THE WORD
Have you ever heard the saying “Pride is the root of all evil?” Well, I’ve been thinking about pride a lot lately, and I’ve come to believe that this is absolutely true. When we take our eyes off of our amazing God, and put them on ourselves, we steer ourselves right into trouble. We want to go our own way—and most of us know that our way is not always best. Today I was reading in 1 Kings and one particular verse really jumped out at me:
“A warrior putting on his sword for battle should not boast like a warrior who has already won.”1 Kings 20:11
HIS STORY
This scripture is set in a time of great battles in Israel’s history (well I guess that has been the case for a long, long time). Here King Ben-hadad of Aram and King Ahab of Israel are going back and forth about the battle that lay ahead between them. King Ben-hadad was feeling really cocky and basically told the King of Israel that he and his army would destroy them. You see, Aram had about 30 other kings and armies on their side, while Israel was the puny, lone army against them. Ben-hadad thought that he had this battle in the bag—I mean, he had thousands of fearless warriors on his side and probably a record to show for his many victories. But he was confident in his own ability and his past. He was even getting drunk with the other officials before the battle because he was so unconcerned with the turnout.
Israel on the other hand may have had a small army, but they sure had a big God. And King Ahab knew that. He knew better than to be cocky when the battle was in the Lord’s hands. Unlike Ben-hadad, Ahab was confident in his God. And Ahab said to Ben-hadad “A warrior putting on his sword for battle should not boast like a warrior who has already won.” 1 Kings 20:11. Ahab knew that with God nothing was impossible—even when the odds were severely against him. He was humble before His God, who was in control. Ahab prayed to his God and asked for guidance. And because Ahab came to God and trusted Him, He handed the Arameans over to the Israelites in the battle. God proved himself faithful.
So what does this tell us? Obviously, we should not be confident in our own abilities alone. Just because we have had victories before, does not mean we will have them again. We should not trust in ourselves and our talents, but we should give them to God and trust that the Lord will use us. He is so much greater than us—and obviously greater than a massive army. Ben-hadad had his faith in himself and in his golden idols. He did not have help from a real and living God. But Ahab believed—He knew His God was the Great Provider and the source of all. He didn’t give up because of his circumstances and he wasn’t cocky in his own ability. Because Ahab confidence was in his mighty God, he was blessed, and the Lord was glorified.
MY STORY
I think that this lesson can absolutely relate to us today. I’ve found that it’s really easy for me, personally, to get cocky and prideful in what I’ve accomplished—whether it be in sports, school, or in my spiritual life. I found that this happens a lot when I get a lot of compliments from people. When we’ve been successful it’s easy for us to fall into the trap of thinking that our success is of our own doing—thinking that it’s all because of our smarts, or our looks, or our talents. But think about this—Where do all of these things come from? Can we create gifts out of thin air? Are we good by our own doing? I think not. These things are all gifts from God, our Father. He’s gifted us with these things for a purpose, and when we get cocky, we forget the one who gave them to us.
I remember one specific time this year when I was really struggling with having a prideful attitude. I expected to come out as a pole vaulter at Pacific this past year and easily break school records and be the best, because of what I had done in high school—I didn’t expect to have it too hard. And much to my liking, I was supposed to be the only girl pole vaulter on the team. However, there were a few other girls who wanted to try it out, too. On the outside I looked like I was fine with it, but on the inside I was stingy about sharing the time I had with my coach with other girls, and I was jealous at their improvement when I didn’t have much.
But then God gave me a good look at where my heart and attitude were at with these girls. Instead of being encouraging and being excited for them when they improved, I was being cocky and selfish. How could I call myself a follower of Jesus, when I wasn’t wishing the best for my teammates and my friends? I couldn’t. God showed me that this love and talent I had for pole vaulting wasn’t from me, it was a gift from Him, and I was abusing it to make myself look better. And when I was later out for 6 weeks with an injury, it helped me see even more how blessed I really was to be able to compete in such a sport. The Lord reminded me that He is the giver of all good things: “What do you have that God hasn’t given you? And if everything you have is from God, why boast as though it were not a gift?” 1 Corinthians 4:7
Its okay to acknowledge that you do have a gift or you are good at something. But I also think its important that we don’t forget where that comes from, and that we acknowledge that God is the source of those things. Thinking about all that God has given me makes me realize just how blessed I really am. I feel humbled at the feet of my Lord. 1 Corinthians 1:30 tells us that “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.” For “God has united us with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God. He made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin.” He is our source of life. He is our strength when we can’t stand. He gives us hope in a world of darkness. And we can’t take any credit for that.
