Posts Tagged ‘Fear of rejection’

Spiritual Training 03 November 2014

Posted: November 3, 2014 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command

 JESUS DROPPED THE CHARGES

John 8:3-11 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such woman. Now what do you say?” They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

This is a significant statement about judging others. Because Jesus upheld the legal penalty for adultery, stoning, he could not be accused of being against the law. But by saying that only a sinless person could throw the first stone, he highlighted the importance of compassion and forgiveness. When others are caught in sin, are you quick to pass judgment? To do so is to act as through you have never sinned. It is God’s role to judge, not ours. Our role is to show forgiveness and compassion. Take an honest look at your life. Recognize your sinful nature, and look for ways to help others rather than hurt them.

Jesus didn’t condemn the woman accused of adultery, but neither did he ignore or condone her sin. He told her to leave her life of sin. Jesus stands ready to forgive any sin in your life, but confession and repentance mean a change of heart. With God’s help we can accept Christ’s forgiveness and stop our wrongdoing.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; (6) in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.

 

 

Spiritual Training 22 October 2014

Posted: October 22, 2014 in 1 Corinthians, Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, trust in the Lord with all your heart
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Under Gods Command
Unity and Diversity in the Body                                                                                        

1 Corinthians 12:12-13 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 

Paul compares the body of Christ to a human body. Each part has a specific function that is necessary to the body as a whole. The parts are different for a purpose, and in their differences they must work together. Christians must avoid two common errors: (1) being too proud of their abilities, or (2) thinking they have nothing to give to the body of believers. Instead of comparing ourselves to one another, we should use our different gifts, together, to spread the Good News of salvation.

The church is composed of many types of people from a variety of backgrounds with a multitude of gifts and abilities. It is easy for these differences to divide people, as was the case in Corinth. But despite the differences, all believers have one thing in common—faith in Christ. On this essential truth the church finds unity. All believers are baptized by one Holy Spirit into one body of believers, the church. We don’t lose our individual identities, but we have an overriding oneness in Christ. When a person becomes a Christian, the Holy Spirit takes up residence, and he or she is born into God’s family.

Lets Bring it Home: “We were all given the one Spirit to drink” means that the same Holy Spirit completely fills our innermost beings. As members of God’s family, we may have different interests and gifts, but we have a common goal.
 

Proverbs 21:18 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: October 20, 2014 in After you get saved., Battle Focus, Battle of the Mind, Beliefs, better than life, Bible Study, Encourgement, evil men, Faith, Fear, Fear of rejection, fools, Happiness, Healing, Human Suffering, Inspiration, Justice, Security, and Happiness, Lord fighting for you, Proverbs 21, Sudden disaster, Suffering, trust in the Lord with all your heart, winning
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Proverbs 21:18 The wicked become a ransom for the righteous, and the unfaithful for the upright.

The God of heaven loves the righteous, and He gladly sacrifices the wicked for them. The ransom price to purchase and bless the righteous is the lives of wicked transgressors. He will save the righteous by sacrificing their wicked enemies, and He will return their wicked designs against the righteous upon their own heads. Consider Psalm 7:10-17!

Are you envious at the prosperity of the wicked? Are you troubled by their hatred for the righteous? Are you afraid of their proud waves? They shall foam out their shame in everlasting darkness! But before they get to that dark place, they shall be sold to trouble. There is a righteous God, and He makes differences in how He treats men (Ps 58:10-11 The righteous will be glad when they are avenged, when they bathe their feet in the blood of the wicked. Then men will say, “Surely the righteous still are rewarded; surely there is a God who judges the earth.”)

The best example to illustrate this lesson is the ransom of Egypt for Israel. The LORD loved His people Israel, and He heard their cry by reason of the hard bondage the Egyptians put upon them (Ex 1:13-14; 2:23-25). He had respect for them, but He did not have respect for Egypt. They were about to become the ransom for His righteous nation.

He sent ten plagues and horribly destroyed them before drowning Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea. Pharaoh’s counselors admitted the plagues had destroyed the nation (Ex 10:7). With the firstborn dead in every home, the Egyptians begged for Israel to leave, so Israel “borrowed” the wealth of the whole nation to never return it. And the Lord joyfully directed Israel to spoil the Egyptians this way (Ex 12:35-36). Give God the glory!

