Proverbs 16:5
Pride disgusts the Lord. Take my word for it - proud men shall be punished.
The
Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by
permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois
60188. All rights reserved.
Timothy was terribly
restless yesterday. He had a huge week and weekend, which included a
trip on Thursday with his great-grandparents to Blanchard Caverns …and a
“guys trip” Saturday night to the stock car races with
his Uncle Greg, his Paw-paw, and his dad. I think there were other
special activities, too…and by Monday morning, he was one tired little
boy. Like a lot of kids, Timothy does NOT like to nap. So we had a lot
of discussions yesterday that went like this…”But I don’t WANT to take a
nap! Don’t rock me…you’re trying to make me go to sleep! I’m hungry!
But I CAN’T calm down! I’m really NOT tired!”
When Timothy’s
mom came to pick up the children after work, he told her, “Mother, I was
HORRIBLE today.” She said, “Oh, I bet you weren’t that bad!” He
replied, “Oh, yes I was! I was HORRIBLE!” Now a lot of children would
have totally tried to cover up their “horrible” day…but as Timothy’s
mother pointed out – “at least he’s honest!”
Thankfully, this
six-year-old boy has not developed a truly prideful heart…and I wish
that I could believe that he never will. Time will tell…but a lot of
children have learned to “cover their tracks” by the time they are 8 or
9. They know how to spin things to their advantage and make themselves
look good – or at least innocent. And when they ARE discovered, the
first question (whether voiced or implied) is generally, “Do you still
love me?”
As adults, a lot of people want to “spin things,” or
force their opinion and ideas on others…then excuse this with, “We can
disagree and still love each other!” The trouble is, more often than
not, these people shove their agendas down the throats of others in a
judgmental, condescending, and anything-but-loving manner.
Read
this passage from Mark 12:28-31…”One of the teachers of the Law of Moses
came up while Jesus and the Sadducees were arguing. When he heard Jesus
give a good answer, he asked him, ‘What is the most important
commandment?’
Jesus answered, ‘The most important one says:
“People of Israel, you have only one Lord and God. You must love him
with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.” The second most
important commandment says: “Love others as much as you love yourself.”
No other commandment is more important than these.’
If you can
figure out where in this passage Jesus tells us that it’s okay to be
prideful or arrogant in our “loving”…then show me! Too many of us want
to push our own agendas with criticism – and even an atmosphere of fear
and hatred – and then excuse it all with, “But we still love you!” as if
those on the receiving end should somehow be grateful.
I cannot
stress enough how disheartened I am by the attitudes, words and actions
of many people in recent days. The attacks have been prideful…and
vicious. And far too many people are trying to hide behind the name of
Jesus as they toss daggers and stones. I implore each of us to search
our hearts and look for places where we are spinning things to suit our
own whims. Where have we “acted horrible” and then hoped that people
would love us anyway? If we find even a snippet of this malice and
manipulation, I pray that we would ask God to remove it from us…for
good.
Proud men will indeed be punished. Let’s do everything we
can to make sure that we are not among them! If we make a concerted
effort to operate in love, there will be no room for pride and
judgment. Are you ready to do some heart “search and rescue?” Don’t
you think this is a good time to start?
©2015 Debbie Robus
Showing posts with label covering up our mistakes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label covering up our mistakes. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for December 8, 2014
Matthew 2:1-4
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem village, Judah territory— this was during Herod’s kingship—a band of scholars arrived in Jerusalem from the East. They asked around, “Where can we find and pay homage to the newborn King of the Jews? We observed a star in the eastern sky that signaled his birth. We’re on pilgrimage to worship him.”
When word of their inquiry got to Herod, he was terrified—and not Herod alone, but most of Jerusalem as well. Herod lost no time. He gathered all the high priests and religion scholars in the city together and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?”
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
Greg and I watched a sitcom recently in which a teenager found himself caught in a lie. His older sister convinced him that the best way to get out of it was to tell even BIGGER lies until people began to buy into the story and believe them to be truthful. Of course, this ultimately backfired, and the boy had to “come clean” about what had really happened.
Every single one of us has heard some news that had us scrambling to find out the details…to ask around and “get the skinny” on what was really going to happen. At the heart of the matter, we wanted to know what effect it would have on our own lives. Would this be good news for us…or bad news? When things are rocking along pretty well in our world, we don’t like to think about a change…especially one that might cause us some trouble!
