"Spiritual" Pride

It's a term I don't often hear, yet I'm quite certain that anyone of us could fall to this ugly sin.  Several years back, I preached a sermon on the topic of pride in your own spirituality.  I shared the following thoughts with everyone.  I recently stumbled on them again.  Enjoy! 

If you're proud about your salvation:
Remember that it is the gift of God so that no one can boast. 

If you're proud about your holiness:
Remember that you're sanctified by the Holy Spirit and any righteousness of your own works is filthy rags in God's sight. 

If you're proud because you love God SO MUCH:
Remember that it is His love that is shed abroad in your heart.  You didn't do that either. 

the Monkey Mommy?

One friend of mine, we’ll call her Monkey Mommy, is great at something Ephesians 4:29 describes.  “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.”  I think you might say that she is good at edifying or building up others.  I have often been needy in a moment – downcast or weary in this Godly parenting race.  And, she has spoken to me.  I’ve walked away with the grace to obey God and keep persevering to raise Godly children.  She doesn’t always share an easy scripture with me. But somehow, she shares it so humbly that I can receive it and assimilate it into my heart.  She shares the things the Lord has shown her.  She shares the things she has struggled with and she responds with things the Holy Spirit leads her to say.  My journal has many encouraging words spoken from her mouth, that helped me to stay the course, to not give up, to not despair, to courageously obey the Lord and to fear God instead of man.  I’m thankful that the Monkey Mommy edifies the Body of Christ, according to the need of the moment.  Her words give grace to those of us who hear.

the M-I-L

Here’s one that surprises most people.  I have something good to say about my Mother-In-Law.  (We’ll just call her BraveHeart.  Believe me, if you’d heard the stories of my husband’s and his brother’s childhood escapades, you’d find this name quite appropriate!)  Anyway, I’ve been quite blessed in the In-Law department, so I’d like to highlight her strength in the Body of Christ.  BraveHeart’s strength is the epitome of one of my Dad’s chief principles he and Mom strove to teach me.    “Prefer others higher than yourself.”  She does this!  She is always looking out for what the other person prefers and desires.  She consistently and without fail puts others’ needs, desires and preferences above her own.  (And, she does this without making a big show of how unselfish she is!)  She is quiet – very quiet - about her own needs, desires and preferences.  Being around her has taught me to quiet down and pay attention to others.  Not everyone announces what they need, want or prefer.  My BraveHeart Mother-in-Law demonstrates unselfishness daily.  Watching her unselfishness reminds me to be unselfish – to pay attention and to make my own needs, desires and preferences take second place to others – with a happy heart too, mind you!  Isn’t that who the Lord would have us to think of – others?  Thank you, my dear BraveHeart Mother-in-Law.  You are a living example of unselfishness and I am learning from you.

Hmmm, Joey?

Next up is Joey.  Don’t even try to figure out where the name came from.  It’s so old none of us know the reasoning behind it.  Anyway, I’ve known Joey since I was just under 2 years old.  We go way back!  J  (Sisters, duh.)  Her strength that I appreciate is a solid, bold adherence to the Word of God.  It is often unappreciated, even scorned.  Where others waffle, where others trumpet their feelings, where others talk about what they “think,” not Joey.  What does the Word say?  Feelings don’t matter.  Preconceived opinions, thoughts, beliefs and preferences swiftly melt away.  She’s the first that will throw all that out the window when she reads the Word.  And, she’s been reading the Word and standing by her own personal convictions based on the Word since her early teenage years.  Yes, people think she should be more tolerant, even more tactful or more concerned about other people’s feelings.  Bottom line is, though, she’s been concerned about obeying the Word and pleasing God all along.  And, where others gray the line for people’s sake, not Joey.  Gray isn’t in her life color scheme.  It’s always been about what God wants and what’s in HIS Word.  Isn’t that what we should all be concerned about?  The fear of God, not the fear of man?  Thanks, Joey.  You stand, where others bow. 

By the way, Happy 30th Birthday!  May you have many more years of standing!  Continue to refuse to bow.

Mom

My mother.  What can I say?  She’s the reason I am the way I am.  And, that is every bit the compliment I intend it to be.  The way I serve God now, is because of her unceasing and tireless and relentless efforts year after year.  She is virtuous.  She.works.hard.   She is loving.  She has vision.  She sacrifices.  So many things come to mind when I think of her.  I must narrow it down though, at least for the sake of the post.  Check out Romans 12:13, “When God's people are in need, be ready to help them…”    This is it.  If anyone is in need, Mom is the person to help them out.  Anything from teaching people how to sew, make salsa or build furniture, to getting started homeschooling, offering a ride, lending a vehicle, training children, fixing stuff at the church, getting projects done… anything.  If God’s people are in need, Mom is always ready to help them.  She sacrifices her schedule on a daily basis, to help people.  It is often unappreciated.  It is even taken for granted in an annoying sort of way.  However, when she does stuff like this to the least of us, she does it to Christ.  So although people aren’t always as grateful as they ought to be, she just keeps helping people and putting her gifts and strengths out there for the taking.  I’m thankful for this example, for it truly never is convenient to help people.  She just keeps doing it though.  Thanks, Mom.