Humble Request
Matthew 23:12 And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
Have you ever heard pride is the root of all evil? It really is, because it can be traced back to when Satan was cast out of heaven for a prideful heart. Pride was instilled in the Fall of Man in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve wanted to be smart as God. Pride is evil at it’s core; it puffs us up and making us think more of ourselves than anyone else really does. One of our presidential candidates is one of the most prideful men I have ever witnessed, and is headed to one of the greatest falls, either as part of this life or at the Judgement Seat when Jesus tells him how little he really is. Pride is the root of my testimony; I could do and have anything I wished for most of my life. I sought to attain all I could get my hands on and counted everything as victories. God has humbled me greatly financially, physically, and mentally, showing me the level of my sins. I honestly don’t like any sort of attention as a result of his work in me, where that was all I sought for all I did for most of my life; pride can creep back in and it truly sickens me now.
Jesus was coming down with both fists like a prized MMA fighter on the prideful religious leaders of the day in Matthew 23. He was pointing out the level of their sin, their pride, their hypocrisy, and condemning them to hell if they did not change. They were teachers of all the laws of religion, yet they lived their lives in hypocrisy. Jesus pointed out all they wanted was the attention it brought them. 5 But all their works they do to be seen by men. We must understand that heaven is going to flip this world upside down. We must understand that when sin is removed for an eternal paradise for those who have repented and believed, all that we know now will change. 11 But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. The poor will be eternally rich in a way we can’t comprehend. The lowly will become heavenly in a way that they can’t imagine. Heaven is going to be without sin, and the bind that sin has on us is rooted in pride.
Listen at Jesus’ heart for Jerusalem. 37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! Is your heart cold towards God because you are so enticed by all the world has to offer that you don’t listen? Has he ever convicted you of pride and your hard heart denied it? Are you chasing riches and accolades except for Sunday mornings religious obligations? My prayer is that you humbly pray for God to open your heart to prides sin. Let him humble you and show you the level of it. It will most likely be an easier road than when he says enough, and begins the humbling process without your plea. Read Matthew 23 and ask yourself if you would want to ever hear that chastising from your Lord.
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