Being Frank

Dying to live!

This week is a very significant week in the Christian calender. On Friday we remember that Christ came down from heaven, and crossed the boundary between heaven and earth for the sake of fallen and alienated humanity. He stood at the place where human beings suffer, are rejected and lonely. He took upon himself the misery of humankind and gave up His life in their service.

In contrast, most human beings are still living for self! I have been so challenged this last week not to focus on myself! The challenge I have is that I can fall into the trap of "self" so easily. It is so much harder to trust God and put our faith in Him and hand our lives over completely. We tend to allow all the self words come into play: self-promote, self-justify, self-defense, self-pity and the list goes on. 

When we spend so much of our time focusing on self we tend to rely on ourselves more than we do on God. 

How do we know when we have died to self?

When someone has spoken ill of you, when your advice is disregarded, when your hard work is over looked, and you refuse to defend yourself but take it all in patient loving silence, then you have died to self.

When you never care to refer to yourself in a conversation, or to defend your own beliefs, your own good works, or itch for recognition and when you can truly embrace to be unknown, then you have died to self.

When you receive correction and reproof, and can humbly submit inwardly, as well as outwardly, finding no rebellion, retaliation, self-sympathy, self-defense, self-vindication, self-justification, resentment, bitterness, unforgiveness in your heart, then you have died to self!

When you can see  someone prosper and have their needs met, and you can honestly rejoice with them in spirit, and feel no envy, nor question God, while your own needs are far greater and in more desperate circumstances, then you have died to self.

When dying is about me and living is about Him!

Help me Lord to have your mind!  

Philippians 2:1-5

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, ² complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. ³Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. ⁴Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. ⁵ Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus

The difference is character!

I am back from the blogging dead! The cure for a failing country is the character of man. It starts with each of us growing a moral and spiritual backbone. South Africa is in desperate need of leaders who understand this concept.

Today’s world faces many difficult problems. Escalating crime, drug and alcohol abuse, workplace violence, gang activity, vandalism, school dropouts, deteriorating work ethics, domestic violence, juvenile delinquency, racial tensions, broken families ... The list seems endless.

Many people put far too much emphasis on a position, title or credentials. Often they are defined by that title. We should all be taking character into consideration before we vote for who should lead South Africa next.

What comes to mind when you think of character qualities? If you and I were to make a list of "character qualities," our list would probably include such words as honesty, integrity, dependability, loyalty, enthusiasm, etc. And, of course, there are many more that could be added.

I love what John Huntsman, the chairman of Huntsman Chemical Company has to say about Character being about both intent and integrity:

"There are moral shortcuts in the game of business - or life. These are, basically, three kinds of people: the unsuccessful, the temporarily successful, and those who become and remain successful. The difference is character."

Today we confuse personality with character. But they are two different things. The difference is qualities(true colours) and demeanor. Character is your qualities and values, who and what you are made of on the inside. Personality is more about how people perceive you to be, your demeanour. It is easy to hide behind a contagious personality, but what is on the inside will always come out; the true qualities of character is always revealed.

South Africa, think character when we vote!

"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." (Romans 5:1-5)

WAITING WITH HOPE

  Christians believe that the season of Advent serves as a dual reminder of the original waiting that was done by the Hebrews for the birth of their Messiah as well as the waiting that Christians today endure as they await the second coming of Christ!

About a quarter of the Bible was prophetic at the time it was written, and many of those prophecies were specifically indicating that Jesus was the Messiah.

This period of time waiting for Christmas should be marked by a spirit of expectation, anticipation, preparation and longing. We live in a microwave society and we generally don't embrace the implications of waiting. This is not supposed to be a boring passive waiting period, but rather a time of preparation where we look forward to a blessed hope and glorious appearing.

This hope which is one of the three spiritual virtues is a gift from God! Instead of hope carrying the connotation of a spiritual truth, it is drowned out by the pandemonium that has become our Christmas holiday.It is buried under the sounds of cash registers and the peels of holiday music pumped through the stores and malls.

