THE DANGER OF WALKING IN PRIDE(PART 2) The meek will he guide in justice: and the meek will he teach his way.Psalm 25:9 The scriptures testify that the proud are easily offended and hold grudges. They withhold forgiveness to keep another in their debt and to justify their injured feelings. The proud do not receive counsel or correction easily. (See Prov. 15:10;Amos 5:10.) Defensiveness is used by them to justify and rationalize their frailties and failures. (See Matt. 3:9; John 6:30–59.) The proud depend upon the world to tell them whether they have value or not. Their self-esteem is determined by where they are judged to be on the ladders of worldly success. They feel worthwhile as individuals if the numbers beneath them in achievement, talent, beauty, or intellect are large enough. Pride is ugly. It says, “If you succeed, I am a failure.” If we love God, do His will, and fear His judgment more than men’s, we will have self-esteem. Pride is a damning sin in the true sense of that word. It limits or stops progression. The proud are not easily taught. They wont change their minds to accept truths, because to do so implies they have been wrong. Pride adversely affects all our relationships—our relationship with God and His servants, between husband and wife, parent and child, employer and employee, teacher and student, and all mankind. Our degree of pride determines how we treat our God and our brothers and sisters. Christ wants to lift us to where He is. Do we desire to do the same for others? Pride fades our feelings of sonship to God and brotherhood to man. It separates and divides us by “ranks,” according to our “riches” and our “chances for learning.” Unity is impossible for a proud people, and unless we are one, we are not the Lord’s Think of what pride has cost us in the past and what it is now costing us in our own lives, our families, and the Church. Think of the repentance that could take place with lives changed, marriages preserved, and homes strengthened, if pride did not keep us from confessing our sins and forsaking them. Think of the many who are less active members of the Church because they were offended and their pride will not allow them to forgive or fully sup at the Lord’s Table. Pastor’s wife comments cause the dissolved of Church. “This our Church,you can leave if you don’t fit inn” Think of the tens of thousands of additional young men and couples who could be on missions except for the pride that keeps them from yielding their hearts unto God. And a humble Pastor who could have trained them, not only His son as, the nest Bishop. Think how temple work would increase if the time spent in this godly service were more important than the many prideful pursuits that compete for our time. Pride affects all of us at various times and in various degrees. Pride is the universal sin, the great vice. Yes, pride is the universal sin, the great vice. The antidote for pride is humility—meekness, submissiveness. It is the broken heart and contrite spirit. Ps. 34:18; Isa. 57:15; Isa. 66:2.) God will have a humble people. Either we can choose to be humble or we can be compelled to be humble. “Blessed are they who humble themselves without being compelled to be humble.” Peace is all that we need, but pride drives away the peace of God. WHENEVER WE DON’T HAVE PEACE IN OUR PURSUIT,IT IS CLEAR INDICATION THAT PRIDE IS LEADING,NOT CHRIST. ISAIAH 26:3 LET US CHOSE TO BE HUMBLE We can choose to humble ourselves by conquering enmity toward our brothers and sisters, esteeming them as ourselves, and lifting them as high or higher than we are. PSALM 133 We can choose to humble ourselves by receiving counsel and chastisement. ( Prov. 9:8.) We can choose to humble ourselves by forgiving those who have offended us. We can choose to humble ourselves by rendering selfless service to those who have hurt us deeply. We can choose to humble ourselves by going on missions and preaching the word that can humble others. We can choose to humble ourselves by getting to the church meetings early and being the last to leave. We can choose to humble ourselves by confessing and forsaking our sins and being born of God. 1 John 1:9 We can choose to humble ourselves by loving God, submitting our will to His, and putting Him first in our lives. Luke 14:11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. Pride is the great stumbling block to Humanity to enter into heaven. Luke 7:14For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.Why narrow ? That is the sign for humble people. We must cleanse the inner vessel by conquering pride. (Matt. 23:25–26.) We must yield “to the prompting of the Holy Spirit,” putting off the prideful “natural man,” become “a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord,” and become “as a child, submissive, meek, humble.” Titus 2:9-11 That we may do so and go on to fulfil our divine destiny is my fervent prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. REPENT,REPENT FROM PRIDE,THE GENESIS OF ALL HUMAN FALLS FROM THE GRACE.
Posted on: Sun, 23 Mar 2014 20:32:58 +0000