Quote from Forum Archives on February 19, 2001, 12:21 pm

Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

This morning's message deals with an issue that we all have to
face, sooner or later: the issue of pride. When is it
appropriate to take pride in something, and when is a humble
attitude the appropriate response to have?

These are not easy questions to answer. Like the writer of
today's message, I, too, struggle with maintaining an appropriate
attitude. On one hand, I need to be willing to do the tasks that
are in front of me: do my job, raise my family, encourage others.
These are the things that God has given me to do.

But when does doing these things take on an attitude of pride,
and when are they acts of humble service? I have to admit that I
struggle with those things. There are times when I have to check
myself. Am I doing something, hoping to receive a certain
response from others? If so, I believe the Bible suggests that
when I act in that manner, the responses I seek will be my only
reward. I don't know about you, but when I think about it in
that manner, all of a sudden, receiving praise alone becomes
shallow. Sure, I like to be encouraged, but if receiving
encouragement or praise becomes my driving motivation, I have
lost the entire spirit of my life.

The prophet Micah was quite clear about which things our God
values most in us, and what He expects from us. Understanding
where Micah is coming from when He reports from God what is
expected might help.

Micah recognizes that everything we have, both in possessions and
ability, is something that comes from God. Therefore, to do
anything other than what is kind and just, and to have anything
other than a humble attitude toward God, ourselves, and others,
is to fail to recognize who and what we are, and who made us what
we are.

When I think in this manner, my haughty attitude is quickly
brought back into line. As Andre Crouche once wrote, "All that
I am or ever hope to be, I owe it all to thee... to God be the
Glory for the things He has done..."

Sure, it is nice to be appreciated. It is nice to be encouraged,
it is nice to be loved and accepted. Guess who displays ALL of
that to me? That is precisely who God is to me, the One who
ALWAYS appreciates, loves, encourages, and accepts me, just as I
am. To seek those things from other places, to me, is to deny
the power of God in my life.

Brother Brian

From: PCCWeb Daily Devotional <daily@presbycan.ca>
Subject: Daily Devotional for Monday, February 19, 2001

PCCWeb Daily

Monday, February 19, 2001

Today's Devotional

The Thin Line

Micah 6:8 - He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what
does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God. (NIV)

There is what I would call a thin but firm line between the
confidence we show, and pride. When someone offers a complement,
saying how well we did some thing, how do we react or feel
inside?

When I complete a devotional, I send it away to be edited. If I
receive a note that my devotional has been approved for
publication, how do I feel? The first time, I was so excited I
couldn't sleep that night, waiting to see it on the webpage.
Then I waited -- not too patiently -- for the first response to
come through.

Time has passed. The novelty has worn off, but not the desire to
seek the Lord that I might relate some aspect of my personal
life or some experience that might be used in a spiritual way to
reach out and touch someone. I have said before that I don't
write these devotionals for me, but for those who read.

The editor gives us a schedule, indicating the date of planned
publication of devotionals which have been approved. The night
before a devotional is to be published, I read it over and pray
about it. In the morning, once more, I read it over and come to
the Lord in prayer, asking that I might be given the words for
the responses. This is when I am most conscious of the thin
line. I pray that I will remember that it was God who inspired
me to write. I ask God to point out any pride I may have
displayed.

I believe that with God's help, we can live and act with
confidence, but we must keep focused through prayer on God,
acknowledging that He is the source for the ability we have.

Prayer: Dear Lord, help us to be humble in your sight, but
enable us to walk with confidence in the grace that You have
given us. May we remain focused on You through prayer. We ask
this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Anne Russell
mailto:anbrussell@attcanada.ca
Brampton, Ontario, Canada

Today's Canadian Bible Society Scripture Reading: Psalm 37:23-40
bible.gospelcom.net/bible?Psalm+37:23-40

Pray about contributing a devotional - All our writing is done
by volunteers. Writing is not restricted to Canadians or
Presbyterians. E-mail the Devotional Editor, James T. Hurd
jthurd@nb.sympatico.ca.

Suggestions Or Comments About This Page? - Send them to the
Daily Technical and Oversight Editor, Robin Ross
<rross@rapidnet.net>.

The PCCWeb Daily Devotional on the Internet The PrayerLine,
Subscription and Feedback features on this page, as well as a
searchable archive of over 1600 past devotionals, are all
accessible through www.presbycan.ca/daily.

=====
--
Brian Masinick, "The Mas", mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: www.geocities.com/masinick/
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