"Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of people, to be seen by them. Otherwise, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven." Matthew 6:1
I question myself from time to time about whether or not I am being prideful and often pray that God will reveal any pride in me that I might be unaware of. I try to live my life according to His will and His ways and I know pride is not an attribute that pleases Him. After all, it was pride that got Satan thrown out of heaven. Satan had quite the ego. Don't misunderstand me, I'm not saying God is going to throw His children out of heaven because of their pride or swelled head, but He will hold us accountable.
I question myself from time to time about whether or not I am being prideful and often pray that God will reveal any pride in me that I might be unaware of. I try to live my life according to His will and His ways and I know pride is not an attribute that pleases Him. After all, it was pride that got Satan thrown out of heaven. Satan had quite the ego. Don't misunderstand me, I'm not saying God is going to throw His children out of heaven because of their pride or swelled head, but He will hold us accountable.
Most of the time I think I walk in sincere humility if only because I know from where I've come and how God has been faithful in redeeming me; saving me from a pit of despair. My hearts desire is to glorify God in my work and my everyday life, so when I found myself face to face with a hefty dose of pride, I was taken aback.
God is in the business of refining and pruning so it's no surprise that He would want to make me aware of my sin, but He revealed it to me in an unusual way. It took me a little while to realize that it was indeed pride I was dealing with. Pride snuck in when I wasn't looking. You see, when others around me were being acknowledged for all their accomplishments and I was left out, well, let's just say I was upset, disappointed and hurt.
I rebelled against God. I stopped my daily devotional, even prayed less. I was grumpy towards God and my family. I was miserable. Soon, the divine pursuit began. A few days passed by and God began to soften my heart as only He can do.
I was looking for comfort and He led me to a new Bible study by Priscilla Shirer called SEED. Here's what caught my eye and my attention:
If you feel unnoticed, unappreciated, and overlooked, just lift up your eyes, and your gaze will fall on the eyes of the Holy One. He is watching every opportunity you've grasped, every gift you've offered, every undisclosed detail you've set straight. He has taken note and promises a reward - one that surpasses mere human attention and applause - the only reward worth receiving anyway.
I thought my eyes were focused on Him. How did this happen? Had I really fallen into the pride trap? It wasn't obvious and could have gone undetected had the "incident" not occurred that brought it to the surface. It came in the back door, uninvited. Thankfully, God exposed it for what it was. Pure and simple - P.R.I.D.E. I was looking for human praise and didn't even know it until it wasn't there.
It's hard to admit this happened but I believe we all have times in our lives that we can share with other believers, times that we've struggled and needed a divine intervention. Times that we have seen God at work. You never know when it may help someone else. Honesty and transparency can be valuable assets on this journey of faith we are traveling.