OUR STORIES
And in saying that, we are no more important than anyone else around us. We are all in the same boat—we are all sinners. “You mean I’m no better than that homeless man sitting on the street , that crazy woman, or that corrupt politician there in D.C.?” Yep, that’s right. That’s sure a humbling thought, isn’t it? Jesus came not to save us because we were righteous, but because we were all corrupt and broken. We all needed a Savior. For “none is righteous—no not one” (this is a favorite of Corby’s) Romans 3:10.
We all have stories of what God is to us and how He has worked in our lives. And we can share those with the world. We can share stories of our great God with people who need to know about Him. They deserve to know Jesus as much as we do. And hearing your story of an amazing God may just change someone’s life…you never know.
“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.” Psalm 24:1. The people around me, the situations that I am placed in, the place I’m at, and the gifts that I have all come from the Lord. He’s blessed me, and He has blessed you. We are all given different talents and placed in different places for a reason. Each of us is in need of God’s saving grace and help. We are all a part of the story. His story.
We are a part of God’s story, so let us not forget who is the Author.
I challenge you to take some time in the presence of God thinking all the amazing things He has done in your life. In other words, count your blessings. Be humbled at the thought of how great our God really is. Read a story like Ahab’s in God’s book to see more stories of an amazing God at work. Read the story of David, read the story of Esther, or read about Abigail. These are all people who realized where their help really came from and lived to serve their great God over everything else. Thinking about God’s greatness may be overwhelming, but it may make you realize just how good God really is. Take some time to thank Him. Let’s give Him credit where credit is due. And like Ahab, don’t forget where your help comes from. "I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth." Psalm 121:1-2
I don’t know if any of you have heard this song by the Museum, My Help Comes From the Lord, but take a listen. It’s all about praising God for who He is. It is about acknowledging that He is our refuge and our strength, and all our help comes from Him alone. This is one of my favorites! Listen and be encouraged :)
Thanks for listening :)
Kasey
Have you ever heard the saying “Pride is the root of all evil?” Well, I’ve been thinking about pride a lot lately, and I’ve come to believe that this is absolutely true. When we take our eyes off of our amazing God, and put them on ourselves, we steer ourselves right into trouble. We want to go our own way—and most of us know that our way is not always best. Today I was reading in 1 Kings and one particular verse really jumped out at me:
“A warrior putting on his sword for battle should not boast like a warrior who has already won.”1 Kings 20:11
HIS STORY
This scripture is set in a time of great battles in Israel’s history (well I guess that has been the case for a long, long time). Here King Ben-hadad of Aram and King Ahab of Israel are going back and forth about the battle that lay ahead between them. King Ben-hadad was feeling really cocky and basically told the King of Israel that he and his army would destroy them. You see, Aram had about 30 other kings and armies on their side, while Israel was the puny, lone army against them. Ben-hadad thought that he had this battle in the bag—I mean, he had thousands of fearless warriors on his side and probably a record to show for his many victories. But he was confident in his own ability and his past. He was even getting drunk with the other officials before the battle because he was so unconcerned with the turnout.
Israel on the other hand may have had a small army, but they sure had a big God. And King Ahab knew that. He knew better than to be cocky when the battle was in the Lord’s hands. Unlike Ben-hadad, Ahab was confident in his God. And Ahab said to Ben-hadad “A warrior putting on his sword for battle should not boast like a warrior who has already won.” 1 Kings 20:11. Ahab knew that with God nothing was impossible—even when the odds were severely against him. He was humble before His God, who was in control. Ahab prayed to his God and asked for guidance. And because Ahab came to God and trusted Him, He handed the Arameans over to the Israelites in the battle. God proved himself faithful.
So what does this tell us? Obviously, we should not be confident in our own abilities alone. Just because we have had victories before, does not mean we will have them again. We should not trust in ourselves and our talents, but we should give them to God and trust that the Lord will use us. He is so much greater than us—and obviously greater than a massive army. Ben-hadad had his faith in himself and in his golden idols. He did not have help from a real and living God. But Ahab believed—He knew His God was the Great Provider and the source of all. He didn’t give up because of his circumstances and he wasn’t cocky in his own ability. Because Ahab confidence was in his mighty God, he was blessed, and the Lord was glorified.
