BAD? GREAT?

 

Sports have a way of humbling you. Just when you get a little swagger and a little bit of PRIDE, inevitably you will fall. My New York Yankees have had a season of extreme UPS and DOWNS. They were starting to get a little "cocky" and then were utterly humiliated in game 1 and 2 of the ALDS. Last night they came back to win. I feel like I have been on a ROLLER COASTER with them. I have a saying. I am not sure if it is mine or if I heard it somewhere. You are never as GREAT as you think you are or as BAD as you think you are. It has been so true in my life.

PRIDE is a dangerous lifestyle. Saying, "I'm proud of you." or even being PROUD of an accomplishment like ORDINATION can be harmless. But how far does that pride go in our hearts and minds. That simple pride can be the beginning of the FALL. Pride can easily separate us from the LORD. 

"Is this silent ruin all that is left of your once joyous city? What a long history was yours! Think of all the colonists you sent to distant places. Who has brought this disaster on Tyre, that great creator of kingdoms? Her traders were all princes, her merchants  were nobles. The Lord of Heaven's Armies has done it to destroy your pride and bring low al the earth's nobility." (Isaiah 23:7-9, NLT)

PRIDE that turns away from God and focuses more on SELF is the crux of the matter. When we are start patting ourselves on the back, taking all the credit for the blessings provided from God, that is the REAL destroyer of nations and individuals. 

"Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world,  you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever." (1 John 215-17, NLT)

Pride is of this world and not from the FATHER and the WORLD WILL FADE AWAY. 

I have accomplished nothing except through the power of God and because of that I will give him all the GLORY, HONOR and PRAISE. The pride I have is not because of ME. The PRIDE I have is that the CREATOR of the UNIVERSE loves even ME, in the midst of my weakness and YES, my pride. He loves me! Praise God!

Heavenly Father, I praise you because of who you are. I praise you that you humbled yourself to come to live with us and you take pride in your creation. I humbly come to you realizing I am nothing without you. It is your love, grace, and mercy that has brought me to where I am today. It is YOU LORD, not me. AMEN!

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If you haven't repented of your sin, accepted what Jesus did for you on the cross, dying for your sins, or if you have not committed your life to Jesus, TODAY could be that day. give your life to the Lord. 

"because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved." (Romans 10:9-10, ESV)

If you gave your life to Jesus today, text the word "faith" to (765)-896-4302 and we will follow up with material for you and join you in your walk of faith!