pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: pride


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Humble Surrender

Reading: 2nd Kings 5:1-3 and 5-14c

2nd Kings 5:14b – “Now I know for certain that there’s no God anywhere on earth except in Israel.”

Photo credit: Shane Rounce

A powerful general from Aram has a skin disease. Unlike in Israel, this does not make him an outcast in his country. But this disease still creates a physical need for healing. By chance (?) an Israelite girl is a slave in Naaman’s home. She comments, ‘Only if my master could see the prophet in Samaria…’ In no time, Naaman is off to Israel’s king – letter, thank you gift, and entourage in tow. The king of Israel is powerless to heal him so he receives this visit as an attempt to pick a fight. Elisha the prophet hears of this and tells the king to send Naaman his way.

Ultimately following Elisha’s simple directions, Naaman is beyond healed. His skin was restored to the skin of his youth. Not just the bad spot was cleansed. Returning to Elisha’s house, Naaman declares, “Now I know for certain that there’s no God anywhere on earth except in Israel.” The outsider, the foreigner, is profoundly affected. Professing his faith in God alone, Naaman will bring dirt back home so that he has a place to worship God. The cleansing of his disease has begun Naaman on a path that leads to wholeness for Naaman. This is found only in a relationship with the Lord.

Wholeness comes through living daily in a right relationship with God. This week we’ve talked about one means to focus on living this way. The Examen’s steps of request, relish, review, repent, and resolve take us daily to a place of honest reflection and introspection, drawing us closer to the Lord, empowering our daily walk. This discipline is grounded in humility and surrender. Kneeling on proverbial dirt, may we worship the Lord our God each day.

Prayer: Lord God, we can struggle as Naaman did, allowing pride and status to mislead us, to keep us from a place where we open ourselves up to your healing power. Like the servant who called him to humble surrender, may we hear the voice of your Spirit calling us to this place daily. Amen.


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Take Hold of True Life

Reading: 1st Timothy 6:17-19

1st Timothy 6:17-18 – “Tell people who are rich… to do good, to be rich in the good things they do, to be generous, and to share with others.”

Photo credit: Shane

Continuing in 1st Timothy 6 today, Paul instructs Timothy on how to minister to those Christians who do have wealth, power, status… There were and are people that God has blessed with gifts and talents and legacies that has and have allowed them to be rich in the things of this world. Paul first addresses the dangers of this place in life. One can easily become prideful and arrogant. This often leads to isolating oneself from those who are seen as “less than.” From this place of heart and mind one can place their hope in their worldly riches instead of in God. Some falsely think, “Who needs God when I have all of this?”

Paul’s instruction to Timothy is this: “Tell people who are rich… to do good, to be rich in the good things they do, to be generous, and to share with others.” To do good and to be rich in good works is to engage the world around you. This counters the choices to isolate and to look down on those without wealth, power, status… To do good for others draws us into relationship and here we find our commonality, which leads to unity. To be generous and to share what we have lifts up those without and it grows one’s compassion and empathy, deepening one’s desire to practice generosity. To do good and to be generous draws us closer to God and to one another.

In verse 19 Paul states that these actions lay a “good foundation for the future.” This foundation is an ever-growing compassion and love for neighbor and a continual growth in one’s relationship with God. Living out our faith in these ways allows us to “take hold of what is truly life.” This is loving God and neighbor with all that we have and are. May it be so for you and for me.

Prayer: Lord God, lead us to be people of love and compassion. Guide us to people and places that need to experience these things. Open our hearts and hands to serve you through serving those in need. In these ways, use us to draw others closer to you. Amen.


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Treasure in Heaven

Reading: Matthew 19:16-22

Matthew 19:22 – “But when the young man heard this, he went away saddened, because he had many possessions.”

Photo credit: Falaq Lazuardi

In verse 16 a man approached Jesus and wanted to know what “good thing” must he do to get him into heaven. What must I do? The good part of this question is that the man has a concern about eternal life. In reality, I think everyone wants to go to heaven. But there are two issues here. First, the man believes it only takes so much to enter heaven. No, it requires surrendering our whole life to the will and way of God. Second, he thinks getting into heaven is about doing something good or even doing a lot of good things. No, there is no great balance scale that determines our merit for entry into eternal life. Living an earthly life worthy of eternal life is much more about being than doing. We are called to be Christ to the world.

Jesus responds by telling the man to keep the commands. Revealing the depth of issue one from above, the man asks, “Which ones?” In other words, keeping how many of the 600+ commands enables entry into heaven? Jesus lists six. The young man has kept these six commandments. But sensing there must be more to this than Jesus is letting on, he asks, “What still am I missing?” Addressing the reality of issue one in the man’s life, Jesus begins with, “If you want to be complete…” If you really want to surrender your life to God, then here is what you, in particular, must do.