MY STORY
I think that this lesson can absolutely relate to us today. I’ve found that it’s really easy for me, personally, to get cocky and prideful in what I’ve accomplished—whether it be in sports, school, or in my spiritual life. I found that this happens a lot when I get a lot of compliments from people. When we’ve been successful it’s easy for us to fall into the trap of thinking that our success is of our own doing—thinking that it’s all because of our smarts, or our looks, or our talents. But think about this—Where do all of these things come from? Can we create gifts out of thin air? Are we good by our own doing? I think not. These things are all gifts from God, our Father. He’s gifted us with these things for a purpose, and when we get cocky, we forget the one who gave them to us.
I remember one specific time this year when I was really struggling with having a prideful attitude. I expected to come out as a pole vaulter at Pacific this past year and easily break school records and be the best, because of what I had done in high school—I didn’t expect to have it too hard. And much to my liking, I was supposed to be the only girl pole vaulter on the team. However, there were a few other girls who wanted to try it out, too. On the outside I looked like I was fine with it, but on the inside I was stingy about sharing the time I had with my coach with other girls, and I was jealous at their improvement when I didn’t have much.
But then God gave me a good look at where my heart and attitude were at with these girls. Instead of being encouraging and being excited for them when they improved, I was being cocky and selfish. How could I call myself a follower of Jesus, when I wasn’t wishing the best for my teammates and my friends? I couldn’t. God showed me that this love and talent I had for pole vaulting wasn’t from me, it was a gift from Him, and I was abusing it to make myself look better. And when I was later out for 6 weeks with an injury, it helped me see even more how blessed I really was to be able to compete in such a sport. The Lord reminded me that He is the giver of all good things: “What do you have that God hasn’t given you? And if everything you have is from God, why boast as though it were not a gift?” 1 Corinthians 4:7
Its okay to acknowledge that you do have a gift or you are good at something. But I also think its important that we don’t forget where that comes from, and that we acknowledge that God is the source of those things. Thinking about all that God has given me makes me realize just how blessed I really am. I feel humbled at the feet of my Lord. 1 Corinthians 1:30 tells us that “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.” For “God has united us with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God. He made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin.” He is our source of life. He is our strength when we can’t stand. He gives us hope in a world of darkness. And we can’t take any credit for that.
OUR STORIES
And in saying that, we are no more important than anyone else around us. We are all in the same boat—we are all sinners. “You mean I’m no better than that homeless man sitting on the street , that crazy woman, or that corrupt politician there in D.C.?” Yep, that’s right. That’s sure a humbling thought, isn’t it? Jesus came not to save us because we were righteous, but because we were all corrupt and broken. We all needed a Savior. For “none is righteous—no not one” (this is a favorite of Corby’s) Romans 3:10.
We all have stories of what God is to us and how He has worked in our lives. And we can share those with the world. We can share stories of our great God with people who need to know about Him. They deserve to know Jesus as much as we do. And hearing your story of an amazing God may just change someone’s life…you never know.
“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.” Psalm 24:1. The people around me, the situations that I am placed in, the place I’m at, and the gifts that I have all come from the Lord. He’s blessed me, and He has blessed you. We are all given different talents and placed in different places for a reason. Each of us is in need of God’s saving grace and help. We are all a part of the story. His story.
We are a part of God’s story, so let us not forget who is the Author.
I challenge you to take some time in the presence of God thinking all the amazing things He has done in your life. In other words, count your blessings. Be humbled at the thought of how great our God really is. Read a story like Ahab’s in God’s book to see more stories of an amazing God at work. Read the story of David, read the story of Esther, or read about Abigail. These are all people who realized where their help really came from and lived to serve their great God over everything else. Thinking about God’s greatness may be overwhelming, but it may make you realize just how good God really is. Take some time to thank Him. Let’s give Him credit where credit is due. And like Ahab, don’t forget where your help comes from. "I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth." Psalm 121:1-2
I don’t know if any of you have heard this song by the Museum, My Help Comes From the Lord, but take a listen. It’s all about praising God for who He is. It is about acknowledging that He is our refuge and our strength, and all our help comes from Him alone. This is one of my favorites! Listen and be encouraged :)
Thanks for listening :)
Kasey
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