The LORD declares of this transaction, “For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee. Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life” (Isaiah 43:3-4). This is the lesson.

God directed Joshua to stone Achan and his family to save Israel (Josh 7:1-26). Saul’s seven sons were hanged to ransom Israel from a famine from the LORD (II Sam 21:1-14). And Haman and his ten sons were hanged on the gallows he had built for Mordecai and the Jews (Esther 7:10). There is a God that treats men differently (Ps 58:10-11).

Consider the words in another proverb, “The righteous is delivered out of trouble, and the wicked cometh in his stead” (Pr 11:8). The Lord will pluck the righteous out of trouble and put the wicked in his place! The Lord will punish the wicked instead of the righteous.

God used Assyria as his tool to chasten Israel; then He turned and crushed Assyria for their actions and attitude (Is 10:5-19). And He did the same to Babylon, whom He used to punish Israel and other nations for seventy years before punishing them (Jer 25:8-14).

The servant that did not earn a return on his single talent was punished severely, and his talent was taken and given to the man with ten. The rich get richer, and the poor get poorer; yes, the poor are sacrificed for the rich in this spiritual parable (Matt 25:14-30).

Dear reader, if you fear the Lord and seek to live righteously, the Lord loves you and will gladly sacrifice the wicked for you. There is no need to fear them at all. The Lord is in His holy temple, and He will never let the wicked have their way with you. Your lesson in this proverb is the glorious providence of Almighty God in disposing of events in this life for the benefit of His people. He will sacrifice others for the benefit of His children.

The day is coming when Christians will judge the world and angels (I Cor 6:2-3). The devils and sinners have persecuted them for thousands of years, but the day of vengeance is coming, when the martyrs under the altar of God shall have their great desire fulfilled (Rev 6:9-11). Both wicked men and angels shall be sacrificed in place of His children.

Let this lesson drive away any fear or intimidation of the wicked, and let it replace that fear with a humble desire to be the honourable and beloved people of the most High. For “no weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper” (Is 54:11-17). And “he that toucheth you, toucheth the apple of mine eye” (Zech 2:8-9). Thank you, Lord, for defending and saving the upright in heart. Consider Psalm 7:10-17 again. Glory!

Spiritual Training 03 October 2014

Posted: October 3, 2014 in 1 Corinthians, Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Spiritual Gifts, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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(Reference: 1 Corinthians Chapter 12)

Spiritual Gifts: The spiritual gifts given to each person by the Holy Spirit are special abilities that are to be used to minister to the needs of the body of believers. This chapter is not an exhaustive list of spiritual gifts (see Romans 12; Ephesians 4; 1 Peter 4:10, 11 for more examples). There are many gifts, people have different gifts, some people have more than one gift, and one gift is not superior to another. All spiritual gifts come from the Holy Spirit, and their purpose is to build up Christ’s body, the church.

Instead of building up and unifying the Corinthian church, the issue of spiritual gifts was splitting it. Spiritual gifts had become symbols of spiritual power, causing rivalries because some people thought they were more “spiritual” than others because of their gifts. This was a terrible misuse of spiritual gifts because their purpose is always to help the church function more effectively, not to divide it. We can be divisive if we insist on using our gift our own way without being sensitive to others. We must never use gifts as a means of manipulating others or serving our own self-interest.

Proverbs 26:11 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: September 26, 2014 in Acceptance, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Proverbs, Proverbs 26, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Proverbs 26:11 As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.

A disgusting trait of dogs is to eat their vomit. When their belly must reject offending matter, they return and eat it again. It is a shame we do not have the same sickening horror for sin that we do for this picture of a dog vomiting his filth and eating it.

Peter declared this to be a true proverb (II Pet 2:20-22). He used it to condemn those who forsake their conversion and return to the vomit of this world. To escape the pollutions of this world and then return to be entangled and overcome in them again puts a man in a worse condition than before conversion.

