May 20, 2015
Pride isn’t Fitting
Romans 15:5
May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus.
Believers should get along with each other, and when they don’t, it’s helps the unbelievers to remain unbelievers because to them we don’t look any different.
According to this passage, it takes patience and encouragement to get along with others and live in harmony with them. But when we continue to operate out of our default setting (which is usually just plain ol’ pride) we do not show to the world a group of fitting followers of Christ Jesus.
Pride doesn’t mix with patience, encouragement, and repentance. Pride prevents us from admitting faults or dwelling with others in an understanding way. Pride makes hearts hard, and a hard heart makes a person completely irrational.
For the hearts of these people are hardened,
and their ears cannot hear,
and they have closed their eyes--
so their eyes cannot see,
and their ears cannot hear,
and their hearts cannot understand.
This passage from Acts 28:27 describes an irrational person. Picture a toddler closing his eyes thinking he’s made you go away or a spoiled brat covering her ears and making noise while you’re talking, “la la la I’m not listening to you.” They’re prideful. They don’t want to be corrected, and it’s made the irrational, deceived, and unfitting.
Believers I have witnessed who fail to live in harmony with other Believers simply just have a beef. They’ve taken an offense over something without knowing the whole story, yet when they find out the whole story they are too embarrassed (prideful) to admit being wrong in any way and the result is always a heaping big batch of divisiveness and bitterness. It’s ironic and weird and certainly shameful that churches are full of these people. But you just can’t reason with an irrational person. It’s impossible.
It’s better to be patient with one another like God instructs. Find out the all the truth before declaring war and taking sides on an issue. Remember, the first person to speak always sounds right according to Proverbs 18:17. So, we’d better just make sure that person isn’t insane from pride!
Dear God,
You know how you want your Church to operate -- Loving and forgiving, like a family. Help the Believers I know to cling to the patience and encouragement that you give so that we can all be fitting followers of Christ together, so unbelievers won’t be misled, so that we won’t be blind and crazy from pride. Thank you for always giving us the Truth and the instructions and the ability to obey and trust you. I love you and thank you and pray in Jesus’ name, amen.
Pride isn’t Fitting
Romans 15:5
May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus.
Believers should get along with each other, and when they don’t, it’s helps the unbelievers to remain unbelievers because to them we don’t look any different.
According to this passage, it takes patience and encouragement to get along with others and live in harmony with them. But when we continue to operate out of our default setting (which is usually just plain ol’ pride) we do not show to the world a group of fitting followers of Christ Jesus.
Pride doesn’t mix with patience, encouragement, and repentance. Pride prevents us from admitting faults or dwelling with others in an understanding way. Pride makes hearts hard, and a hard heart makes a person completely irrational.
For the hearts of these people are hardened,
and their ears cannot hear,
and they have closed their eyes--
so their eyes cannot see,
and their ears cannot hear,
and their hearts cannot understand.
This passage from Acts 28:27 describes an irrational person. Picture a toddler closing his eyes thinking he’s made you go away or a spoiled brat covering her ears and making noise while you’re talking, “la la la I’m not listening to you.” They’re prideful. They don’t want to be corrected, and it’s made the irrational, deceived, and unfitting.
Believers I have witnessed who fail to live in harmony with other Believers simply just have a beef. They’ve taken an offense over something without knowing the whole story, yet when they find out the whole story they are too embarrassed (prideful) to admit being wrong in any way and the result is always a heaping big batch of divisiveness and bitterness. It’s ironic and weird and certainly shameful that churches are full of these people. But you just can’t reason with an irrational person. It’s impossible.
It’s better to be patient with one another like God instructs. Find out the all the truth before declaring war and taking sides on an issue. Remember, the first person to speak always sounds right according to Proverbs 18:17. So, we’d better just make sure that person isn’t insane from pride!
Dear God,
You know how you want your Church to operate -- Loving and forgiving, like a family. Help the Believers I know to cling to the patience and encouragement that you give so that we can all be fitting followers of Christ together, so unbelievers won’t be misled, so that we won’t be blind and crazy from pride. Thank you for always giving us the Truth and the instructions and the ability to obey and trust you. I love you and thank you and pray in Jesus’ name, amen.
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