Pride & the Frivolous Prayer

Knowing how God detests pride, and how it was pride that caused Satan's fall, I try to guard against being proud. Can you imagine letting your own ego come between you and God?

So I was praying one day and at the end I threw in a 'Let me be more humble,' for good measure...as if he hasn't given me reasons enough. How sincere was my prayer? I'm not sure. I may have been thinking, 'I'm so great, so Father please keep me humble.' maybe I was just throwing in the request for humility as a bone to God:

'See? I know humility is important, so although I'm sure I don't need it, I'm asking you to give it to me so you'll know how good I am, and I'm sure I make you happy just saying it, so, you're welcome.'

I don't know what I was thinking when I prayed it.

However, within a couple of days, I developed a skin infection. It made my face look like a rubber mask that was beginning to melt. It didn't feel very good either, and when I dared leave the house it made men look away and women touch the base of their throats

I learned a few lessons:

Be humble

Don't be proud of your humility

God answers prayers

But isn't pride a good thing? Pride in your work, being proud of your children, etc?

Well...maybe it would be better to let God's glory replace our pride. Let his glory show in our children. Let his glory be reflected in our work. Turn compliments over to God for safekeeping

In Meyer's commentary, he says we detour the 'pride' label by using words like 'independent' and 'self-reliant.' We don't dare say, 'look how great I am,' but we will say, 'I did this all myself.'

If we are to be humble wouldn't we want to replace 'I pulled myself up by my own bootstraps,' with "God pulled me up." or, instead of 'self-reliant,' say 'I depend on God for everything.' or, 'I'm not self-confident, my 'faith is in God,'?

Why did God give us a sense of pride if he detests pride? Well, why did he give us sex if he detests random fornication?

A sense of pride is what makes you comb your hair in the morning.

Without a sense of pride, you'll be telling people about Jesus with spinach in your teeth, garlic on your breath, odd stains on your shirt, your hair uncombed and your pants unzippered.

So have a sense of pride, without being proud. Wax your car, but don't drive it around just to make people jealous. But most of all...

When you pray, get ready for reaction. You may not see it right away, or at all. But do not pray half-heartedly thinking nothing will happen. Prayer is an awesome, wonderous thing, and it's a privilege to have access to God's throne room. Don't take it forgranted

"If you are willing to be nothing, God will make something out of you"

Spurgeon

Do You Really Want a God of Love and ONLY Love?

A friend of mine was telling me about a local pastor who got fired. "Hey, he had it coming," my friend said. "All he ever preached about was fire and brimstone, and how God was going to destroy the world—"

"Doesn't he have to preach the truth?" I asked. "Isn't it his job to let unrepentant people know what they're facing? The Bible says—"

My friend exploded. "Hey, I'm sorry if your God is hateful. MY god is a god of love!"

When someone's face is turning red and they're shouting at you about their god of love, it's time to let the conversation turn elsewhere for a while.

So is God hateful? is he just a God of wrath?

"But, but he had the Israelites slaughter Philistine cities, every man woman and child!"

The Israelites repeatedly disobeyed God's order to put everyone to the sword and then spent years having to battle those people at great cost to their own lives. Even if you don't understand God's order, it is better to entirely obey God than to fall short of his command so people like my friend can feel warm and fuzzy

Justice demands a God of Righteousness, whichever way that pendulum is going to swing. This world depends upon a sovereign God, whether they want to or not, for his mind alone is keeping it spinning in its required orbit

People who want a just God of love don't realize that everything God does comes from love. Even punishment. He judges the wicked for the love of justice.

And we would not have this chance of eternal salvation if God had said, "I would send my Son to die for humanity, but that would be mean."

(Dumb Voice:) "But if he's a God of love why doesn't he let everybody into heaven?"

He does. Those who want to. But nobody can get into heaven with their sin attached to them. So we just need to take him up on his offer to chop off our sin and we are welcomed into his Kingdom, to live forever...which is what everybody really wants, isn't it?

If I could continue this conversation with my friend, which I can't, I would ask him:

"Some of these District Attorneys these days could be called DAs of love. They refuse to prosecute or punish criminals. and the people they refuse to punish continue to wreak havoc on innocent people. If one of these DAs let a murderer go free and the killer took the life of one of your kids, would you think, "MY DA is a DA of love'?

Is God Love? Yes. Do we need to fear him? Yes. Is that a good thing? Yes!

"A God without wrath brought men without sin into a kingdom without judgment through the ministrations of a Christ without a cross."

"The devil tempts us not.

'Tis we tempt him, beckoning his skill with opportunity"

George Elliot

Hymn Spotlight

"Gustavus Adolphus Battle Hymn"

In the 30 Year War where 16th century Rome sought to force everybody to Catholicism, The King of Sweden, Gustavus Adolphus

prayed a variation of this prayer whenever he went to battle:

“O Lord Jesus Christ, bless our armies and this day’s battle, for the glory of Thy holy name! Amen.”

The hymn was written after the victorious Battle of Leipzig in September of 1631. The King loved it and had it played in all subsequent battles he fought in, including the victorious battle where he fell, on November 16, 1632, in the victorious Battle of Lutzen

The hymn is credited to a handful of people, including Adolphus himself. Most agree, however, that Johann Michael Altenberg wrote it. Altenberg was a Lutheran Pastor of the day who was forced to flee his home during the war

The lyrics were printed and distributed in pamphlets, a couple of which remain today on display in museums in Berlin and Hamburg.

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