A bad heart attack will get a man’s attention. A couple days after bypass surgery, he wants the intimate details of super nutrition and the best exercise program. He makes resolutions, plans his schedule, and orders a year’s worth of pita bread and lettuce and two treadmills. But after three months of no angina, he is again a couch potato inhaling pounds of cheese nachos and candy! Did he forget the crushing pain of his heart attack? Or does he crave the poison that almost killed him? Or both?

Consider a drunkard (23:29-35). He has woe, sorrow, contentions, babbling, and wounds from his binges. He loses his job, his driving license, his wife, his children, and his reputation. He gets sick and feels as if he spent the night lying on the top of a ship’s mast! Yet he says, “When shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.” Fool! Dog!

What filth have we vomited up and cast away by the grace of God and the conviction of His Spirit? What folly have we rejected? We will be tempted to return to it. Which vomit tempts us? Complaining? Pornography? Ungodly music? Drunkenness? Lustful fantasies? Gluttony? Television? Bitterness? Fornication? Disobedience to parents? Marital defrauding? An unscriptural church? Lack of submission? Backbiting?

There can be no partial turning from sin. It never works! It never will work! You can still smell the vomit, and you will turn to it again. We must flee from our temptations and sins with all our might and speed! We must eliminate the sources of the temptation! We must completely satisfy your appetite with spiritual things, so we have no hunger for vomit. There are no shortcuts. If we hang around the filth, you will take it up again.

If a dog had a conscience, it would be ashamed of its vile nature. But what of human sinners! Our return to defiling sin is worse! Where is their shame? We will soon have everlasting shame and contempt, unless saved by the Lord Jesus Christ (Dan 12:2).

Only by the grace of God and the gift of repentance can a man be saved from his folly and the snare of Satan (II Tim 2:25-26). If you have the least degree of conviction about any sin at this moment, repent immediately and take drastic measures to rid your life of that folly. Flee to Jesus Christ. Perhaps the grace of God will save you today.

Let us say with the psalmist, “I will hear what God the LORD will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly” (Ps 85:8). Let us hear the warning of our Savior, “Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee” (John 5:14).

 

 

 

Spiritual Training 25 August 2014

Posted: August 25, 2014 in 1 Corinthians, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command                                                                                                

1 Corinthians 10:21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons.   

As followers of Christ we must give him our total allegiance. We cannot, as Paul explains, have a part in “both the Lord’s table and the table of demons. “Eating at the Lord’s Table means communicating with Christ and identifying with his death. Eating at the demons’ table means identifying with Satan by worshiping or promoting pagan (or evil) activities.

Lets Bring it Home: Are you trying to lead two lives, following the desires of both Christ and the crowd? The Bible says that you can’t do both at the same time.

Proverbs 25:6-7 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: July 25, 2014 in Bible Study, Encourgement, Faith, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Proverbs 06, Proverbs 07, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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 Proverbs 25:6-7 Do not exalt yourself in the King’s presence and do not claim a place among great men, (7) it is better for him to say to you, “Come up here,” than for him to humiliate you before a nobleman.

Jesus made this proverb into a parable

We should not seek honor for ourselves. It is better to quietly and faithfully accomplish the work God has given us to do. As others notice the quality of our lives, then they will draw attention to us.

When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table he told them this parable:

Luke 14:7-11 When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. If so the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

14:7–14 Jesus taught two lessons here. First, he spoke to the guests, telling them not to seek places of honor. Service is more important in God’s kingdom than status. Second, he told the host not to be exclusive about whom he invites. God opens his kingdom to everyone.

14:11 How can we humble ourselves? Some people try to give the appearance of humility in order to manipulate others. Others think that humility means putting themselves down. Truly humble people compare themselves only with Christ, realize their sinfulness, and understand their limitations. On the other hand, they also recognize their gifts and strengths and are willing to use them as Christ directs. Humility is not self-degradation; it is realistic assessment and commitment to serve.

Jesus advised people not to rush for the best places at a feast. People today are just as eager to raise their social status, whether by being with the right people, dressing for success, or driving the right car.

