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Some Characteristics of Pride and Humility

9/23/2018

(Note: Some of this was adapted from Pastor Brian Borgman's series on pride and humility. I highly recommend it. It can be found at SermonAudio.com)

PRIDE

Pride is divisive, not peaceful. Prideful people are not peacemakers. Yeshua said "blessed are the peacemakers" not "blessed are the pot stirrers."
Pride will not receive correction; it hates rebuke and even dislikes advice. The foolish man thinks he knows everything.
Pride delights in harshness, rebuking, and correcting. Pride looks for someone to pounce on.
Pride demands praise and recognition; it doesn't want any of that behind the scenes stuff.
Pride wants more than it has, and thinks it deserves to be treated better than it is. Pride doesn't glory in the exaltation of its neighbor.
Pride boasts and glories in itself. A prideful person may begin with the statement, "Well I'm not trying to brag, but..."
Pride seeks pity, recognition, and flattery; it talks bad about itself in order to get a compliment from others.
Pride takes glory in meritorious works and earning rather than grace. Pride is the driver of all man-centered theology.

HUMILITY

Humility knows that Yahweh is great and Yahweh is good, and you are not. Even Yeshua said Yahweh was good alone.
Humility knows ones sin, failures, and problems, and doesn't act sanctimonious. It asks forgiveness from Yahweh and neighbor often.
Humility doesn't go around talking about how humble it is. If you have to tell someone you're humble, you're not humble. If you have to tell someone you're not prideful, you're prideful.
Humility receives correction and instruction. It listens to what others have to say. It gives soft answers instead of grievous words.
Humility rejoices in the blessings and success of others. It doesn't sit around and think "What about me?" It knows exaltation happens on Yahweh's time-table.
Humility gives up its rights, and doesn't fight back. It doesn't have to be known as right, and doesn't feel a need to always vocalize its belief. A humble person knows how to keep their mouth shut.
Humility loves and revels in grace, and doesn't need any credit. A humble person knows that good works are the fruit born off the tree that Yahweh has planted.

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I Want to be a Little Child

9/5/2018

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Last night, our grandson spent the night with us. He's just over two months old, and he is as precious as it gets. My youngest child is now almost 10, so it's been a while since I've had that little of a person in my arms.

I woke up during the night. I heard him wiggling, and making all these baby noises. My wife (the Queen) knows exactly what to do to comfort him. She amazes me. She'd quickly get him back to peaceful sleep.

At my third time waking up - LOL - about 4 a.m. I decided it was time to stay awake, so I laid there and meditated a bit. I thought about how little he was. How he knows nothing about what's going on in the world. How he has no responsibilities, no worries, no... pretty much anything. He's just a brand new, little human.

I don't remember much from birth to about five years old, but my wife and I have raised five children of our own, and there's something special about little children. To them, everything is amazing. You show them how to color... amazing. You sing them a song... amazing. You take them outside and look at birds... amazing. You lay them on the couch and tickle their tummy... amazing. They are completely into whatever is going on.

I remember when I could do no wrong in the sight of my children. I was still me, flaws and all, but I was their big, strong, perfect daddy. They were little. They had all the confidence in the world in me. They'd look at me with those eyes, and I would melt. There's something special about really little children.

There was a time when the disciples of the Messiah asked him, "Who's gonna' be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" Yeshua set a little child in the midst of all of them, and said:

"Most certainly I tell you, unless you turn, and become as little children, you will in no way enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Whoever therefore humbles himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven." (Matthew 18:3-4, WEB)

The characteristic to be pointed out here is humility. Little children are humble in the sense that they don't care what anyone thinks. They get dirty in the yard, don't brush their teeth, share their juice box, pat you on the back when you cry, tell you they love you, and say the sweetest things.

They aren't perfect. I understand that we are all fallen sons of Adam and daughters of Eve, so don't get crazy and start rebuking my theology, lol. But Yeshua said what he said for a reason. If you're interested in being great in the kingdom, you gotta' become like a little child. You've got to humble yourself and live, and love, like a little 1 year old that's just learning to talk.

So... I think all us adults focus on too much stuff we have no control over, because we want control over it. We bicker and fuss and argue about things that make us feel validated. It's a mess y'all. It's a stupid mess. We could spend all that energy reading and studying the Bible, praying, helping the poor, being kind to our neighbors, and living in amazement and awe of all that we've been given in the here and now for a short while.

We aren't gonna' live forever in this life. Don't kid yourself. It'll be over before you know it, and what will matter are the humble things. What will matter is how you treated your neighbor. How you helped someone who didn't have the means to help you back. What will matter is how you spent time seeking your Creator. How you looked for ways to please Him more, and just lived a simple and peaceful life.

Life isn't about being first. It's about being last. Let everybody ahead of you. Don't go for the gold. Just be what you can be. That's all a little child does. Be quick to forgive. Be quick to say "I'm sorry." Don't be afraid to cry, and don't be afraid to get dirty. If life hasn't thrown you a curve ball yet, get ready for one, and the just roll with it. Trials build character. Tough times produce soft hearts.

My little grandson has the best times of his life awaiting him for the next 5 years, and he doesn't even know it. I'm gonna' do my best to have fun with him, and watch him live and love as a little child. And then, I'm gonna' try to be like him.

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Some Characteristics of Pride and Humility

I Want to be a Little Child

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