Friday, 31 July 2020
Pride
Prathab V

Psalm 131 (NIV)
1 My heart is not proud, LORD,
my eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters
or things too wonderful for me.
2 But I have calmed and quieted myself,
I am like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child I am content.

3 Israel, put your hope in the LORD
both now and forevermore.

One of the most difficult sins many of us struggle with is pride. Let’s be honest. We all struggle with some form of pride. We do have pride in our hearts, nicely hidden, so that no one can see. Unfortunately, no matter how well we tuck it away, it manifests itself occasionally.

Pride suddenly emerges when we get offended due to pejorative comments about the quality of our cooking, shape of our garden, fashion sense, office work, leadership style, biblical knowledge or even after delivering a message in church!

When asked about the worst of sins, C.S. Lewis, had this to say:
“There is one vice of which no man in the world is free; which everyone in the world loathes when he sees it in someone else and of which hardly any people, except Christians, ever imagine that they are guilty themselves. There is no fault which makes a man more unpopular, and no fault which we are more unconscious of in ourselves. And the more we have it ourselves, the more we dislike it in others.

According to Christian teachers, the essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride. Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere fleabites in comparison. It was through pride that the Devil became the Devil: Pride leads to every other vice. It is the complete anti-God state of mind.”

It is interesting that CS Lewis says this about pride: “the more we have it ourselves, the more we dislike it in others”. According to Lewis, we nurture pride in our hearts but hate it in others. How ironic!

Pride is never satisfied. It always makes you crave for more. Sometimes it makes you crave for more love, attention, praise, popularity and power. It has an insatiable appetite.

Pride makes us look down on others. It sometimes makes us incapable of looking up to the Son of God, who humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Pride not only causes friction in your friendships and at work, but it also makes us become God’s enemy. The scripture says, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6b, HCSB).

Psalm 131 is short but truly joyful to read. As we reach the end of a busy work week, take time to calm your soul (v2). Confess to God on matters regarding pride in your life. If there be any false humility, confess it and speak to a brother or sister for encouragement and prayer. Do not concern yourself with matters too big (v1). Just put your hope in God. He has not let anyone down. He will carry you and help you.

Prayer:

Lord, examine my heart and see if there be any offensive thing within, especially pride. Help me to deal with pride and false humility. Teach me to be humble like Your Son Jesus. In Jesus’ name, I ask. Amen.

每日灵粮
星期五, 2020年7月31 日
标题：骄傲
作者：帕拉他伯(Prathab V.)
翻译：胡斐弟兄

诗篇131
131:1 〔大卫上行之诗。〕耶和华啊、我的心不狂傲、我的眼不高大。重大和测不透的事、我也不敢行。
131:2 我的心平稳安静、好像断过奶的孩子在他母亲的怀中。我的心在我里面真像断过奶的孩子。
131:3 以色列阿、你当仰望耶和华、从今时直到永远。

我们许多人最难对付的罪之一就是骄傲。老实说。我们所有人都因某种形式的骄傲而跌倒。我们在内心深处都隐藏着骄傲，所以没人能看的到。不幸的是，无论我们将骄傲隐藏得多么好，它偶尔都会显现出来。

当我们因对烹饪质量、花园的设计、时尚感、办公室工作、领导风格、圣经知识甚至是在教会里传讲信息而发表侮辱性的评论时，我们的自豪感就会出现。

当被问到最严重的罪时，C·S·路易斯这样说：“世界上所有的人都犯下这个罪。世界上的每个人在别人身上看到这罪时都会讨厌它，可能除了基督徒，几乎没有人想到他们自己有犯下这罪。这罪使人变得更不受欢迎，也使我们更加无意识地深藏在我们心里。而且当我们有越多这罪时，我们就越不喜欢其他人犯下这罪。”

根据基督教老师的说法，最大的罪恶是骄傲。相比之下，放荡，愤怒，贪婪，醉酒和所有这些仅仅是小罪。魔鬼因为骄傲成为了魔鬼：骄傲导致了其它的恶习。这是完全反神的心态。

有趣的是，C·S·路易斯谈到了这种骄傲感：“当我们自己有越多这罪时，我们就越不喜欢其他人犯下这罪”。据C·S·路易斯，我们容许自己骄傲，但若他人自傲，我们却嗤之以鼻。多么可笑！

骄傲永远不会满足。它总是使你渴望更多。有时，它会让你渴望更多的爱、关注、赞美、声望和力量。它有无法满足的胃口。

骄傲使我们看不起别人。有时候，这使我们无法仰望上帝的儿子，他因顺服而谦卑地死在十字架上。骄傲不仅会在你们的友谊和工作中引起摩擦，而且还会使我们成为上帝的敌人。经上说：“神阻挡骄傲的人、赐恩给谦卑的人（雅各书4：6节下)。

诗篇131虽然很短，但读起来确实令人欣慰。当我们将结束这忙碌的工作周时，请花点时间让我们的心平稳安静（2节）。在有关你生活中的骄傲的事情上向上帝坦白。如果有任何虚假的谦卑，请坦白并与弟兄姐妹交谈和祷告。不要担心太大的事情（1节）。只要把你的盼望寄托在上帝身上。祂没有让任何人失望。祂会帮助你。

祷告：

主啊，我的心，看看里面是否有隐藏的罪恶，尤其是骄傲。帮助我应对骄傲和虚假的谦卑。教我像祢儿子耶稣一样谦卑。祷告是奉主耶稣的名祈求。阿们。