The Christian life can be a glorious, hopeful existence even though the individual may face war, famine, illness, and other perils common to human existence. We do not, necessarily, hope for God to bless us with earthly riches, nor do we expect Him to redeem His promises to us with earthly blessing. Our hope rests in the promise of an everlasting life near to God when Christ comes again.
These hopes are well stated by the Apostle Paul in Romans 8: 31-39: 31What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36As it is written:
   "For your sake we face death all day long;
      we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

What is this hope we are grasping? It is not money or things or a country. Hebrews 11 says we are looking forward to a heavenly city and a heavenly country.

Our anchor of hope is Jesus himself, who died for our sins and was raised for our justification. The author says, “We have this hope”; it is in the present tense, meaning we have it now, continuously. When we face our university examinations, we have it; when we go to the doctor and hear our disease is terminal, we have it; at the hour of our death, we have it; when our spouse is sick or when our child dies, we have it.

George Herbert said "He who lives in hope dances without music"

This is a time of celebration! It's okay to celebrate the glorious appearing! It does not matter that it has not happened yet - it will!

Titus 2:13

13

while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Fruitfulness

We are called to bear fruit, fruit that will remain, which comes by resting! Well how does that work? I am glad you asked!

Edsel Burleson, in The World Evangelist said, "Too many churches are singing Standing on the Promises when they are in reality just sitting on the premises. Someone has said that every church is made up of willing workers, 10 percent are willing to do the work and the other 90 percent are willing to let them do it. Too many have learned that heaven will be a place of rest and are getting all practised up for it."

 In John 15:16 Jesus says "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name."

^{Clear indication that Jesus wants us to be fruitful!}

In Matthew 11:28 - 30 Jesus also invites us saying "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

We need to URGENTLY realize that we are called to advance His Kingdom in the earth.

Here is how it is done:

1. We do not PRODUCE fruit we BEAR fruit

Branches of a vine do not produce fruit, they bear fruit! The vine produces the fruit! Jesus says in John 15:1 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener."

We are instructed to abide in Jesus and He will produce the fruit and we will bear fruit.

2. TRYING does not produce fruit TRUSTING does!

God loves you as a person even more than He loves you as a leader. It brings Him pleasure just to think of you, and He longs to lavish you with His attention and affection. There is absolutely nothing you can do to make Him love you less or more. Stop trying and just trust Him.

Abiding, staying attached, recognising who is at the core of you are and revolving your leadership around this core is the resting part. Trusting Jesus who is at the core!

3. Fruitfulness comes from RESTING not RESISTING.

A yoke is generally a burden to the ox that resists the lead oxen. Jesus makes it clear that following him is a slave to master relationship, which involves submission and obedience. His yoke is on us. But that means the power comes from the One who directs our lives. Christ offers a liberating enslavement. The yoke’s really on him.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon: “The heaviest end of the cross lies ever on His shoulders. If He bids us carry a burden, He carries it also.”

Let's bear fruit resting in and abiding in the one who has called us!

John 15:16

"You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name."

Fight Back!! discouragement (part 2)

I wanted to take the last post on discouragement a little further. And write about fighting back.

I believe that having a personal mission is critical to having the kind of life and career that you desire. Going through the process of creating your personal mission statement clarifies your values, and gives you a sense of purpose and direction and focus in your life.  Your personal mission is your foundation and the starting point for success.  However, I don't believe it is the primary driver; it is based upon the call of God and understanding who He created you to be. This is only obtained by spending time with God and learning more about yourself through prayer and reading the Word!

Your personal mission statement serves to focus your energy, actions, behaviour and decisions towards the things that are most important to you.

There are three things that stop us from completing our life mission.

 1. Procrastination: You know what you are supposed to do, but you keep putting it off. That is a deadly enemy.

2. Intimidation: Fear is used to keep you incapacitated.

3. Discouragement: becoming disheartened to the point of quitting.

I know so many people, including myself at times, who set out with great gusto and along the way become discouraged and then quit. This only results in a lack of confidence and feeling like a failure.

Procrastination, intimidation and discouragement are often interlinked and the result is a life debilitated from fulfilling its purpose.

When I was a kid my dad told me that when other children bullied me I should fight back! He explained that a bully would usually stop if I fought back and stood my ground. I did what my dad told me and it worked. Well, the same principle applies to discouragement. Think out about whatever has left you feeling discouraged, and fight back!

“Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your people, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.” (Nehemiah 4:14)

Nehemiah urged the people not to give up or give in but place their faith in God, resist those who opposed them and defend their loved ones and their homes.

“When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to our own work.”
(Nehemiah 4:15).

The very people who had earlier cried “we cannot rebuild the wall” did indeed rebuild the wall. How? Because they reorganized their work load, they remembered the Lord and they resisted their enemies. And the consequence? Despite further setbacks and yet even more opposition Nehemiah concludes:

“So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days. When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God.” (Nehemiah 6:15-16)

In 52 days they rebuilt the walls and discouraged their enemies. The Bible teaches that Christ-followers are in a spiritual battle too. In this supernatural conflict, Satan tries his best to bring us down.

So whatever the reason for your discouragement is, do not run away from the problem! Our response should be the same as Nehemiah’s. Fight Back!

1Timothy 6:12

Paul says “Fight the good fight of the faith”

 

 

 

Defeating Discouragement!! (part 1)

How you handle discouragement affects your ability to take new risks and chances that could have huge benefits for your life and for others around you. The root word of discouragement is courage so it should only make sense that feelings associated with failure, fatigue, frustration, fear and rejection often deal a blow to your courage.

Discouragement is a disease unique to human beings, and it's universal - eventually everyone gets it, including those in ministry. I have no doubt you've experienced discouragement at times, maybe many times. You might even be discouraged at this very moment. It is easy for us to allow the pressures and burdens of life to overwhelm us and cause us to despair.

Discouragement is a killer!

Discouragement has caused many people to become unhappy in their relationships and to start looking for relationship elsewhere. Discouragement has resulted in dreams not being realised. It has caused people to leave the church. It has been a contributing factor to immigrations to another nation.

Spurgeon had this to say about his own battles with discouragement, "Discouragement … creeps over my heart and makes me go with heaviness to my work.… It is dreadfully weakening."

This past week I have been very discouraged. My wife Kate and I returned from the USA fired up and ready to take on life here in  South Africa or  so we  thought.  

Something happened when we were away and we discovered that one of our children had let us down through not very pleasing behaviour. We felt robbed of our joy and cheated of all we had benefited from our time away.

It was in this painful place of feeling like “throwing in the towel” or giving up that I realised that it was my choice whether or not I wanted discouragement to be my constant companion.

Jesus said in John 14:16 that He would leave behind a helper in the person of the Holy Spirit, to comfort, correct and encourage us. I had to choose this week to tap into the Holy Spirit by faith and allow Him to lift me out of my pit of despair.

The truth is no feeling lasts forever; you have to choose to fight back! If you remain discouraged it is because you have chosen to feel that way.

I take comfort in the words of Billy Graham: 

“The Christian life is not a constant high. I have my moments of deep discouragement. I have to go to God in prayer with tears in my eyes, and say, ‘O God, forgive me,’ or ‘help me.’”

Jesus does not promise us a perfect life on earth, but He does desire us to have a balance in life and He promises to carry us through the hard times. We will pass through some situations and trials that incapacitate our joy. And still we’ve been promised victory in this world over them!

Run the race of life! Be encouraged to fight back from your set-back and know that you have a Helper who will never leave you or forsake you! That feeling will not last forever!

Hebrews 12:1-3

  1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

FOCUS

Do you know your individual life purpose? Do you know how your purpose fits into the bigger scheme of things? Are you focused on your purpose?

Why is it that a medium powered laser can cut through metal in a matter of seconds, but the world’s most powerful spotlight only makes that metal warm? Would you believe the answer lies in unity? Let me explain.

The laser light is described simply as a bunch of excited molecules with mirrors at each end. Some molecules die, and in that process, they release something called a photon – or a particle of light. Now this is where it all starts coming together.

As that newly released photon moves along, it comes into contact with other molecules, which prompts them to release their photons. These photons always seem to play follow-the-leader. So very quickly, there is a huge army of photons following one another. It is this unity that gives their focus such awesome power.

A spotlight on the other hand has just as many photons, but they are all going in separate directions. As a result, they are unfocused, and this causes most of their energy to be wasted, because there is no focus.

