Pride is an acceptable sin. It is not acceptable to God, of course, but both in culture and church, pride in its various forms is often not only accepted, but lauded. In another day, one might have written a book and then waited for others to write reviews of it. Today, it apparently has become […]
Read More An acceptable sinFollowed relentlessly by police officer Javert, Jean Valjean finds himself with a unique opportunity: another man has been accused of his crimes and is about to be convicted. And if the innocent man is convicted, Valjean will be free. The dilemma is, can he allow another man to be unjustly accused and imprisoned for the […]
Read More Humbled by graceThis week I counted the number of open tabs in my web browser. It was over 40. Time for a Grab Bag, me thinks. Many more churches are being proactive in providing biblical counseling for their people and the community (check out the GBCM webpage and the GBC biblical counselor training page as examples). Capitol […]
Read More Grab bagFound around the internet in the past week — C. J. Mahaney blogs about “The Pastor and Personal Criticism.” But it’s not just pastors who need to understand the role of criticism in their lives (to produce wisdom and maturity). We can all benefit from the criticism we receive: If we could mature in wisdom […]
Read More Grab bagJesus said, “If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame, than to have two hands or two feet and be cast into the eternal fire. If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it […]
Read More How far will you go in your battle against sin and pride?Pride is sneaky and subtle. When a man is humbled and broken, pride raises a small voice that whispers, “you are doing well to be so humbled. How good you are…” When a heart is weak, pride suggests, “You are strong and able…” When an obvious grace from God has been received, pride ponders, “how […]
Read More Pondering David and Paul, pride and hopePaul says that humility is an inner attitude that will yield the peaceful fruit of unity in the church body. Echoing the same truth by denoting the danger of a lack of humility, Thomas Watson wrote, How many by the wind of popular breath have been blown to hell! Whom the devil cannot destroy by […]
Read More The danger of prideHe had all the trappings of 21st century, American success. He was a master builder — massive revitalization projects produced much income and resources for a struggling city. He was a motivating leader — thousands of men served underneath him and gladly followed him. He was a successful soldier — he led his nation out […]
Read More Too much successThe heart of pride is not only the exaltation of self, but even more tragically, it is the diminishing of God. As Thomas Watson has noted, “pride is the greatest sacrilege; it robs God of his glory.” Every prideful act is a defiant gesture of the inadequacy of God, and the self-exaltation of self. This […]
Read More Sunday Leftovers (9/16/07)The cross is God’s “foolish” work to extricate pride from our lives. Now don’t misunderstand; by that it is not meant that men should not boast. Not only do all men boast, but all men should boast. The question is not whether or not we should boast. The question is whether we are boasting in […]
Read More Sunday Leftovers (6/24/07)God says, “For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith” (Rom. 12:3). How might that kind of humility be […]
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Words of Grace 