“Our Daily Bread”   

http://odb.org/2012/10/22/give-thanks-3/

The Daily Devotions of Greg Laurie                                  

http://www.harvest.org/devotional/daily-devotions/home.ht

Romans 12:3…  For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.  (NKJV)

Today I write for predominantly the younger generation, because this infatuation or love of one’s self seems to occur more in the early years; with those who think “more highly” of themselves than they ought to; just like the opening scripture warns us against…

Facebook is filled with people (mostly the younger generation), who plaster new pictures on their wall all the time…many times with comments on how beautiful they are… The sad reality is that many of this younger generation who are infatuated with themselves, are also filled with pride…

I am here to tell you from my personal life experiences…that pride is not an attribute that goes hand in hand with living a righteous life as a Spirit filled Christian, who is walking with the Lord…

There is so much scripture from God’s Word about pride versus humility, that I am having a hard time picking a few pertinent scripture verses to make a point… If someone considers themselves to be a Christian, they are called by the Lord to live a life as close to the way Jesus lived as possible… I don’t know of any scripture in the four Gospels of Christ (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), where Jesus talks about how great a man He was…  If there was ever anyone walking the face of the earth that had a right to boast about Himself, it would be Jesus Christ… But Jesus’ teachings were always all about humility, and putting others ahead of ourselves…

Jesus starts off His public ministry with His “Sermon on the Mount” (Matthew chapter 5, 6, & 7), with the Beatitudes, and this scripture verse, in…Matthew 5:3… “Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”  (NKJV)   Here is a link to what Jesus was trying to teach us when He tells us we should be “poor in spirit”…     http://christiantheology.wordpress.com/2008/04/17/on-being-poor-in-spirit/

Jesus’ second greatest commandment for us to follow, after loving Him with all of our heart, our mind, and our soul…is to love others as ourselves…Matthew 22:36-40…  Jesus goes on with His teaching to the Pharisees, with this in…Matthew 23:10-12… And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ. ¹¹ But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. ¹² And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.  (NKJV)

The Apostle Paul, who wrote half of the N.T. was also one who preached humility, and putting others ahead of ourselves, in… Philippians 2:3… Letnothing be done through selfishambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. (NKJV)

The Apostle Paul went on to remind us that as Christians, we should be like Christ, in…Philippians 2:5-7… Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, ⁷ but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.  (NKJV)    …A “bondservant” in Jesus’ times was a slave…

And lastly, we have the Apostle Peter speaking to the younger generation, in…1 Peter 5:5…  Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”  (NKJV)

God’s grace is what all of us should hope to be enveloped in… I could speak until I am blue in the face… But God can use His Word to wake up the younger generation, or anyone who suffers from pride…to the fact that God has to be first in a person’s life to become a Christian to begin with… And then God has to remain first, and then others around the Christian put ahead of themselves, to be living a life that is pleasing to our Father in heaven…

Heavenly Father, I pray that Your Word would grab the attention of anyone who suffers from the…“I am great”, “I am beautiful”, or “I am the best” syndrome…  Help us to understand Lord…that it should never be about us… Our lives should be focused on You, and how best to live humble lives in a way that will be pleasing in Your sight…  I pray for this humility to take hold and flourish in the lives of all of Your children…in Jesus’ most precious name and for His sake…Amen…

written by bruce r mills