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THE NORTHERN KENTUCKY SEARCHER VOLUME 7, NUMBER 25, JUNE 24, 2007 THE PROBLEM OF PRIDE Pride is every man’s problem. It is a subtle sin. It is easily spotted in someone else, but hard to identify in oneself. It is grotesque in your neighbor. It is invisible in self. Like one of those three-dimentional pictures in the restaurant lobby, you have to look at your own reflection in the glass long enough before you begin to see it. Here are some identifying marks. Pride is blindness. The proud are oblivious to their own faults. They look in the mirror and see their talents. They drive down the highway and muse over their strengths. They look in the next lane and see the faults of their neighbor – his missing hubcaps, his chipped and chalky paint, the dent in his side panel. He looks back in the mirror and feels even better about his own situation. Pride has blinded him. Peter offers the solution: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God” (! Peter 5:6). The proud must learn that he stands in the presence of the Lord by himself. He is not measured alongside of his neighbor. He is measured alongside of the gifts and opportunities, the obstacles and predicaments with which the Lord has littered his own course. The proud must learn to keep his eyes on his own land because he runs against himself, not his neighbor. Look in the mirror again. Look closer. Eyes straight ahead. Hey, look back here! Not over there. Now, what does the Lord see when He looks at you? That is the place to start. Feel any humbler yet? Pride values appearance over reality. There are proud men who think themselves humble. They talk incessantly of their weaknesses, of their foibles, of their struggles. They’ll show you their scars and speak freely of their woes. They feel your pain. They’ve been there before you. They’ll tell you all about it. Don’t dare interrupt them. They require the last word. On the other hand, the proud man may come to you for advice. He’ll tell you how much he admires you and values your honest opinion. The sign of his insincerity is how he reacts when you finally give him your honest opinion. False humility doesn’t need a soap box. It has no stand up routine. It needs no audience at all, but an audience with God. “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time” (1 Peterr 5:6). Pride is overindulgence with self. Pride is not just the problem of the talented. Pride is everybody’s problem. It is found in the ballroom and the brothel. It is present in the alley and the avenue. It is worn in the city hall and the city jail. The proud person is overly impressed with himself – either with his talents or his liabilities. One man is overly impressed with his gifts, his associations, his fame, his power, his influence, his wealth. Another man is overly impressed with his problems, his obscurity, his weakness, his insignificance, his poverty. The problem with both men is that they are overly impressed with themselves. The first man’s ego is inflated with his importance while the second man’s ego is inflated with his unimportance. Both men are puffed up. The evidence of their pride is the subject of their conversation. The one man talks of his accomplishments – his stock, his circle of friends, his business ventures. The other man speaks of his problems – his maladies, his debts, his miseries and woes. The first man squanders his talent (Luke 16:19-31) or flaunts it to be seen of men (Matthew 6:1-18). The second, one talent man, buries his talent because he supposes life and the Lord to be too hard on him (Matthew 25:18, 24-30). They both have their reward – the temporary satisfaction they’ve conjured for themselves here and, in the hereafter, an eternity of muse on their folly. “Humble yourselves, therefore…that He may exalt you at the proper time” (1 Peter 5:6). Pride is a lack of trust in the purpose and plans of God. “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6). The proud person does not wait on the Lord. He despises the Lord’s yoke. He disdains his neighbor’s weakness. He will not bear with the weak or the immature. He will not forgive the wrongdoer. He will not be patient in suffering. He will not overlook faults. He will not love unconditionally. The basic problem of the proud is the weakness of his faith. He really doesn’t believe that “at the proper time” God will exalt him if he just does right. So he just does what he wants. His burden increases and so his unwillingness to submit to the mighty hand of God seems further justified in his own mind. Do you really believe God? Do you really believe His way is the best way? Do you really believe that He will vindicate you in His time? Then why aren’t you doing it His way? Your problem is pride. And the reason for your pride is your poverty of faith. Believe Him and obey what He says. Pride is my problem. It’s your problem too. I think I can help you with yours by working on mine. And you can help me in the same way. “Humble yourself….” That’s the starting place. Jason Moore The Southside Reminder, 2/10/99 WHAT A NEAT IDEA AND WHAT A WONDERFUL JOB Several of the members here were involved in making CD’s of the children singing and also containing some congregational singing to give to those who are shut-in, sick, perhaps a little bit older. I smiled constantly as the children were singing, and my heart was stirred by the singing of the congregation. What a wonderful idea that was and you all, each and every one of you, did a great job. I hope those CD’s make their way around. They will lighten the burdens of the day and warm the hearts of all who listen. Thank you for the heart who dreamed it, and the hands that brought it to pass. Greg Litmer
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