DAY 2: That Darned Pride

 One would think that I would get tired of going around and around with this issue. P-R-I-D-E...the plant of negativity whose roots seem to be so elusive when trying to pull out. But today, I realized that we couldn't have a discussion about ridding our hearts of negativity without dealing with pride early on. I believe that pride is the root of so many of our negative spaces. Our self-righteousness and anxiety or contrary attitudes are often birthed out of the idea that we know better, we would do different/better, we need to have control and so on. Pride is the weight that we often choose to hold on to even in situations when it's to our own detriment.

However, the Bible is clear on this very topic. Proverbs 16:18 says that 'pride comes before our falls and a haughty spirit before destruction'. The Word doesn't hesitate to associate being prideful with being wicked (Psalm 10:4); and one of my favorite verses being where it tells us that "When pride comes, then comes disgrace (UGH!), but with the humble is wisdom." (Proverbs 11:2) At the end of the day, we are faced with a choice. We can hold on to our false righteousness in an effort to be RIGHT or we can begin to connect our hearts with the will of God to be humble.

Today, make a choice to do something a bit different: Choose humility. Choose to rid your daily situations of the horrific, cancerous leech that pride can be. Present your heart today and know that God can truly walk with you and help you. Be reminded that he is the Greatest Gardener ever and when we put our hearts in his hand, he can delicately remove roots that we allow him access to. Present yourself to Him in prayer continually until you look up and trust is built, humility is in bloom and positivity shines bright...

Lord, I have given up my pride and turned away from my arrogance. 

I am not concerned with great matters or with subjects too difficult for me. 

Instead, I am content and at peace. As a child lies quietly in its mother's arms, 

so my heart is quiet within me. Israel, trust in the Lord now and forever! 

Psalm 131 (GNT)

Be encouraged and be blessed in this day!
Pastor Andrea

That Nasty "P" Word

Recently, I've been really struggling with that nasty "P" word. You know the one I'm talking about. You know...P-R-I-D-E...(that is what you were thinking, right?). It seems a recurring theme in my life where something will happen that will make me feel affronted or disrespected. And, while I may not go off on people to their faces (my Christian standard would not allow that, she says haughtily), what's usually going on in my mind spells pride over and over again. "Don't they know how smart I really am? Don't they realize that I may be serving but I'm not their servant?" Yep...not exactly the picture of humility. And while I'm doing better that I could be doing, it doesn't make it any better before God. I used to have a friend who would always fuss and complain about the things that were happening to him. Somewhere in the midst of his rants he would express how he was so misunderstood because he was "soooo humble". I remember thinking (and saying a few times) that if you have to say you are humble the likelihood is that you are not. And in my mind, I'm sure I made a comparison to how humble I thought that I was...yeah...not much better, right?

So it's further convicting that the example we have is one of perfection in Jesus who somehow managed to genuinely not care what people thought or how they treated him as long as has Father in heaven was glorified. Mark 14:61 says that "He kept silent and answered nothing" when being questioned by the high priests. Jesus...Lord of Lords...King of Kings...Son of the Trinity...said nothing. So many of us would have said "Don't you know who I am?!" and quickly put them in check. In fact, some of you are being challenged in this area right now just as I am--wanting to give air time to the voices in your head that are telling you to defend yourself. But I'm here to remind you that it is HE who defends us at every turn. Isaiah 54:17 says that 'no weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgement GOD shall condemn.'

Today, you and I both have the opportunity to do better--get our minds right and check our self-righteousness and pride at the door. You may not want to call it that. You may feel (and actually BE) fully justified in your indignation, but that indignation gets us nowhere in Jesus. Today, be encouraged to allow God to do what He's so good at doing. Allow Him to shine above and beyond your "rightness". Allow His credentials to prove you right. Allow Him to fight your battles.

Blessings,
Pastor Andrea

Day 29: The Honor of Humility, The Gift of Grace

A man's pride will bring him low, But the humble in spirit will retain honor. Proverbs 29:23

There is a scripture in James that I often reflect on. It says, "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up." (James 4:10) It's one of those verses that often sticks in my heart as I reflect on the idea that humbling is something that we do for ourselves and not this thing that God does for us. So I appreciate today's proverb that preaches along this same vein--humility brings honor. It's not just okay to say that we want to be humble, but it's necessary to understand that intention and action must accompany this desire. Walking in humility means putting aside your sense of entitlement and clothing yourself with the understanding that there is nothing that we deserve. While God has made promises to us, His words are ones of grace and not earned blessings. While He hears and understands our cries of "why me", the Lord wants to see our heart changed to "why not me". We may not want to hear this, but when we chose Jesus, we elected to join Him in His suffering (that's what it says in Philippians 3:10 ..."that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death"). If we are sincere, we decide that we love Him more than our creature comforts, we love Him more than what makes sense to us, we love Him more than even our own reputations. The tears you've been crying because your whole world has gone south and you feel like you don't "deserve" it are signs of grief mixed with pride. No one deserves heartache any more or less than the next person. The grace of God lets us know that Jesus came to heal the brokenhearted so that we don't have to live in that space of grief continually. He gave us a gift that is irreplaceable. Thus, as you approach this new week, do so with the cloak of humility surrounding you. Approach others with the thought that we all are in this together with none of us more or less deserving of grace than the next; and watch as people respond with awe and love--honoring the gift you've given them through your humbled spirit.

Be encouraged!
Blessings,
MinD