So we can say that a small laser is much more powerful than a larger spotlight all because of its singular focus.

As humans we are similar to these two light sources; if we lack focus, we waste a lot of energy! I have a purpose mission statement for my life that keeps me focused! I read it as often as possible to keep me focused, because I know that I can be easily distracted and lose focus.

For my purpose to have the most impact I make sure that I find other people who have a similar passion, heart, dreams and focus as I do. As I come into contact with these people we become like a "bunch of excited molecules" and as we move together it gives our collective "purpose" precision power!

Whilst in the company of these like minded people I learn, develop and grow, always remaining focused. Have you ever noticed that when you spend time with people who have no direction, you tend to become distracted and waste time too? Well the positive is that if you remain focused there is a good probability that you will help them to get focused too.

Our purpose is one of inclusion, influence and impact! Jesus encourages us to let our purpose be seen so that people will praise God! Discover your purpose, get around people with similar purpose and stay focused!

Matthew 5: 14-16

 14"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

What's love got to do with it?

William Shakespeare wrote in Twelfth Night “If music be the food of love, give me excess of it that surfeiting my appetite may sicken and so die.”

There is an interesting connection between music and love! Music, besides being an art form in which the medium sound organised in time, has the ability to provoke emotions. Have you ever had an experience when you hear a song and it results in emotion flooding back about a time, a person, or a relationship from the past?  Music can influence the ambience and mood in a room.

Music is an integral part of our culture, and it is becoming more and more a part of people’s everyday lives. If one asked people why they listened to music, they would most likely say that they do it because it relaxes them, puts them in a good state of mind, reminds them of happy memories, or organises their thoughts and helps them be productive.

I like singing songs to express how I am feeling, and at times enjoy listening and singing along with oldies. Admit it, when no one is looking, you pull out your old New Kids on the Block tapes and start singing 'Hangin Tough' or your ABBA records. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. Music makes a person feel good or bad or in love. It affects you. It's powerful and strong and beautiful. I still sing 'Ballerina Girl’ by Lionel Ritchie when no one is listening!

There always will be a connection between music, emotion and love.

Love is a strange thing. It can be the most amazing feeling in the world, or it can really hurt, but in the end love is something that most, if not all of us, will face.

As a word, love can be found worldwide and is often used to describe compassion and/or emotional attachment. The greatest number of songs ever written has been about love. They seem to start off talking about love but ending in heartbreak. One song that has got me thinking is Tina Turner’s song "What's love got to do with it? What's love, but a second hand emotion?"

Tina Turner, along with many artists before and after her, has written songs about love, but what is love? Why do people say they see fireworks when they fall in love? Why do your knees go weak, your palms sweat, your stomach does flip-flops and you begin to stammer when you fall in love? What is it about emotions, including love, that seem to affect your entire body, both mentally and physically? Everyday, people talk about feeling happy, feeling sad, feeling anxious...and so on, but what causes emotions, in particular, what causes someone to say they are in love?

Emotions play an important role when learning and memory circuits are being established. The strength of the synaptic connection that is formed when a memory is created is directly connected to the strength of the emotions at the time. This is why trivial events are easily forgotten and why emotional patterns are hard to change. This also might help to explain why those marriages that have lasted so long will last even longer. During adulthood the neural connections continue to change more slowly and less frequently.

Real love is an unconditional commitment to an imperfect person. Most of us wait for the feeling of love to come upon us before we act on that feeling. But right thinking produces right behavior - the feelings will follow. Choose to show the other person love, even if you don't feel like it. The feelings will come! Here is a general guide to loving. Love is the continual act of unconditionally putting the needs of others before your own.

Love can cause war; in the cases of love of religion and the love of money; war can cause people to steal and murder, it can lead to suicide and shatter marriage and family life, it can spread disease and give birth to evil; but love is eternal and cannot be eliminated; it is what makes people human.

There are many combinations, all of which form some kind of love. Is there passion and friendship but very little commitment? This is defined as "passionate love." Are you committed but feel no passion or friendship? This is called "empty love." What most people ultimately desire, is "TRUE LOVE," the total package: passion, intimacy, friendship and commitment in one healthy relationship. It's the most fulfilling love. It is unconditional, and in my opinion the only "CHOICE".