Lets Bring it Home: Whom do you try to impress? Rather than aiming for prestige, look for a place where you can serve. If God wants you to serve on a wider scale, he will invite you to take a higher place.

Proverbs 07:02 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: May 7, 2014 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Proverbs, Proverbs 07, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Proverbs 7:02 Keep my commands and you will live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.

Good fathers warn their sons about women. Solomon warned his son here (Pr 7:6-27), and he asked his son to remember his advice and value it highly. Whorish women have harmed more young men than maybe any other single factor (Pr 7:26; 23:27-28; Ge 3:12; Ec 7:26). They must be warned against often, and the warnings must be appreciated.

This proverb does not stress obeying fatherly instruction, but rather not forgetting or neglecting the advice. The imperative verb “keep” is understood here as paying attention or regard to commands. This is known by the preceding context (Pr 7:1), the following context (Pr 7:3), and the elliptical explanation of “as the apple of thine eye” (Pr 7:2).

When the ellipsis is supplied, the proverb reads, “Keep my commandments, and live; and keep my law as the apple of thine eye.” The great temptation facing most young men is to discount their father’s advice about women due to the folly bound in their hearts and the lust raging in their eyes and loins (Pr 22:15; Psalm 25:7; II Tim 2:22; I John 2:16).

The idiom “apple of the eye” means something that is cherished with the greatest regard. It originally referred to the pupil of the eye, which was supposed to have been a globular solid body, much like an apple. As precious as this part of the eye is to seeing, and as all objects are beheld through this aperture, the expression means something very precious.

Good fathers warn their sons often about whorish women. Solomon stressed their danger in the book of Proverbs (Pr 2:16-19; 5:1-23; 6:20-35; 7:1-27; 9:13-18; 22:14; 23:27-28; 30:20; 31:3). Was it because of his father’s failure (II Sam 11:1-27)? Or his own failure (I Kgs 11:1-8)? Or was it because of Judah (Gen 38:12-26)? Or Samson (Judges 16:4-21)?

By nature, a son does not value his father’s warnings. He deceives himself to believe that his father is out of touch with the world, that his father overstates the danger, that his father wants to deprive him of pleasure, that his father never met a desirable woman, that his father did not have sexual lusts, or that he can escape the consequences his father describes. All these are damnable lies from a foolish youthful heart and the father of lies.

Sons must trust fathers and esteem their advice and warnings. Every father was once a young man with the same desires and temptations. But a father has survived youth and reflected much on what is best for his son. He has long-term success in mind, not short-term pleasures that will ruin his life. Fathers love their sons more than any woman will ever love them, even a virtuous wife. Young man, keep your father’s commandments!

Young men must resist the attraction and temptation of a whorish woman by having their minds firmly established in their fathers’ commandments long before they encounter this dangerous creature. Once they are even slightly captivated by the appearance, flattery, or offers of a seductress, it becomes almost impossible to recall any fatherly warnings.

But what will a young man do, whose father does not teach or warn him about such a woman? He will be helpless before the drawing power of her body and wiles. Such fathers are accomplices in the destruction of their sons. Though he may have advised and warned about many dangers, he neglected the most harmful. Fathers, save your sons!

Reader! God your Father has given His commandments and law to you. Do you keep them as the apple of your eye? Do you read them daily? Do you meditate upon them? Do you tremble before their warnings and rejoice at their instruction? Or do you deceive yourself that you can forget or neglect them and survive? Do not be like a foolish son.

Proverbs 17:15 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: March 17, 2014 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Proverbs, Proverbs 17, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Proverbs 17:15 Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent-the Lord detest them both.

The world has created the Age of Compromise. Human society has made every effort to get rid of all absolutes. Wicked men are excused and exonerated, and even protected; just men are criticized and condemned. But the LORD Jehovah hates both kinds of compromisers – those who justify the wicked, and those who condemn the just.

The living and true God of heaven has absolutes, and He expects men to abide by them and enforce them. When He commanded judges to be appointed in Israel, He ordered, “If there be a controversy between men, and they come unto judgment, that the judges may judge them; then they shall justify the righteous, and condemn the wicked” (Deut 25:1).

