Watchword
(Genesis 6.9-22, 7.24, 8.14-19;
Romans 1.16-17,3.22-28; Matthew 7.21-29)
How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this the gate of heaven. Genesis 28.17
I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved. John 10.9
Proverbs 11:2
When pride comes, then comes disgrace,
But with the humble is wisdom.
Reading the Proverbs is a life-long task. You’re never done with it. And Proverbs like ours today show the need of this re-reading. Because you know, and I know, that pride seeps in through every possible nook and cranny. We constantly need to hear of its danger, because it is a constant danger.
My brothers and I know the “pancake episode” from the original Star Trek. Basically the plot is like this: Some people from the starship Enterprise beam onto a planet, which is eerily quiet. The reason why it is quiet is because of hostile invaders that look like pancakes.
They kill like so: They hang onto the ceiling~ you pass by them without noticing~ they fly off the ceiling and attach onto your back~ they attach onto your major organs~ you scream out in pain~ you’re a goner! By the way, you Trekkies won’t be surprised to hear that just this process worked itself out in a couple of red-shirt security guards!
Pride is like the pancakes! Entire civilizations have been overthrown by pride. It attacks societies person by person. It comes on you unawares. Even the strongest (read: Spock) are affected. Perhaps the only significant difference between pride and the pancake creatures is that the pancakes can be killed off with micro-light.
I’ve been to seminary and so occasionally I’ve been known to spout a few profundities. Here we go again: PRIDE IS BAD.
Here I am not saying that pride is wrong, but that pride is harmful. And harmful to just that object which pride attempt to inflate: the reputation. Overweening pride has its end in shame.
Protect yourself. Let me ask you something: Why do you make everything into a competition? Why are you so quick to congratulate yourself, while criticisms fall so easily off your tongue? Why so wise in your own eyes? Why so easily offended? Why are your thoughts clogged with self-thought?
Instead, brothers and sisters – take the time to think through today why you should be humble. I did this as an exercise two weeks ago: I asked, “What do I have that was not given to me?” “What do I need?” “How much of my life is built up on ‘lucky breaks’?”
Humility! Lay low. Do your work quietly. Guard your ambition gate with a vengeance. And keep your fountain of thanksgiving clear of clogs, eminently clean, free-flowing.
Oh, and live long and prosper!
Bible Reading: Romans 3:21-26
Martin Luther called this the most significant paragraph in the Bible. And you could read it today! Make sure you can follow every train of thought, define every word.
Propitiation: God is angry with sin and sinners and intends to judge them harshly and eternally. But God set forward Jesus, His beloved Son, as a wrath-appeaser, so that men and women could be saved from His wrath. Jesus’ running blood and torn flesh atoned for our sins. Do you believe that?
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