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Ultimately, pride is the engine of that old
flesh that we battle with daily. The base desire to rule
ourselves. The urge to believe the
serpent when he tells us that eating the forbidden fruit will make us “like God” (Gen.
3:5). It is that same pride that
destroyed the “son of the morning” and brought the eternal damnation to 1/3 of
the heavenly host (Is. 14:12-15). It is the chief ingredient in those excuses
employed by sinners to reject the
grace of God.
The irony of this virulent sin is that it is
touted as a virtue in our society today.
The self-made man is put on a pedestal idealized by generations. We write articles and books on those who did
it “my way”. Pride slips into our lives
subtly and begins to corrode and weaken like so much moral rust that goes
unseen until it is too late.
We as disciples of Christ cannot entertain
this serpentine guest for even a moment because its
nature is the polar opposite of the divine nature which God desires to grow in
us. “For in the gospel a righteousness
from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just
as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith," (Rom. 1:17). “And without faith it is impossible to please
God,” (Heb11: 6). Faith at its core is
an absolute letting go and trusting in.
Faith and pride cannot coexist.
The deception is that we can dabble in one while we preach the
other. The only cure for this dualism is
to implement the core value of Jesus Christ Himself, servanthood.
Paul, James, John, Jude and Peter all
claimed the title “doulos” or “bondservant” in their epistles. They considered their office in the service
of Christ to be that of a servant.
Why? Because the servant is never
higher than his master (John 13:16) and Christ
Himself claimed the same position. “Your
attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature
God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made
himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human
likeness” (Phil 2:5-7).
There are no openings in the kingdom of God
for kings, rulers, pop-stars, teen-idols, or even leaders. For the leaders that God has risen up must
first and ever claim the position of servant even as they lead. Satisfied to serve should be the
motto of all who would follow in Christ’s footsteps. In doing so we are daily Killing Pride.
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty
hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” 1 Peter 5:6
Killing Pride
Hey my pride, you’ve played me as your friend
But I’ve grown wise, and I see where we’ve been
My desires have led me to this place
Cold and tired, don’t recognize my face
Don’t recognize
So dignified,
The mortal man who talks of rights deserved.
I’m Satisfied,
To wait on You and take You at Your Word
Lay my pride down and learn to humbly serve
Hey my pride, I’ve come to trade you in
Christ has died, and crucified my sin
See the Lamb, oh humbled deity
Sacrificed, to pay the price for me
To pay for me
So purified, the mortal man forgiven undeserved
I’m satisfied,
To trust in You and take You at Your Word
Lay my life down and learn to humbly serve
How can I, place myself above Christ my Lord
Yet still I,
play the king of the castle and Lord of my world
I must be, humbled as a man to glorify You
For You were, humbled as a man to purify me
So purified,
the mortal man forgiven undeserved
I’m satisfied,
To trust in You and take You at Your Word
Lay my
life down and learn to humbly serve
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