Love is about commitment, it is about seeing it through to the end! Love that is self-seeking always ends in pain!

Here are some ideas that could help you love:

1. Say it. When you say the words “I love you,” do they carry with them the desire to show someone you love them or do they carry with them what you want to feel? And when you say it make sure you really mean it and are willing to do anything for that person.

2. Empathize. Put yourself in someone else's shoes. Rather than impose your own expectations or attempt to control them, try to understand how they feel, where they come from, and who they are; and realise how they could also love you back just as well.

3. Love unconditionally. If you cannot love another person without attaching stipulations, then it is not love at all, but deep-seated opportunism (one who makes the most of an advantage, often is not mindful of others). If your interest is not in the other person as such, but rather in how that person can enhance your experience of life, then it is not unconditional. If you have no intention of improving that person’s life, or allowing that person to be themselves and accepting them as they are, and not who you want them to be, then you are not striving to love them unconditionally.

4. Expect nothing in return. That doesn't mean you should allow someone to mistreat or undervalue you. It means that giving love does not guarantee receiving love. Realise that someone may have a different way of showing his or her love for you; do not expect to be loved back in exactly the same way.

5. Realise it can be lost. If you realise that you can lose the one you love, then you have a greater appreciation of what you have. Think how blessed you are to have someone to love.

Play on music and love!

Philippians 2:1-5

 1If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

Forgiveness - it will confine or refine you

I have been thinking about the power of forgiveness. It has been on my mind for a number of reasons these past few days. One reason was Nelson Mandela’s 90^th birthday, which we South Africans celebrated on 18^th July. Happy birthday Madiba! His character and person got me thinking!

To me, Mr. Mandela has been a great example of the power of forgiveness. There is a difference I believe between those who forgive and those who are forgiven. The reward of each category is different. A speech Mr. Mandela delivered in 1990 highlights what I am talking about.

He said, "We especially should learn to forgive each other because when you intend to forgive, you heal part of the pain, but when you forgive you heal completely. As Africans, we have suffered in terms of slavery and colonialism for a very long time. Forgiveness has remained our best cultural heritage’’ (February 11, 1990).

According to Mandela, when you forgive, you maintain your true personal identity. Secondly, you enhance a cohesive situation in terms of unity within the society, and thirdly, you create a continuity of social values as a role model to the younger generation.

Have you ever met those people, the ones who seem to rehash the past forever? The ones who seem to live in their memories more than in the present? The ones who can’t seem to get past some issue, some hang-up, some roadblock in their past? Living (or dying) as if they are still chained to something years ago?

Our trouble is not when we know we need to forgive; it’s when we think we don’t have to forgive. After all, this is one of those blog posts that you’re wishing someone else read. It’s someone else’s problem, not yours. Someone else is bitter; someone else has a problem. But not you! You are OK! You are allowed to be bitter. You are allowed to fester and stew. You are allowed to hold a grudge because of what happened to you. And if I knew what had happened to you, I wouldn’t expect you to forgive anyone. Learn to forgive, especially if you are a parent. Forgiveness is unconditional although there are often consequences because what we sow we reap. A family culture that embraces forgiveness can eliminate the seeds of bitterness, resentment, and rebellion before they have a chance to grow.

Many people go through life not knowing they are forgiven. The stigma and guilt associated with that result in shame. They remain imprisoned behind the walls of shame. I have been incarcerated in that place and know the pain, isolation and torment it brought to my soul. The words “you are forgiven” or “I forgive you” are the keys that unlock that prison. Say you are sorry; ask for forgiveness instead of sweeping things under the carpet and hoping that they are going to go away.

Unconditional Forgiveness

It’s true that I don’t know what has happened to you. But there is someone who does know, who knows all your pain and when He forgives you, you are free through and through.

In the book of Revelation 2:17 there are two promises. The first is of “hidden manna” and the second is a white stone with a new name inscribed on it. So what is the significance of the white stone and how does it apply to forgiveness and our lives?

Black and white stones were used by judges in Pergamos (the city to which the message was written) to convey their verdict.
A black stone indicated a guilty verdict and conveyed judgment.
A white stone indicated acquittal or pardon. 