Hopefully, such news has never left us terrified…at least not for the same reasons as Herod! Most assuredly, let’s hope that we never believe that the way to correct misinformation is with more untruths. At the heart of the matter, Herod was operating in fear and pride. His ego would not allow him to consider another king…not even one sent from God. So when he heard news that the Messiah had been born, all he could think about was figuring out a way to find Him and kill Him – or to convince his soldiers to do this! Now that’s some fear and pride at work!
I would hope that none of us plots evil things to cover our own sins – or to deal with our fears and the things that we believe will disrupt life as we know it! But just in case, let me leave you with this thought. Jesus is the light of the world. He tells us in John 10:10 that “I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.” There is nothing to fear about Jesus! With Him, ALL things are possible.
When a sense of fear or dread comes upon you, remember the Good News of Jesus Christ. Say a prayer and ask Him to help you squarely face whatever is in your path…and to give you wisdom and faith as you follow His lead. Like Herod and the “scholars”, we have two paths from which to choose. Make the right decision…follow Jesus, the King of Kings! Worship Him and walk in His ways, and you’ll never have to worry about the outcome.
©2014 Debbie Robus
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem village, Judah territory— this was during Herod’s kingship—a band of scholars arrived in Jerusalem from the East. They asked around, “Where can we find and pay homage to the newborn King of the Jews? We observed a star in the eastern sky that signaled his birth. We’re on pilgrimage to worship him.”
When word of their inquiry got to Herod, he was terrified—and not Herod alone, but most of Jerusalem as well. Herod lost no time. He gathered all the high priests and religion scholars in the city together and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?”
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
Greg and I watched a sitcom recently in which a teenager found himself caught in a lie. His older sister convinced him that the best way to get out of it was to tell even BIGGER lies until people began to buy into the story and believe them to be truthful. Of course, this ultimately backfired, and the boy had to “come clean” about what had really happened.
Every single one of us has heard some news that had us scrambling to find out the details…to ask around and “get the skinny” on what was really going to happen. At the heart of the matter, we wanted to know what effect it would have on our own lives. Would this be good news for us…or bad news? When things are rocking along pretty well in our world, we don’t like to think about a change…especially one that might cause us some trouble!
Hopefully, such news has never left us terrified…at least not for the same reasons as Herod! Most assuredly, let’s hope that we never believe that the way to correct misinformation is with more untruths. At the heart of the matter, Herod was operating in fear and pride. His ego would not allow him to consider another king…not even one sent from God. So when he heard news that the Messiah had been born, all he could think about was figuring out a way to find Him and kill Him – or to convince his soldiers to do this! Now that’s some fear and pride at work!
I would hope that none of us plots evil things to cover our own sins – or to deal with our fears and the things that we believe will disrupt life as we know it! But just in case, let me leave you with this thought. Jesus is the light of the world. He tells us in John 10:10 that “I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.” There is nothing to fear about Jesus! With Him, ALL things are possible.
When a sense of fear or dread comes upon you, remember the Good News of Jesus Christ. Say a prayer and ask Him to help you squarely face whatever is in your path…and to give you wisdom and faith as you follow His lead. Like Herod and the “scholars”, we have two paths from which to choose. Make the right decision…follow Jesus, the King of Kings! Worship Him and walk in His ways, and you’ll never have to worry about the outcome.
©2014 Debbie Robus
Daily Devotional for October 21, 2013
Romans 2:5-8
You’re not getting by with anything. Every refusal and avoidance of God adds fuel to the fire. The day is coming when it’s going to blaze hot and high, God’s fiery and righteous judgment. Make no mistake: In the end you get what’s coming to you—Real Life for those who work on God’s side, but to those who insist on getting their own way and take the path of least resistance, Fire!
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
The first house my husband and I bought was a “fixer-upper”. We painted walls, put in new flooring, and gave the lone bathroom a total re-do - with the help of family and friends. My dad had started a cultured marble manufacturing business, and he made an oversized shower stall that had a tall threshold…allowing us to create a small bath tub effect, if desired. As Daddy helped Greg install the marble walls and panels, he cracked one. It was on the inside of the threshold, so he quickly glued it together and said to Greg, “I hope she (meaning me!) doesn’t see that!”
I’ll admit… Daddy was between a rock and a hard place. He was 90 miles from home, trying to fix our only bathroom in one weekend, and he had just broken one of the components. Nobody ever saw that crack except us if we sat down to take a “bath”… and it was reparable. So we moved on with the project and laughed about it later. But how many times in life do we “break” things and hope that nobody will notice… even God?