Jesus tells the man, “Go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor.” This kind of life surrender will store up treasure in heaven. Not money in the bank, but humility and generosity and compassion in the heart. These are the treasures of heaven – in this life and the life to come. But, alas, the man’s love of his “stuff” is too great. In the last verse we read, “But when the young man heard this, he went away saddened, because he had many possessions.”

For the man in this teaching, his possessions were on the throne of his heart. Maybe the same is true for you. Maybe this story felt convicting. Or maybe possessions are not your struggle. If it were me, for example, Jesus would say something along these lines: “John, give up that need to be in control, surrendering your pride as you trust others more.” Empowering others to be in service, building up their gifts, would be treasure in heaven. What is it that you need to work on surrendering in order to draw closer to being Christ in the world?

Prayer: Lord God, I ask that you would continue to work in me, chipping away at my pride, chiseling away at those other things that keep me from fully surrendering all of who I am to you. Do the same, O God, refining and transforming the hearts of all who desire to walk more closely with you. Empower each of us to more fully be Jesus’ hands and feet and hearts in the world. All for your glory. Amen.


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Imitate Christ, Find Joy

Reading: Philippians 2:1-4

Philippians 2:4 – “Instead of each person watching out for their own good, watch out for what is better for others.”

Selfishness and sinfulness have been a part of the human condition since very early in creation. These two traits are opposed to the will and way of God. Within each of us there is a daily battle between the inherent love of self and the call to live God and neighbor.

In Philippians 2 Paul encourages those in the churches in and around Philippi to imitate Christ. Jesus set for the church and for us the example of what it looks like to daily love God and neighbor more than self. Paul invites his readers – then and now – to find encouragement in Jesus’ example, to find comfort in his love for us, to draw on the power and presence of the Holy Spirit, and to have sympathy (compassion) for others. Paul tells the Philippians that this kind of living will “complete my joy.” Living this way is pleasing to God today.

To live like Christ one must work against our nature to do things for self. Instead, Paul encourages us, writing, “With humility think of others as better than yourselves.” Stripped of arrogance and pride, life is not all about us and our wants and our pleasures. Keeping in line with this practice, Paul then writes, “Instead of each person watching out for their own good, watch out for what is better for others.” Focus on the ways that we can care for and love on others. Focus on the ways that we can provide for and protect our neighbors. Doing these things, we imitate Christ. Doing these things, we find great joy in living for Christ.

Prayer: Lord God, guide us to look outward rather than inward. Break the tendencies to think first of self and to strive for the world’s “success.” Draw us to the heart of Christ, to humble service and sacrificial love. From this place of heart, use us to care for the weak and vulnerable, to feed the hungry and the lonely, to stand for and with the oppressed and the marginalized. As we seek to imitate Christ, fill us with joy. Amen.


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Humble Service

Reading: Matthew 23:11-12

Matthew 23:11 – “The one who is greatest among you will be your servant.”

Matthew 23 compares who the religious leaders are with who Jesus calls his followers to be. Earlier in the chapter Jesus says, “Don’t do what they do.” The religious leaders are asking the people to do things they won’t do themselves. Looking at this admonition and the other context verses, I am reminded of the show, “Undercover Boss.” The title implies the premise of the show. A couple of things usually happen on every episode. First, the boss (or the owner) has their eyes opened as they become a new hire for their company. Performing these menial tasks takes them to the core of what it meant to be a servant in Jesus’ day. Remember the disciples’ shock when Jesus washed their feet? Servant! The second regular occurrence is the boss meeting an employee who is more servant than employee. This person’s love and dedication are noteworthy, they stand out. This is what Jesus is talking about when he says, “The one who is greatest among you will be your servant.”

The second verse in today’s passage also is a regular occurrence on “Undercover Boss.” The boss is usually the one who has lifted himself or herself up (in a good way – through hard work…) Often this rising up, though, breeds pride and/or arrogance, as it has in the religious leaders of Jesus’ day. The religious leaders work hard to set themselves apart from and therefore above the people. Opposite of this, Jesus notes, “all who make themselves low will be lifted up.” This is often the case on the show with the employee who is more like a servant. The boss rewards their servant attitude with a nice promotion or a generous raise. While God doesn’t give us promotions or raises when we choose to humbly serve others, there are definitely “rewards” – joy, peace, content… – that come with living our neighbors in ways that stand out. May we choose to serve well today.

