Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
Today I saw a very interesting post on Facebook. It was shared by one of my favorite current quartets and was originally posted by one of their members. This member of the group had some big news to share: he got saved yesterday!
Before any rocks are thrown, allow me to remind everyone that this is something to be celebrated, and it's not the time to criticize anyone for "living a lie." Regardless of how or when an individual comes to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, the most important thing is that it happens. That said, I can understand why someone would ask how a person could be involved in singing gospel music and not know the Saviour personally. Well, he had an explanation for that.
He told that when he was 12 years old he "prayed a prayer," and talked about all of the things that he had been involved with since then. He said that he knew the word of God and that on the outside, he appeared to be a great Christian. The problem with that is, it's not the outside that matters; it's the inside. You and I might not be able to see through the front that someone puts up, but God can, and He looks directly at the heart.
The thing I want to focus on today, however, is the thing that he said held him back from making things right for so long: pride. You see, it requires swallowing a lot of pride to be saved, since we have to recognize our total dependence on God. But I think that someone who has long been identified as a Christian by others has to swallow even more. Human nature would much rather justify itself that admit to wrong. The flesh will be concerned with "what others think." It's easy to dismiss that by pointing out that spiritual people will rejoice over the salvation and tell someone not to worry about what a few might say, but that's not an easy thing for someone who doesn't have the new nature to do.
Fortunately, this young man didn't allow his pride to control him until it was too late. For so many, however, that is not the case. Many people take that pride to the grave, being much more interested in preserving their temporary reputations than their eternal souls. That's a very high price to pay, and in doing so, they're saying that their pride is more valuable to them than anything. I'm happy to say that I've seen people that I know quite well swallow that pride and accept Jesus. I don't say that in a gloating manner, but I say it in that I'm happy that they realized that their salvation was more important than anything else.
Pride doesn't get in the way of salvation only. Sometimes it can get in the way of our relationships with others, or our relationship with God. Sometimes, it allows hurt feelings to prosper which drain us emotionally, physically. and spiritually. Pride does a lot of damage. Sometimes it hurts only the one harboring it, but other times, it hurts others as well.
How much is your pride worth to you? If you aren't saved, are you willing to let it doom your soul to Hell? If you are saved, are you willing to sacrifice your relationships with others and your Saviour? Are you willing to allow your pride to tear you apart while you continue to self-justify yourself? If you've done any of those things in your life, I plead with you to sacrifice your pride for the good of your soul. Trust me, it's not worth the loss you'll suffer if you say no.
Proverbs 16:18
Today I saw a very interesting post on Facebook. It was shared by one of my favorite current quartets and was originally posted by one of their members. This member of the group had some big news to share: he got saved yesterday!
Before any rocks are thrown, allow me to remind everyone that this is something to be celebrated, and it's not the time to criticize anyone for "living a lie." Regardless of how or when an individual comes to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, the most important thing is that it happens. That said, I can understand why someone would ask how a person could be involved in singing gospel music and not know the Saviour personally. Well, he had an explanation for that.
He told that when he was 12 years old he "prayed a prayer," and talked about all of the things that he had been involved with since then. He said that he knew the word of God and that on the outside, he appeared to be a great Christian. The problem with that is, it's not the outside that matters; it's the inside. You and I might not be able to see through the front that someone puts up, but God can, and He looks directly at the heart.
The thing I want to focus on today, however, is the thing that he said held him back from making things right for so long: pride. You see, it requires swallowing a lot of pride to be saved, since we have to recognize our total dependence on God. But I think that someone who has long been identified as a Christian by others has to swallow even more. Human nature would much rather justify itself that admit to wrong. The flesh will be concerned with "what others think." It's easy to dismiss that by pointing out that spiritual people will rejoice over the salvation and tell someone not to worry about what a few might say, but that's not an easy thing for someone who doesn't have the new nature to do.
Fortunately, this young man didn't allow his pride to control him until it was too late. For so many, however, that is not the case. Many people take that pride to the grave, being much more interested in preserving their temporary reputations than their eternal souls. That's a very high price to pay, and in doing so, they're saying that their pride is more valuable to them than anything. I'm happy to say that I've seen people that I know quite well swallow that pride and accept Jesus. I don't say that in a gloating manner, but I say it in that I'm happy that they realized that their salvation was more important than anything else.
Pride doesn't get in the way of salvation only. Sometimes it can get in the way of our relationships with others, or our relationship with God. Sometimes, it allows hurt feelings to prosper which drain us emotionally, physically. and spiritually. Pride does a lot of damage. Sometimes it hurts only the one harboring it, but other times, it hurts others as well.
How much is your pride worth to you? If you aren't saved, are you willing to let it doom your soul to Hell? If you are saved, are you willing to sacrifice your relationships with others and your Saviour? Are you willing to allow your pride to tear you apart while you continue to self-justify yourself? If you've done any of those things in your life, I plead with you to sacrifice your pride for the good of your soul. Trust me, it's not worth the loss you'll suffer if you say no.
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