How often do we put a patch over our mistakes and shortcomings… and forge ahead, thinking – or hoping – that we won’t be discovered? How many of us are mired in baggage from this type of behavior… yet pretending to others that nothing is the least bit amiss? How many of us are trying to hide from God?
Do you see that avoiding God and trying to cover up your blunders and lapses in judgment is disrespectful? Do you understand that you really aren’t fooling anyone… especially God? Sadly, some of us have gotten so good at running from God… masking the truth and covering up our messes… that this pattern has become a way of life. And the damage has accumulated in the process. At this point, some can no longer distinguish reality from the fantasy life they have created. But God knows the truth!
We won’t get away with this… and this shouldn’t even be part of our mindset. We may fool some of our friends and acquaintances – some of the time – but we aren’t fooling God for one minute! And all of this is incredibly disrespectful… especially to God. The scriptures tell us in Galatians 6:7-8… “Don’t be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!—harvests a crop of weeds. All he’ll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God’s Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life.”
Is God’s Spirit growing in you? When you make a mistake or fall short in some area, do you readily acknowledge this and ask for forgiveness? Are you respectful in your living… toward others - and especially toward God… or are you piling up “fuel for the fire”?
I do not like to operate in threats and fearful suggestions… but I don’t believe that this message delivers either. Instead, I see an opportunity for us to respect God and His presence and influence in our lives… to “come clean” with Him and in our daily living… and to make every effort to be whoever He has called us to be. Rather than try to get by with something, why not make a careful and concerted effort to do things right on the front end?
Are you showing the proper reverence and respect to God… and to others? Isn’t it time you did?
©2013 Debbie Robus
You’re not getting by with anything. Every refusal and avoidance of God adds fuel to the fire. The day is coming when it’s going to blaze hot and high, God’s fiery and righteous judgment. Make no mistake: In the end you get what’s coming to you—Real Life for those who work on God’s side, but to those who insist on getting their own way and take the path of least resistance, Fire!
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
The first house my husband and I bought was a “fixer-upper”. We painted walls, put in new flooring, and gave the lone bathroom a total re-do - with the help of family and friends. My dad had started a cultured marble manufacturing business, and he made an oversized shower stall that had a tall threshold…allowing us to create a small bath tub effect, if desired. As Daddy helped Greg install the marble walls and panels, he cracked one. It was on the inside of the threshold, so he quickly glued it together and said to Greg, “I hope she (meaning me!) doesn’t see that!”
I’ll admit… Daddy was between a rock and a hard place. He was 90 miles from home, trying to fix our only bathroom in one weekend, and he had just broken one of the components. Nobody ever saw that crack except us if we sat down to take a “bath”… and it was reparable. So we moved on with the project and laughed about it later. But how many times in life do we “break” things and hope that nobody will notice… even God?
How often do we put a patch over our mistakes and shortcomings… and forge ahead, thinking – or hoping – that we won’t be discovered? How many of us are mired in baggage from this type of behavior… yet pretending to others that nothing is the least bit amiss? How many of us are trying to hide from God?
Do you see that avoiding God and trying to cover up your blunders and lapses in judgment is disrespectful? Do you understand that you really aren’t fooling anyone… especially God? Sadly, some of us have gotten so good at running from God… masking the truth and covering up our messes… that this pattern has become a way of life. And the damage has accumulated in the process. At this point, some can no longer distinguish reality from the fantasy life they have created. But God knows the truth!
We won’t get away with this… and this shouldn’t even be part of our mindset. We may fool some of our friends and acquaintances – some of the time – but we aren’t fooling God for one minute! And all of this is incredibly disrespectful… especially to God. The scriptures tell us in Galatians 6:7-8… “Don’t be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!—harvests a crop of weeds. All he’ll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God’s Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life.”
Is God’s Spirit growing in you? When you make a mistake or fall short in some area, do you readily acknowledge this and ask for forgiveness? Are you respectful in your living… toward others - and especially toward God… or are you piling up “fuel for the fire”?
I do not like to operate in threats and fearful suggestions… but I don’t believe that this message delivers either. Instead, I see an opportunity for us to respect God and His presence and influence in our lives… to “come clean” with Him and in our daily living… and to make every effort to be whoever He has called us to be. Rather than try to get by with something, why not make a careful and concerted effort to do things right on the front end?
Are you showing the proper reverence and respect to God… and to others? Isn’t it time you did?
©2013 Debbie Robus
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