Prayer: Lord God, it can be easy to get caught up in ourselves, thinking this task or that job is “below” us. It can be hard to humble ourselves to scrub a toilet or to mow a yard or… thinking “someone” else should do that. This poor attitude soon permeates our spirit. When we struggle in these ways, O God, remind us of Christ’s example. Call us to walk in his servant footsteps. Amen.


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Abundant and Generous

Reading: Isaiah 55:6-11

Isaiah 55:7 – “Let them return to the Lord so that he may have mercy on them… because he is generous with forgiveness.”

Photo credit: Freestocks

Isaiah 55 is an invitation to the feast of the Lord. The rations of captivity will become an abundant divine banquet. The covenant of love between God and Israel will be renewed. Through the prophet, God is telling Israel that pardon and return is possible. There are times in our lives when a relationship is strained or broken and we wonder if things can ever be made right again. We wonder if pardon and renewal are even possible.

Verses 6 and 7 reveal the first steps for Israel. First, seek and call on the Lord “while he is yet near.” The time is now. Isaiah invites the wicked to turn from their sinful ways and schemes. For us, these might be first steps too. To begin healing what is broken, seeking God’s wisdom and guidance in prayer is step one. And if the hurt or harm is ongoing, we must certainly stop this at once.

In the last part of verse 7 we read, “Let them return to the Lord so that he may have mercy on them… because he is generous with forgiveness.” God desires to forgive and restore, to renew the covenant relationship. For Israel and sometimes for us, we do not understand God’s terms. Our rational and prideful ways can block mercy and forgiveness. This is why we’re reminded that God’s ways and plans are so much higher than ours. God pours out generous forgiveness. With God, these promises and invitations, they are like the rain and snow that renews the earth. If we turn to God, if we abandon our sinful ways, then we will experience generous and abundant forgiveness and renewal. Following this model we can also experience forgiveness and renewal in our own broken relationships. May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for your generous forgiveness and for your deep desire to walk with us, fallible as we are. Your grace and your love go far beyond our understanding yet we can grasp how we are to live and be in the world, how we are to treat one another. Forgiven and renewed ourselves, empower us to practice well your generous forgiveness and abundant love and grace. Amen.


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Worthy of the Call

Reading: Ephesians 4:1-7

Ephesians 4:2 – “Conduct yourselves with all humility, gentleness, and patience. Accept each other in love.”

Chapter 4 of Ephesians begins with Paul’s call to “live as people worthy of the call” of God. We can see this as the summary statement for what follows in the next few verses. Paul’s focus overall is the unity of the body of believers. The “church” should reflect to the world the love, grace, mercy… of God. To fail to do so greatly damages the church’s ability to witness to the world. If the world cannot see God and Christ in the church and in her actions, then the world will never listen to her words.

With these thoughts in mind, Paul gets down to specifics: “Conduct yourselves with all humility, gentleness, and patience. Accept each other in love.” Practicing these four virtues or behaviors on a regular basis will work to bring unity to the body of believers. Humility works against pride and judging – two primary dividers of any group of people. Gentleness guides our words, our thoughts, our actions, steering them away from gossip, critiquing, and harsh words and actions. Patience raises our levels of understanding concerning our differences in thought, belief, and practice, and it makes us take pause before speaking words that might cause harm or hurt. These first three virtues guide us to accept one another in genuine love, bringing peace and unity to the body of Christ.

When we as individuals and we as the church live out these Christ-following virtues, the oneness that Paul speaks of becomes evident in our lives and in our churches. This draws others towards Christ. Living a life and a faith worthy of our calling matters for us personally and it matters for the watching world. Therefore, in all things may we lift high the Lord our God.

Prayer: Lord God, living out these virtues – humility, gentleness, patience, acceptance – can be challenging. So, Lord, when we’re tempted to be less than you call us to be, whisper your words of love and grace, peace and unity into our ears. Bring before our hearts and hands the example of Christ. Empowered by these reminders, use us to build your kingdom in our hearts and here on earth. Amen.


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Finding Contentment and Peace

Reading: Philippians 4:10-14

Philippians 4:12b – “I have learned the secret to bring content in any and every circumstance.”

Photo credit: Eugene Zhyvchik

Today’s words from Paul speak of a topic that many find elusive today. This is especially true when we are younger or are not yet mature in our faith. At these stages we are still very much concerned with or even infatuated with the things of this world. When in love with the things of this world, almost all of us live on the “treadmill” – better jobs, more money, newer and bigger houses, boats… – seeking the next “success” over and over again.

