespect for God.
We're told in the scriptures that pride goeth before destruction. Pride promotes prayerlessness. Psalm 10:4: The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all of his thoughts. Psalm 138:6: Though the Lord be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off. A prideful person is always seeking glory from others. Pride won't allow you to apologize even when you know you're wrong.
Pride has destroyed many relationships, it causes contentions amongst people. It can be slanderous and is evil gossip. It is egotistical, it also causes one to have a "Big Head," always putting airs to a person's so called status in life. It is fair to say it brags, boasts, it puffs up one's idea of his/her self-sufficiency. The Father says pride is an abomination to Him, and will not go unpunished. Jesus told us to seek Him with humility. Meaning, we are not to think too highly of ourselves. Even Jesus had the mindset of servitude. It is impossible to become greater than our creator and savior.
Pride is the cause of 'Spiritual Failure,' but failure is never final with Jesus.
Jesus Christ is the Standard!
As you can see in the picture, selfishness is in the core of both sin and pride. You can't let Jesus in with that attitude and mindset. You are living in darkness, instead of the light. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. It is sometimes hard to recognize that we are prideful. Remember it is a deceiver, and will constantly tell you lies. Satan wants to take as many as he can to hell with him. So now, he's working harder than he ever has. His time is running out.Too many of us struggle with pride, straying further and further from having a humbled heart. There are countless times when my pride got in my own way. You never realize it until after-the-fact. In school I used think I was smarter than others I knew, because I always made better grades than them. Thinking back, I know I've hurt quite a few people. Turning the tables, when I was made to feel lower than another, it didn't feel too good.
Simply put, humility is not thinking of yourself as "All That!" I read that humility is a choice and a responsibility. I choose to humble myself before God and Jesus. Only Jesus can give us freedom from this grave digger of an emotion. I know it seems as though being humble makes you a push over. Humility doesn't mean you have to allow people to walk all over you. It simply means you love a little harder and forgive a lot more. Could you have done what Jesus did for us, being blameless and bearing mankind's sins with your blood? The gift of eternal life and salvation deserves the type of gratitude that is beyond our capabilities. God hasn't asked us for much in return for this gift. It was freely given before we existed.
A few years ago one of our guest pastors posed these questions to the congregation:
Are you afar from Jesus?
Does something stand between you & God?
Are you identifying with Christ throughout your week?
Ask the Lord to renew in you a pure & clean heart. From your heart repent & seek forgiveness of sins. We're going to have to learn to stay on our knees in prayer, everyday! Let the Lord increase in your life, while you decrease in self more. For as the Bible says "Every knee shall bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord."
Remember that Jesus taught us how we ought to live and worship. So again, I leave you with:
Jesus Christ is the Standard!
God Bless Us All.
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