The Bible is a collection of God’s absolutes, though it does require proper interpretation and application of those absolutes (II Chron 19:10; Neh 8:8; II Tim 2:15). Jesus declared that violating even the Bible’s least commandment was unacceptable (Matt 5:19). Breaking one commandment is equivalent to breaking them all in God’s sight (Jas 2:10).

God makes differences. Ask those that did not believe or obey Noah. Ask Sodom’s city council about their LGBT population. Ask Pharaoh or his army what happened to Egypt for disrespecting God’s prophet. Ask the Canaanites about God’s opinion of their creative sexual practices. These examples could be multiplied indefinitely. But you cannot ask these many millions, because God annihilated them. He had condemned the wicked.

God cares about details. Ask Cain about his sacrifice to the LORD at the right time and place. Ask Moses about his fit of anger when he smote a rock instead of speaking to it. Ask Nadab and Abihu about their strange fire. Ask David about moving the ark on a new ox cart. Ask Ananias and Sapphira about fudging their giving. Ask Corinth about having a little fun at the Lord’s Supper. Ask Peter about compromise with Jews at Antioch.

In matters of judgment and relationships, the wicked are to be despised and rejected, and the righteous are to be loved and received. David hated the wicked like God does (Ps 5:5; 11:5; 139:21-22). And David loved the righteous like God does (Ps 119:163; 146:8). The animosity and conflict between the righteous and wicked will never end (Pr 29:10).

Judgment is vindication of good and condemnation of evil. It takes place in courts, of course. But it also takes place in the home, where children’s conduct is judged. And it takes place in the workplace, in churches, in schools, and even among friends. In these and other situations, just men are to be honored, and wicked men are to be condemned.

America’s legal system is no longer the paragon of justice it was. From low to high courts, the wicked are excused and the just punished. Judges are chosen and approved, not for their perfect integrity but for political ties. For example, abortion was legalized to justify cruel and wicked women and to condemn their innocent unborn children to death. The profane murderers are given so-called rights, the murdered innocent are given none.

Criminals now have more rights than do victims. Employers have fewer rights than do employees. Landlords must submit to renters; husbands must bow to wives; and magistrates must jump through hoops before prosecuting obvious criminals. Lawsuits are filed and upheld for the most inane reasons, brought by the most insane consumers. Sodomites are protected, but authoritative husbands are despised and undermined.

Murderers pleading insanity are excused for taking a life. How absurd! If a man commits murder by reason of insanity, he has an aggravated reason to die – he is not only a murderer, he is an insane murderer. Why not keep and protect rabid dogs, for that would be comparable, except that the rabid dogs never murdered anyone? Get real, world!

But you must look much closer to home than the legal system in your nation. For it is in the churches where much of the compromise is taking place, just as Paul prophesied and warned to Timothy (II Tim 3:1 – 4:4). False doctrine and teachers must be named and condemned; true doctrine and faithful teachers must be defended and honored.

Many say, “Let’s agree to disagree.” But the fact is that God does not have such a loose and compromising approach to truth. Right is right, and wrong is wrong, and every moral issue has one right and many wrong positions. David said, “Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way” (Ps 119:128).

Eli rebuked his sons, but did not condemn them; he lost everything for his compromise. Corinth was puffed up about fornication in their church, instead of mourning and judging the wicked man. But the sweet psalmist of Israel on his deathbed told Solomon to kill his nephew and long-term chief of staff, Joab. And John the Baptist let King Herod have it.

Many say, “Judge not, that ye be not judged” (Matt 7:1), missing the Lord’s command, in context, to judge some men as dogs and swine, unworthy of truth (Matt 7:6), and to judge righteous judgment (John 7:24). They value peace over truth, though God puts truth over peace (Am 3:3; I Tim 6:3-5). They have rebelled against Bible judgment (Ro 16:17-18).

Carnal Christians of today fulfill the abominable sins of this proverb. Paul described the rise of an effeminate brand of Christianity that would despise those that are good and flatter lustful and sinful women (II Tim 3:1-7). They would have a form of godliness – a religious ritual – but they would have no authority or judgment in their gospel or lifestyle. They would love pleasures more than God, and it would show by coddling of sinners.