As our passage for today begins, Paul expresses his thanks for the collection that the church in Philippi took up for him. It is a way that they can show their concern for Paul. While he appreciates the gift and the thought, it wasn’t necessarily needed. Since coming to faith in Jesus, Paul’s life has been transformed. In his “old life” Paul had doggedly pursued success and recognition in his chosen field: Pharisee. In his “new life in Christ” these things do not matter. Through times of need and abundance, through times of blessing and poverty, Paul has not tried to rely on his own gifts and talents. He has learned to trust in God to provide.

Because of this humble trust in God, Paul can write, “I have learned the secret to bring content in any and every circumstance.” No matter what this world gives or takes, no matter what this world throws at him or against him, Paul has come to believe that all will be well through “the power of the one who gives me strength.” In Christ, Paul has found the source of peace and contentment. That’s the secret! May it be so for us all.

Prayer: Lord God, as we consider how to find contentment and peace, we recognize first that we all battle envy or jealousy or pride now and then. So we all ask for your power and presence in our lives. Second, Lord, we all ask that you would mature our faith, building up our trust, our humility, and our belief in your love, care, and provision. Relying not on our own strength but on yours, we can be children of your kingdom, O God. Amen.


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Choices and Actions

Reading: Obadiah 12-15

Obadiah 15: “The day of the Lord is near… As you have done, so it will be done to you.”

Obadiah’s short, one chapter letter takes aim at Edom, Israel’s neighbor to the southeast. Israel and Edom are connected. Jacob and Esau are the beginning seeds of these two groups of people. The tension that existed between the brothers has remained a part of the relationship between these two nations. As Obadiah writes, Jerusalem (and Judah) has just fallen to Babylon’s army.

Have you even been in a situation where someone you disliked or didn’t get along with was “getting their due?” The bully has fallen or the dishonest one has been revealed. Whatever the case, it can be tempting to join in – maybe with a judgmental comment, a stinging barb, or even worse, with some verbal or physical abuse. It can be tempting.

As Israel was falling to Babylon, Edom jumped in. They “took pleasure” over Israel’s downfall, rejoicing over their misery. Edom entered the defeated city and “stole possessions.” The Edomites “waited on the roads to destroy escapees” – those lucky enough to escape Babylon’s attack. Edom killed some and handed others back over to Babylon. Edom fell to the temptation to “get even.” Big time.

Obadiah speaks a word of God’s judgment against Edom, saying, “The day of the Lord is near… As you have done, so it will be done to you.” God has taken note of how Edom treated Israel in its time of need. They slapped the hand just barely above the surface of the water instead of reaching out to help. One day these choices will bring similar suffering to Edom. So it will be when we allow pride and envy to dictate our choices and actions.

Prayer: Lord God, instead of thoughts of judgement and revenge, fill our hearts and minds with thoughts of empathy and compassion. When the temptation rises to “take our opportunity” or to pile on, move us instead to offer healing and comfort. May your love for us be reflected in our love for all people, even those hardest to love. Amen.


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An Intent to Obey and Honor

Reading: Luke 15:13-19

Luke 15:16 – “He longed to eat his fill from what the pigs ate, but no one gave him anything.”

Photo credit: Mitchel Lensink

The parable of the lost son is well-known. In his youthful pride the younger son demands his share of the inheritance. He is ready to be his own man. As our reading begins the young man gathers all he has and travels to a land far away to make his mark on the world. But the lost son was not ready. He quickly wasted his wealth in selfish and extravagant living. Far from home, with no resources, the young man suffers during the famine that strikes the land.

The lost son finds work feeding pigs, an unclean animal according to Jewish law. He is low as low can get. In verse 16 we read, “He longed to eat his fill from what the pigs ate, but no one gave him anything.” In deep trouble and in great need, the prodigal son comes to his senses. It may be tempting to tsk-tsk the young man, but we’ve all likely been there. For some of us, more than once or four times. We have tried everything we can think of. We’ve tried bargaining with God. At rock bottom, alongside desperation, humility begins to kick in. A willingness to offer apologies and to seek forgiveness replaced the pride that led us astray.

The young man resolves to go home, to admit his sin against his father and against God, and to ask to simply be a hired hand. This place of mind and heart reminds me of a line from John Wesley’s Covenant Prayer: “I am no longer my own, but thine. Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.” It is a prayer of surrender and humility. These words declare an intent to obey and honor God in all things. May this intent be revealed in all we do, say, and think.

Prayer: Lord God, pride is so dangerous. Not only does it place self first, it also places others below our judgment seat. When we enter this dangerous place, O God, lead us to a place of surrender. Maybe through suffering, maybe by another means, draw us back into relationship, back to a place where your will and way become our will and way. Thank you for your patience and for your grace. Amen.