Pride and Prejudice

“Oh, I can’t be friends with so-and-so because they’re better at this than I am.” 

“She’s prettier than me, I can’t talk to her.”

“He’s too smart for me to hang out with him.”

How many times a week do thoughts like this run through our minds? I know that, for me, it happens far more often than I’d like to admit. I’ll see someone who I feel threatened by in a particular area and automatically avoid them like they’re Typhoid Mary. It’s almost like I can’t stand to be around someone who has a gift that exceeds mine. Too many times, this attitude prevents acquaintances from developing into beautiful friendships. 

Why do we react this way to certain people? Why do their gifts bother us when we know that God gave us our gifts just as He gave them theirs? I think oftentimes the answer is simple: pride. We are too prideful to appreciate our brothers and sisters in Christ for their gifts, especially if they have similar gifts to ours. We feel threatened by them because we’re afraid that through their use of the gift, our use will somehow be made “less special.” This, in fact, is not the case; rather the varying ways in which Christ’s people use their gifts serves to glorify Him more and to amplify the beauty of His church. We are not all made to be the same person. We are made to use our gifts in the way that God is calling us to do so. This doesn’t depreciate the value of the gift God has given you in any manner. He calls us to be beautiful in variety. We are all to fit together in such a way that no part of society is untouched by the Gospel of Christ.

Yet somehow, we still struggle with comparing ourselves to the person next to us. We see their inward and outward beauty, their gifts, everything that they have that we think makes them outshine us. This comes from a lack of focus on the right thing; we’re focusing on ourselves instead of the One whom we are called to focus on. When we’re focused on Christ, it doesn’t matter whether we’re better at something than someone else. It just doesn’t matter because the purpose of everything that we do should be to glorify God. Glorifying God may mean being ok with the fact that someone other than you claimed that particular award, or that certain job, or the affections of that man. It means being content with what God has given you, knowing that He has provided just exactly what you need for this time in your life. God is not overlooking your gift in that area, He’s simply telling you that He prefers to use your gift in a different way right now. He’s calling upon you to trust Him and you can trust Him. You can trust Him because of who He is: the holy King of all the earth who works all things for the good of those who love Him.

Love y'all!

Legalism

Hey, y'all!

I will be able to blog more regularly from now on, Lord willing, because I was able to finish a rather large writing project I had been working on for quite some time.

For a while now, my life has been legalistic. "Do this...don't do that..." and so on. While talking about my struggles with one of my sisters in Christ, I came to realize that the true problem I was having was with my image of God. I was acting as if God was going to condemn me to hell for something as insignificant as choosing sweet tea over soft drink! That may not seem like a major concern, but my life is full of legalism mostly over ridiculous little things like that!

The fact that my view had gotten twisted in the first place was my fault. Legalism is not a godly thing. It's basically doing what you think to be "behaving" because you're afraid that if you don't, God will be mad at you and "let you go."  But God promises in Deuteronomy 31:6, "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." (NIV)

I had at first tried to "fix" my legalism by myself. It didn't occur to me to look up Scripture verses to help me until I was blogging (How far I have to go, Lord!). I hope these verses speak to you, as they have spoken to me.

And several times in Romans 8, God reminds us, "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit." (Romans 8:1-4, NIV)

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:37-39, NIV)

From now on, I'm going to try to remember this when I begin to think legalistically. I pray that I will think of these verses often, so I may be strengthened in the Lord.

Have a blessed Lord's Day!
Lydia

Lessons from Hair: Part 2

Hey y'all!

Today we move on to the second lesson from our passage in John.

Judas was not a nice guy (definitely an understatement) and he was very harsh with Mary in this passage. He was offended that she would "waste" such expensive perfume on something he considered frivolous. How many times have we been discouraged by someone who thinks that what we have to offer the Lord isn't the right thing to offer or been discouraged by someone who thinks that what we offer can serve some better purpose?

Yet the Lord Jesus said, "Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial." (NKJV) Did you notice that first part? "Let her alone." How awesome is that? I know many, many times I have wished I could have someone to stand up on my behalf. Mary didn't have just anyone stand up for her, she had the very Son of God!

Jesus accepted and loved what Mary had given to Him, even though Judas found her gift disgraceful. Jesus accepts and loves what we give Him in the same way. He loves our gifts to Him because He loves us. Our gifts may not be the most spectacular, the prettiest, the most obvious, etc. but when we offer them up to God and use them for His glory, He loves them!

As I was typing this post, I was led to see yet another lesson from the words, "Let her alone." I have struggled with assurance most of my Christian life. I don't doubt the Lord, but I doubt myself. Many times I have thought that I deserve condemnation and hell. And you know what? I do! We all do! But the Lord Jesus Christ redeemed us from our sins by His death on the cross! His righteous life is imputed to us when we believe on Him, it's not and never will be about how "good" we can be. Now, of course, this is not license to sin, but it's comforting to know that the work is already completely accomplished. Oh and you know what? If the devil ever tries to convince the Lord that we belong to the devil instead of to Him because of our sin, I feel that the Lord will answer in a similar manner to the way He answered Judas, "Let her alone..."


Have a blessed Lord's Day!