Trust and Pride... Matt. 6:25-34

   I'm sitting in a church seven hours away from home and tuning out the service. I should be paying attention like my parents and my girlfriend, but I'm not. I'm tuning the words, the music, and the still small voice of the Holy Spirit off. I won't hear it. I don't want to because I know what He wants from me. It's what He always wants. He's never satisfied until He gets it! No, I wanted control over that area and worry gave me control.

   I bow my head so that it looks like I'm praying but I'm not. I'm fighting Him. I look over at Amanda [my girlfriend] who is in the seat next to me. She is oblivious to my inner anguish. That's the way I'll keep it. Sorry, God, I won't appear weak to her. I can handle it. I'll just sit here.

   An intense guilt overwhelms me. I open my Bible but even before the man of God speaks, I am crushed by the weight of conviction in my soul.

---

    I sat erect and calm throughout the service but my still stubborn heart had broken. After the service I made my way out to my car where I sat and wept for awhile. Amanda found me crying like a child as I read aloud the above passage. I repented of my sin. 

    Mr. Garland said once that the opposite of faith is pride. I agree with him. For me it came out in my anxiety and worry. It was my way of controlling my world, but control, as my father once told me, is an illusion. It will always be God who controls the universe and whenever I try and take that control, I am seeking to take His place. That is the essence of pride: Me trying to be God in my life.

   The passage in Matthew that I cited at the top of this post occurred during the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus is telling His listeners [with the majority being poor] not to worry about their food, clothing, or shelter. Why? Well, He tells us.

"Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." Matt. 6:31-34 (ESV)

   God always takes care of His people - we can be assured of that. I can't be God. There is only one God and it is not me. But He cares for me and He knows my needs. He will provide for me. Amen.

 

Wrong Motives: the fracture of the divided church

"Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves."

Philippians 2:3

  There are a million things that can go through my head when I look at this passage, but it surprises me how often I've read through this verse and never paused to give it a second look. The heart of this passage is a sin that all of us struggle with on some level. It is this: having the wrong motive. See, God is just as interested with what motive you do something as with the act itself. Service without the right motive is lip-service to God. In Isaiah, God told us what He thought of outward obedience (cf. Isa. 29:13). See, God is concerned with the hearts of men.

  "Do nothing" is an all inclusive statement. Paul has something to say that is all encompassing to our lives. When I was a child, my mother would tell me that I wasn't allowed to do anything with sharp knives. That command from my mother took away my liberty to use sharp knives in any situation. It is the same concept here. So what don't we do anything out of (notice this is the subject of motive):

  "Rivalry" - this is sometimes translated "party spirit" and it refers to political parties. In the Body of Christ there can be no political parties or factions. In sports, teams play eachother, but if each person on the team has their own agenda on the field/court then that team will never get anywhere. In fact, they'll hate playing with eachother because the other person won't bow to my agenda. Individual agendas always create division.

  "Conceit" - is the root of the word conceited and can also be rendered "arrogance", "vain glory", or "self glory". It is literally "empty pride". The man who does things out of his empty pride is constantly out to promote himself. He will do good things or things perceived to do good so that he can be praised by others.

So, we're not to do anything with these motives. What is the right motive? Check this out:  "... in humility count others more significant than yourselves."

  "in humility"- a phrase that no one thinks about but is vitally important. What is the biblical definition of humility? Humility is an attitude that is the result of a biblical view of myself. How do I get that? The word used here denotes "modesty" or "a estimate of oneself according to truth" [Barnes]. What is the ultimate source of truth? The Word of God.

"...Count others more significant than yourselves" - is a tough phrase. Paul is not asking us to lie about another person's gifts or talents being greater than ours. What is he saying? Priority. When I have a biblical view of myself (which produces humility) then other Christians will be, in a sense, lifted up in our eyes. We will repsect them more. Why? Because I know my heart and how wicked and evil I am, but I do not know another person's heart [cf. Jer. 17:9, 1 Cor. 2:11]. When I have that then my motive becomes the good of other believers.

  Let me close with this: there has never been any conflict or church splits where the Christians were practicing this. What does it mean for us? I need to examine my motives. Doing the right thing in the wrong way is still wrong.

"Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven." Matthew 6:1