Pride and Humility  

Cure yourself of the affliction of caring how you appear to others. Concern yourself only with how you appear before God, concern yourself only with the idea that God may have of you. ~Miguel De Unamuno

Here is yet another one of my struggles.  Pride and the belief that I contribute in some way to my abilities, gifts and the things that I have in this world.  Those are the days when I am full of myself and do something extraordinary in my own eyes.  I accomplish something even I didn’t think I could do and before I praise God for giving me the ability to accomplish the task I am already thinking about how great I am.

I have to come to the realization that I didn’t contribute anything to my salvation.  Jesus did all the work and it had nothing to do with my abilities, skills, education or how well I do something.

Have you ever compared yourself to other believers or un-believers?  It happens every day.  We look at other Christians or non-Christians and say I would never do that, or I devote this amount of time to church activities but they don’t. Everything we have comes from God and is to be used in serving Him.  All of the credit should go to God. 

We are to also submit to one another out of reverence to Christ.  (Ephesians 5:21)  This doesn’t mean always giving in to others’ demands or opinions.  It means to submit to Godly instruction and correction from other believers.  It means we must be teachable and humble enough to admit we are wrong when another believer corrects us.

I also struggle with tooting my own horn.  Telling others about all the good things I am doing for Christ or other people.  This doesn’t gain me anything except accolades here on earth.  If I receive the praise here on earth instead of God being glorified, I won’t receive the real blessing in heaven. 

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I often am so prideful that I want the praise of others.  I seek out recognition for the things I do when I should be seeking to glorify You.  I want to treat others with humility but pride often stands in the way.  Please help me to become the humble person You created me to be and to serve others with humility.    

Scripture:  So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you?  You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am.  If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.  For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.  Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him.  If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.  John 13:12-17