The Skinny on Pride

I've learned a life-altering lesson from the death via suicide of a college mate Mark Rife and the many shallow, unknowingly heartless responses to it. Biblically pride and suicide are sins God looks on with equal disdain, Christ excoriated the Pharisees's empty, pride-driven religion,  Solomon extolled the virtue of a living dog over that of a dead lion. Pride, in a way, trumps suicide as a worse sin; for pride is a living suicide, ask Lucifer, his pride placed him on a roller coaster ride to ultimate destruction.

Think you all that?

We live in a culture of confidence. Anything deemed weak, powerless, or not eye to eye is out of place, unprofitable, and unworthy of our time and attention. It's little wonder the real needs of society like the homeless, jobless, and "heavenless" are not the object of our time. Like Alexander the Great, we're wounded by the pride of conquest, not seeing that men of Napoleon-like stature, like Paul are the ones God utilizes for His purpose in others. Take Paul, a case study in weakness made strength. He was regarded as strong in letter but a man, who didn't have much stage presence. Though he was well-trained at Gamaliel's feet, Paul's glory was not in His strength but in His message. Life taught Paul that his weakness was to be his boasting 2 Cor. 12:5 he learned that only when brought to his breaking point could he know personal breakthrough. This perspective brought reality and naturalness to what Paul did. First, he lived purely for the gain of others, not their return on his investment, he could do this because he held those he reached out to close to his heart. Second, he was natural and selfless in his way with people, his motives were right; after all, he wanted their good; any benefit he'd know from his investments with others was extra. Paul understood that he'd be what he needed to to others only as he lived in the reality of who he was, nothing. As our nothingness becomes a reality we live in; we're on path to greater influence. Paul knew a grace portion surpassing his need, when he lived in the conscious realization that his weakness was God's grace to him, enabling him to access God's greater power to do the impossible. If your glory is your strength today consider Christ's finest moment, the cross; it's impact on your life and mine is unequaled. Paul prided in his pain, for his pain was key to greater personal growth and impact. Take time to live consciously in your inabilities today as you trust God to do what you do. This is the life that holds God's attention and touches others deeply.

A humble view of ourselves helps us better bless others

One of our failings as people is to overestimate our importance to the success of others. The funny thing is while we're focusing on how integral we are to their success; we tend to neglect their real, immediate needs. My inspiration for writing this blog is my current pastor, Dan. I love the way he downplays his importance to my success; meanwhile doing everything he can to ensure I'm all God made me to be. God desires that we have a Biblical view of self. We may think we're beasts (in the Black-American sense) but we still have to sleep (Tripp Lee). Yes, we are just mud, dust stuck together; but as mud we have help roles to fill in the lives of others that we fill best. Reach into the lives of those in and out of your circle today. You'll touch them when you see yourself as a hand, a foot of Jesus to them; meet their needs selflessly, sacrificially, out of joy not duty. Be intentional about seeing yourself the way God sees you and touching others God's way.