“Your heart was corrupted by pride…your wisdom corrupted by your
love of splendor.” Ezekiel 28:17
He
was breathtakingly beautiful. Dazzling colors flashed from his jewel-encrusted
body, while music emanated from him as though his very being was a symphony. He
breathed out harmonies that filled the universe and made distant stars sing for
joy. His power and authority were unchallenged, limited only by the One who
created him. But it wasn’t enough. Being second in command was not enough. He
narrowed his amethyst eyes and said to himself, “I will be like the Most High”
(Is. 14:14).
If
we ever wonder how God feels about pride, we have only to look at Lucifer’s
downfall. Pride is the elevation of one’s own importance beyond what God has
allotted. Pride was the first sin. It twisted God’s perfect universe and
defiled the humans who were created to be like Him. And God despises it. He
can’t work in and through us when we are drenched in pride. Lucifer’s pride was
obvious, but ours is not always so clear. Lucifer’s pride manifested itself as
overt arrogance and defiance of God’s right to be God. We sometimes follow his
example when we refuse to bow the knee or the heart to God’s authority in our
lives. But pride wears many other masks and can disguise itself so well that we
hardly recognize it. This week we will look at a few of those masks and
identify some places where pride may be limiting God’s power and presence in
our lives.
Are you mimicking Lucifer’s pride? Are there
areas of your
life in which you insist on being your own god?
.
No comments:
Post a Comment