On this white stone is a new name. God occasionally grants new names to mark a new relationship or responsibility. For example, Abram became Abraham and Saul (of Tarsus) became Paul.

It was customary in the days of the early church for converts to take on a new name at baptism, to signify one’s life-changing rebirth (and because many-Gentile converts-were named after pagan deities)

Those who are forgiven have new names inscribed upon a white stone!

I am glad I am forgiven and can forgive!

Our attitude on forgiveness will either confine us or refine us.

Revelation 2:17

17He, who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.

 

 

 

Beat it or Eat it!!

  Beat your pride or eat humble pie!

The usual world standard says if you want to climb higher and be somebody you must push, fight, claw, and work your way to the top of the heap. The world says the way up is up! You are number one! I have seen this play out in my life, driven by my hunger for success. There have been times when I have been so focused on succeeding that I have not realized how blinded I was by my own pride. The casualties were almost always relationships – relationships with people whom I really valued.  But sadly I valued my pride more.

The reality is, most of us struggle with pride. We do not always recognize it! Pride  lurks just below the surface of our lives, and we aren’t even aware it’s there until there is some sudden example of it.

Someone once said “pride is the only disease that makes everyone sick except the one who has it”. In the Catholic list of the seven deadly sins, pride used to be called vanity. The Dutch painter, Bosch, painted a picture of each of the seven sins and for pride and vanity, he painted the picture of a woman looking at her face in a mirror held by the devil. We can see pride and vanity in others, but we are usually blind to it in our own lives.

Those of you who listened to music before the invention of the CD will remember the song by Carly Simon, “You’re So Vain.” Carly Simon never revealed who she was talking about when she wrote it, but she did date Warren Beatty, who dumped her. And he did call her up after the song and thanked her for writing it about him! The words say:

“You walked into the party like you were walking onto a yacht.
Your hat strategically dipped below one eye; Your scarf it was apricot.
You had one eye in the mirror as you watched yourself gavotte. (That’s a French dance where the dancer pranced around)
And all the girls dreamed that they’d be your partner–
They’d be your partner, and...You’re so vain; you probably think this song is about you.
You’re so vain; I’ll bet you think this song is about you. Don’t you? Don’t you?”

I know you’re hearing that tune right now in your head!

Some of you are so vain you probably think this blog is about you, don’t you, don’t you? Well, if you don’t think it’s about you, it probably IS!

How is your PQ? (Pride Quotient) I did not fare too well! God help me!

Try this test

Pride self-test:   

1. Do you consider yourself to be better than other people?
   
2. Do you refrain from doing things that would be embarrassing?
3. Do you let what others may think about you hold you back from doing things?
4. Do you have trouble admitting when you are wrong?
5. Do you consider yourself to always be right?
6. Do you get angry when someone doesn't agree with you?
7. Do you look down on others because of their race, gender, creed, education, position, personal hygiene or appearance?
8. Do you find yourself habitually interrupting people in conversations to give your comments?
9. Do you enjoy being the centre of attention at parties?
10. Do you feel that you have an answer for everything?
11. Do you strive to impress others with your wealth, your possessions, how you drive, body appearance, athletic ability, professional ability, or humour?

If the majority of your answers were yes, then you need to pay attention!

There are many people who criticise people for their relationships with God and what that produces.  Pride has the tendency to criticize humble efforts. I was reminded again on Saturday night when I attended the Bosom Buddies Winter Wonderland Ball how honoured I am to be associated with people who live their lives for others. Mel, a woman in our church, has given her life to making other women’s lives better! This is because her love for God and love for people is more important to her than herself!

When we humble ourselves God gives us more grace. Grace to overcome temptation, to see the best in others, to live peaceably with all people, and grace to succeed in life!

When we fail to beat our pride, we will eat humble pie!

To eat humble pie, in common usage is to apologize and face humiliation for a serious error. The expression derives from umble pie, which was a pie filled with liver, heart and other offal, especially of cow but often deer or boar.  Umble evolved from numble, (after the French nomble) meaning 'deer's innards'.

Are you licking your lips yet?

James 4:6

But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."