A  Deep Ugly Root

I absolutely love how the Lord works to His glory and our good through His indwelling Spirit and the Word by sharpening and equipping to make us more useable. Recently, He has been revealing to me my pride. It started in my daily time in the Word. How the Spirit will use that time as an investment in our walk with Him. Better to not eat a bite of food all day than miss a quality time in the Word in the morning.

That morning through my Scripture reading, pride was clearly highlighted as a problem in my life. Since then it has become the daily focus in thought, the Word, and prayer. This verse is instrumental in that: “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate” (Proverbs 8:13). In that one verse, hate is used twice! This is no sugar coating it, but a clear picture of what God thinks of pride. It is EVIL, and I’m to hate it! 

Notice, pride is the first thing mentioned in this list that God hates. Pride will keep you from fear of the Lord.  Pride lifts up, when humility is the example of Christ Himself. “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:5-8).

I want the mind of Christ. I want to live for Him. “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls” (Matthew 11:29).