The playground is a place where, mostly everything seems harmless and filled with loads of fun. Lots of greenery and usually those things we can relate with.
As Christians, we usually are found in our comfort zones, in places we can relate with and where we feel good at. How do we recognize when there are slithery creatures that are totally blended-in with the playground environment?
'If you do well, will you not have honor? and if you do wrong, sin is waiting at your door, desiring to have you, but do not let it be your master' Gen 4: 7
For Cain, the enemy was at his door and he did not know. Cain was being alerted to danger in his very domain, yet he fell to the same trap he has a forewarning about. What else can make a man ignore his creator but pride? Cain ignored God, discounted His advice and ended up being tagged/branded a vagabond upon the face of the earth. The same type of warning went out to Israel in the book of Micah.
'He has made clear to you, O man, what is good; and what is desired from you by the Lord; only doing what is right, and loving mercy, and walking without pride before your God.' Micah 6:8
'Because everything in the world, the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father but of the world' I Jn2:16.
As Christians, how many of us have fallen to the traps of sin in one shape or form. The sin of pride does come in to us, subtly and quietly. We see ourselves as the good ones, not the sinners that the LORD is angry with or feel justified to hold others in our contempt because they are not Christians or not living a 'righteous life' like ours.
- Pride is a fierce desire to promote one's own ideas and convictions to the exclusion of everyone's.
- A proud person is obsessed, gripped and preoccupied with his own view of things/events that they cannot see or hear the view of others(remember Cain in Gen 4:7).
Jesus told a parable (Luke 18:10-13) of two men that went to the place of worship to pray, one was full of self, the other man was full of self assessment and recognition of self-emptiness and strong need for help from God. Obviously, the Spirit of God was present to speak to both of these men, yet only one heard His voice. The other was filled with pride of self achievements and righteousness to the exclusion of God's insight to his situation.
When pride has a grip on any man, easily, unforgiving spirit will not be far behind in taking up residence. Jesus told another parable in Matt 18: 23-35, where two servants were forgiven their debts by their master, but of the two, one was indebted to the other as well as their master. The servant to whom his colleague was indebted felt better placed and would not forgive his colleague his debt, but rather exacted his power over him to the extent of imprisonment.
- A person in the grip of pride has no compassion nor can be compassionate, will not forgive others for their errors, real or imagined.
- Pride destroys (Proverbs 16:18)
There is no one that knows us better than our LORD God! And He has provided us with the solution in Micah 6:8 on how to deal with these twin evils attempting to play tag in our lives.
'.....only doing what is right, and loving mercy(compassion), and walking without pride before your God.' Micah 6:8b
All Bible verses from Bible in Basic English.
All Bible verses from Bible in Basic English.
