First pride, then the crash—the bigger the ego, the harder the fall. [Proverbs 16:18 (MSG)]
God can’t stomach arrogance or pretense; believe me, he’ll put those upstarts in their place. [Proverbs 16:5 (MSG)]
Second Chronicles tells of Uzziah, a man who became king of Judah at the age of sixteen and reigned for fifty-two years. A successful and renowned warrior, he defeated both Philistines and Arabs and expanded Judah’s borders. Uzziah was also a great builder; during his reign, cisterns were dug, towers fortified, forts built in the wilderness, and catapult-like machines that could sling stones and arrows were built on Jerusalem’s walls. With God’s help and guidance, Uzziah became famous and powerful.
Unfortunately, along with Uzziah’s renown and success came pride. He forgot that it was God’s power, not his, that had brought him so many triumphs. As long as he sought guidance from the Lord and acknowledged God’s actions, he had success. But when Uzziah no longer consulted God and acted as if God’s laws no longer applied to him, his life took a disastrous turn. The pride-filled king defied sacred law by entering the sanctuary of the temple and burning incense on the altar. The descendants of Aaron were the only ones authorized to be priests and perform the sacred rites of worship. When the priests confronted him, the king became enraged. Leprosy suddenly sprang out on his forehead as God’s punishment for his sin. The leprous Uzziah had to live in isolation and died in dishonor. The once great king is not remembered for his great achievements but rather for his downfall and punishment.
Four of the last seven governors in Illinois followed their gubernatorial terms with terms in the penitentiary. Rather than remembering each man’s achievements, we only recall their corruption. Another Illinois politician was recently imprisoned; instead of recalling his service in the House of Representatives, he only will be remembered as a child molester. Every day we see entertainers, sports stars, religious leaders, politicians, and business people, once great and powerful, who will not be celebrated for their accomplishments. Instead, they’ll be remembered for their cheating, deceitfulness, fraud, immorality, corruption and worse because, like Uzziah, pride led them to believe they were above the law. Instead of a Hall of Fame, their names will be listed in a Hall of Shame.
Indeed, pride does lead to destruction and conceit to a fall. Like Uzziah, we need to recognize the role God plays in our accomplishments. Anything we have achieved would have been impossible without God empowering and sustaining us. No matter how successful, respected, famous or powerful we may become, we must continue to seek God’s guidance and obey his laws. Remembering that our successes are because of God will help us avoid the sin of pride and all the problems that go along with it.
It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men as angels. [Augustine]
Arrogance and pride—distinguishing marks in the wicked—are just plain sin. [Proverbs 21:4 (MSG)]
Pride lands you flat on your face; humility prepares you for honors. [Proverbs 29:23 (MSG)]
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“Compromise” and “cooperation” are words we hear all too rarely when it comes to our government. Illinois, with a $206 billion debt, has been operating without a budget for nearly a year because Republicans, Democrats and the governor can’t come to an agreement. Although Illinois managed to continue most operations this past year, the state’s poorest and neediest residents suffered the most. If an agreement isn’t reached by July 1, there will be additional shutdowns, more programs cut, schools will lose funding and all road projects will stop. Unfortunately, the winning of political arguments has become more important than serving the people.
Within a day of having written yesterday’s words about trusting Jesus and following Him, God reminded me how difficult it is to actually do that. Granted, it wasn’t God’s voice we were following but His point was well taken. Mid-way through our 1,400 mile drive north, the GPS cautioned us of one accident after another within a few miles ahead of us. After the first such warning, I studied the map trying to find a detour but couldn’t seem to find a route that wouldn’t lead us right back into the accident area and the promised lane closures. When five accidents lay right in our path, not wanting to spend hours in a traffic jam, we reluctantly decided to let the GPS lead us around the congestion. Following its guidance, my husband exited the interstate while I kept trying to figure out what route we’d be taking. Although the GPS screen always indicated the direction of the next turn, we never knew the long-range plan for returning to the highway. We simply had to trust the GPS and take it one turn at a time. Of course, with my trusty map, I tried to second-guess the GPS the entire way. I just couldn’t cede complete control to that sweet calm voice directing us. Without any help from me, however, that voice got us back on the interstate well north of all of the accidents and congestion.
The Philistine army, hoping to capture King David, raided the valley of Rephaim. Before responding to the attack, David stopped and asked God what action he should take. He didn’t present his battle plan for God’s consideration nor did he take action before receiving God’s instruction. God told David to go to battle, assuring him of victory over the Philistines. When the battle went as God had promised, David wisely did not take credit for the victory. “God did it!” he exclaimed, giving credit where credit was due. The Philistines, however, returned and raided the valley again. Although David had previously defeated them, he didn’t assume a similar victory the second time. Again, the shepherd king paused, looked to God for his battle plan and listened to His advice. This time, God gave him a new strategy, telling David to circle his army around behind the Philistines and wait for a sound like marching feet in the trees before attacking. David followed God’s advice and was victorious once again.
I recently received an email from a Christian bookstore apologizing for one of their advertisements. Apparently, there had been objections to their “journaling” Bible ad, not because of the possible defacing of a Bible with doodles but because of the ad’s subject line: “Channel Your Inner Creative.” Customers protested their use of “inappropriate” New Age language. While the store’s goal had been to “embrace and celebrate the gift of creativity,” some people thought they were touting “channeling,” a New Age form of spiritualism. When channeling, people yield control of their discerning and reasoning faculties and enter a meditative or trancelike state in order to receive messages from a spiritual guide. When I first saw the ad, I gave no thought to its wording; I simply thought they were offering Bibles with extra wide margins so the reader could write notes or prayers on the pages. In their apology, the store promised to be “more vigilant and discerning” about their messaging. My first reaction upon receiving the apology was, ”Come on people—get a life!” I considered the complainers to be the kind of prissy judgmental people who give Christians a bad name.
Devotions of the Heart 