By: Undre Griggs, Jr. If asked to list some of the most undesirable traits a person can have, pride would likely be high on the list. Pride can manifest itself in our lives in many ways. Pride can arise from wealth, appearance, knowledge, talent, influence/power, and the social status one occupies. Pride is a self-destructive trait that makes it hard for us to ask for help. It also makes it near impossible for us to admit when we are wrong. Pride makes it challenging for us to maintain relationships; as it is difficult for a prideful person to forgive and empathize with others. A lack of humility creates the illusion that we are never wrong, and someone who believes that does not have the patience for imperfection. Proverbs 16:5 (ESV): Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord; be assured, he will not go unpunished. Pride puts a strain on all relationship, including our relationship with God. A prideful person will find becoming a Christian unnecessary. They will not be able to see their shortcomings, so they cannot see the need for a Savior. They will see themselves as a “good person” who does the best they can when they can. Proverbs 11:2 (ESV): When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom. A humble person knows they need a Savior because a humble person understands their own shortcomings. Furthermore, they know they need a Savior they don’t deserve and salvation is a debt they could never repay. They are willing to devote their lives to expressing their appreciation through obedience, kindness to others, and selflessness. A prideful person lacks the awareness to properly judge the debt they owe Jesus Christ. Of all the shortcomings a prideful person possesses, this the most detrimental. They will be defiant and unwilling to submit themselves to the will of God and follow His wisdom. If they frequently rely upon themselves, God’s wisdom may be too perplexing for some to make the leap of faith. God’s wisdom is not of this world and requires a trust that surpasses all understanding. A trust that only a humble person is capable of achieving. Whenever we begin to look inward at our successes instead of upward to the true source, we run the risk of turning a gift into a curse.
By: Undre Griggs, Jr. The task of becoming a Christian can seem daunting; and the task of remaining faithful until death can be equally overwhelming (Revelations 2:10). For this reason, many feel they are not worthy or unable to devote their life to Christ in baptism. The reality we all have shortcomings should be a call to action; not a reason for inaction. Matthew 7:7-8 (ESV): “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Jehovah is a loving Father who is willing to give His children whatever they need to succeed. The first step is ours to take; we only need to humble ourselves and ask the Father for help. If we pray to the Father to allow us to read the Bible more, we only need to be willing to accept the Bible teacher position offered to us the next week. If we pray for patience, then we should be accepting of the manner in which God helps us to grow our patience. That could be God chastening us by providing us with interactions where others are showing us more kindness than we would show others in the same situation. God is going to give us what we need to be able to achieve the results we ask for. We have to be aware of these blessing by seeking them out. At times we will find the grace of God in some unlikely places; but if we labor for the Lord, we will find our reward. Matthew 7:9-11 (ESV): Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! We ask God to help mold us into a better person because we want to be pleasing to Him. We seek God’s satisfaction for our work in His church because we ultimately want God to open the gates of Heaven when we knock. Jehovah is righteous, trustworthy, and honest in His interactions with His children. If we live in obedience and earnestly try to learn God’s will, He will reward us. Since all good gifts come from above (James 1:17), it is up to us to our requests known to God. It is not His role to give us any more than what He has already given us. The Apostle Paul speaks on the beauty of the world as a way for the world to know there is a Creator (Romans 1:20). His willingness to give His Son on the cross while we were still sinners shows a love that words cannot describe (Romans 5:8). There is enough evidence for us to comfortably be able to know there is a Creator and that the Creator loves us beyond words. All we need to do is be humble enough to ask, diligent enough to seek; to know that when we knock, the door will be opened.