The political and religious situation today is the same as in first century Palestine. The conservative religious leaders and the political appointee of the greatest nation on earth cooperated to justify the seditious murderer Barabbas and condemn the innocent and just Jesus of Nazareth. Live and speak like Jesus Christ today, and they will crucify you as well, while they excuse evildoers in court and promote them via the entertainment media.

You cannot be neutral, for neutrality is rejection of the Bible and rebellion against God, for He and the Bible are not neutral. Folly and wickedness are condemned, and wisdom and righteousness are exalted. Sinners are to be despised, and good men are to be honored (Ps 15:4; 31:6; 101:3-8). Reject this effeminate generation and its compromise. Take a stand and earnestly contend for the faith once delivered to the saints (Jude 1:3).

Reject the seeker-sensitive and emerging churches of today, for they are a reason for this proverb in this generation. They have watered down Biblical standards to where most anything is allowed and tolerated, or even defended and protected. Pulpits are used for a mushy concept of love and peace rather than God’s truth of holiness and judgment.

The day is coming in which all judgment will be according to truth in the most absolute sense. The books will be opened, and there will be no mistrials, plea-bargaining, hung juries, pardons, or acquittals. The righteous will be given eternal life in heaven, and the wicked will be cast into hell forever (Matt 13:41-43; John 5:28-29; Rev 20:11-15).

How will any be judged righteous, since all are sinners (Rom 3:23)? How can the Bible say God justifies the ungodly (Rom 4:5)? By Jesus Christ (Rom 3:26)! Jesus obeyed for the elect (Rom 5:19) and died in their place (Rom 4:25). It is the punishment God poured out on Jesus Christ that most clearly shows His condemnation of sinners (Is 53:5-11).

Spiritual Training 12 April 2011

Posted: April 12, 2011 in Acceptance, Personal Growth, Under Gods Command, winning
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Good Pride and Bad Pride

Proverbs 11:02 When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.

Galatians 6:4-5 Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for each one should carry his own load.

There are two kinds of pride.
One is the opposite of humility; it is very bad. The other is the opposite of shame; it is very good.
• The kind of pride that is the opposite of humility leaves God and other circumstances out of our successes. It claims that whatever we have achieved, we have achieved by our own virtue. The essence of this kind of pride is self-centeredness and selfishness and it is condemned by Scripture. This does not mean, however, that the Bible is opposed to the self. The self is one of God’s good creations; selfishness is worshiping the creation rather than the creator. Bad pride is the kind of selfishness that always wants to be center stage that takes all the credit, that leaves God out, that gives no thanks to other people that goes it alone. It is the opposite of what God desires for us.
• The kind of pride that is the opposite of shame has to do with a job well done, with excellence, with striving for the best, with rising above mediocrity. In a Christian, this kind of pride attempts to give of its best to the Master.

People who misunderstand the difference between the two kinds of pride may have a misimpression of the Christian faith. Christianity is not opposed to excellence. It is not opposed to putting forth your best effort, excelling, and achieving. No, it is only opposed to a person’s thinking he can excel without ‘God’s help.
• Selfish pride is the opposite of thankfulness and gratitude. It show no gratitude to God for a healthy body, a healthy mind, good parents, a good national heritage, a good diet, and a thousand other blessing over which the person has no control. A person filled with selfish pride thinks he has created himself through his own efforts….. The other kind of pride doesn’t finish playing a solo and say it was nothing. It is not unable to accept a compliment.
• The pride that is opposite to shame can say thank you and give credit where credit is due. It can thank God for his gifts and at the same time acknowledge good work when it is done. The person who can accept a compliment is not arrogant. He knows where his dexterous fingers come from, who gave him his mind and his sense of rhythm.

Have you been successful? Do people praise your achievements? Give credit to God in thankful prayer for each gift he has given you.

Please remember that these emails are going to over 100 people. I used BCC to keep your email address private. I just want to share my own personal walk with you, and yes, please hold me accountable for my actions. I love you all and there is nothing that you can do about it.

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