What’s in your heart?

September 1, 2010 in Spiritual Growth with 7 Comments

 

This is part 2 on Humility. Click here if you missed part 1.

The Call to Humility:

In 1 Peter 5(b)-6 it says

“Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “ God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,”

The Sobering Truth:

Before we dive into this verse I would like to point out it’s context. If you read 1 Peter 5:1 & 5 you will notice that it is written to Christians. It says:

“1 The elders who are among you I exhort,… 5(a) Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders.”

Why am I pointing
this out? This verse contains a disturbing truth about God’s dealings with believers,

“God resists the proud”.

As believers (even in this age of grace) it says that God will resist us if we are proud. This is sobering because I’m pretty sure that none of us want to be on the receiving end of Gods resistance. This is why humility is so important for us as believers. We must not overlook this characteristic that God so strongly desires for us to possess.

Discovering Pride:

Before we can become humble we must first discover the pride in our hearts. You see, by nature we are all prideful to some degree. Now you may be thinking “I’m not prideful, I don’t walk around boasting of my accomplishments and greatness”.

But don’t misunderstand this truth. Pride takes many forms. Sure, arrogance is one of them. But often it is more subtle than that, it is harder to detect than that.

Some form of pride can be found in almost everyone. It’s a natural resistance to being last. It is a reluctance to admit to others when we are wrong. It is also an unwillingness to walk away from a disagreement when we are right. It is a hesitance to give grace to our kids when they mess up. It is also a reluctance to ask others for help.

Yes, pride takes many forms and is found in many areas of our lives. So before you disregard what I’m saying and think to yourself “I’m not prideful”, reconsider what the bible says here. “God resist the proud”. Ask Him to show you the areas that pride is hidden in your life. Ask Him to gracefully show you what’s in your heart.

In His Grace,

Mike

  • Pingback: What’s in your heart? | Pursuing REAL | CCJACO

  • Mike Jones

    Awesome post Mike!

    • Mike

      Thanks for taking the time to comment Mike. I’m glad you enjoyed it.

  • http://www.WhoIAmInChrist.net kathi byker

    Thanks so much for these God-inspired insightful teachings. I am so thankful they are available. I am going to forward this all to my evangelist friend in Kenya; I believe it will be a blessing to him to read this.

    Very nice and easy to navigate site, too.
    THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS YOU.

    • Mike

      Hi Kathi, thanks for taking the time to check out the blog and comment. I’m glad you enjoyed it. I’ll be posting part 3 soon so be sure to look for it.

  • http://thewaytl.com Mike Rogers

    Thank you! Your study has been very helpful and encouraging. Looking foward to part 3. God Bless You!

    • Mike

      Hi Mike, I’m glad you enjoyed the post.