By: Undre Griggs, Jr. A trait unique to God is His ability to accurately judge the heart. There is good reason, as judging the heart is a difficult task for any of us to accomplish. We may even find it difficult to understand our own actions, let alone what is encouraging the actions of others. Jeremiah 17:9 (ESV): The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? Our heart may have us believing we are being considerate of others, when the reality is we are only considering ourselves. Our heart may have us believing we are not disappointed by the actions of some, but the reality is we are truly hurting from the betrayal. Proverbs 21:2 (ESV): Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart. Our inability to understand the motive to the action is why we misunderstand each other on a regular basis. Consider someone purchasing another person a cup of coffee: did they have extra money that day, are they in a good mood and wanted to share the joy, or are they interested in getting to know the person on an intimate level? While the action has value, it alone is not enough for us to confidently discern the implications of the action. Jeremiah 17:10 (ESV): “I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.” This is part of the reason we consistently see the Bible equating sins that many believe to be “capital offenses” to the sins that many believe are a shortcoming of being “only human”. Revelation 21:8 (ESV): But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” Even among believers, not everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 7:21). Some believers will be separated with the sheep while other believers will be placed with the goats (Matthew 25). Even though they both sin every day, God found some acceptable and others unworthy. Could the judgment of the heart be the difference? We look at Paul and understand he played a vital role in the murder of Christians; yet God thought him worthy to be an Apostle. Could it be that while his actions were evil, his heart was not? In the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14), could the Tax Collector have been the one who left justified; not because he lived the better life, but because he had the better heart? I encourage all Christians to live a life of spirit and truth, but remember, nothing is greater than love (1 Corinthians 13:13) and love covers a multitude of sin (1 Peter 4:8).
By: Undre Griggs, Jr. As humans, we have many weaknesses and shortcomings; but I want to focus on the weakness of the flesh. Our fleshly desires create the thoughts and actions that are sin. Galatians 5:19-21 (ESV): Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Due to the fact that humans will always have flesh, humans will always have sin. As we read above, sinners will not inherit the kingdom of God; yet Jesus promised humans that He is preparing a place for them in the kingdom. John 14:2 (NIV): My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. It is without a doubt, we do not deserve the favor God has shown us. With the wages of sin being death, we are not worthy to reside in heaven. We find ourselves fortunate to have a Father who loves us so much He would give us His only begotten Son. It is by putting to death our flesh in the watery grave of baptism that we put on the spirit of Christ. It is a blessing to be a child of God and it is a gift that we could never earn or repay. 2 Corinthians 12:9 (ESV): But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. As any child, the best way for us to show our love and appreciation to our Father is by obeying Him. When we obey the words of our Father, He continues to shower us with grace and mercy. That is the reason we work for the Lord with all of our heart; not because we believe it will earn us admission to heaven, but because our love and faith provokes us to action (James 2:18). Like a child purchasing a tie on Father’s Day or coloring a picture on Mother’s Day; their love is so great that they find joy giving to their parents. Just as humorous as the idea that those gifts will settle a child’s debt to his/her parents, it is equally humorous for us to believe we can repay God for the blessings He provides us. Fortunately for all of us, we are not required to repay our debt as God’s Grace is sufficient for us all.
By: Undre Griggs, Jr. We are going to find ourselves in situations where we believe we are submitting to someone who knows less than us. This is not easy by any means and that is part of the reason we are expected to esteem others higher than ourselves on a regular basis. There are no caveats, carve outs or exclusions; we are to esteem everyone who is not us, greater than ourselves. Philippians 2:3-4 (ESV): Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. This is one of the greatest traits of children. To their benefit, children spend their childhood life submitting to another’s oversight. If they participate in sports, they have coaches; if they attend a school, they have teachers; they also have parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles. 1 Peter 5:5 (NIV): In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” The reason Christ finds it important for us to esteem others over and beyond ourselves… is because they are. If we remain humble and open to learning, everyone will be able to teach us something. For example, we can learn about the beauty of the Old Testament from Jews, the importance of sharing the word of God from Jehovah Witnesses, and the value of tradition from Catholics. We can learn humility from children, repentance from a new born Christian, and the wisdom of the Bible from an Elder. When we look at anyone and esteem them lesser than ourselves, we must be careful to remember we have all fallen. Jehovah’s esteem for us is so great that He sent His only begotten son to die for us while we were still sinners. Jesus Christ esteemed us so extensively that He lived the lowly life of a human and was tortured and crucified for our sins. So how can we not look at believers and unbelievers greater than ourselves? Is it possible for us to believe the differences between us and another person are greater than the differences between us and God? Deuteronomy 32:4 (NKJV): He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice, A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He. Love and humility is the recipe for us to cherish and honor others above ourselves. If we are missing either, the task will be too difficult to accomplish. Romans 12:10 (NIV): Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.
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Dean Road
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