Respectable Sins - Part 3

I do not have the time nor knowledge to fully address the problem of pride. And if I did, a blog post would hardly be an appropriate forum for the subject. However, I do firmly believe that pride is the root of all of our sin and as such should be discussed.

Whenever I begin to struggle with pride, or see it in my life, or watch as it results in me sinning - I go back to the gospel. I go all the way back to the beginning of the gospel...the part where we realize that we need it. As C.S. Lewis writes in Mere Christianity, "...it does not beginning with comfort; it begins in the dismay I have been describing, and it is no use at all trying to go on to that comfort without first going through that dismay." What is the dismay he is referring to? It is the realization that you are a sinner. What is pride? Pride is simply us thinking that we are better than the filthy, disgusting, loathsome, obscene, revolting, verminous sinners that we truly are! Pride is taking the glory for raising obedient kids. Pride is taking the credit when you get a base hit. Pride is the assumption that you will get to church safely in the morning - because apart from the grace of God, you won't! Pride is everywhere, haunting our every footsteps and we need to be constantly on the alert to do battle with it.

God is been gracious to give me recent opportunity to do battle with my pride. As some of you know, I no longer have a vehicle. For the past week and a half, I have been bumming rides off family and friends. It is a humbling experience...first of all to have to ask for rides and second of all to be dependent on everyone around you. "Mom, can I get a ride to work in the morning?" is not a sentence that any self respecting 22 year old should be asking! Again...pride. Its always there.

Thank you, Father, for this opportunity to see pride in my life. Thank you for your Son, my Savior and Mediator, who has paid for all of my sins. Thank you for my justification which provides me with the strength to fight my sin without discouragement because I know that the battle has already been won for me. Father, teach me to hate my sin more than I do. Fill me with such a loathing for it that I cannot help but cast it away from me! For I cannot glorify You and myself at the same time. You are the only One worth of glory, of my praise. Your faithfulness to your children is great and your mercy is more than I can grasp! Father, I confess my sin of pride to you. Teach me humility. Grow me more into the perfect image of Your Son, Jesus, who, being the beloved Son of God chose to humble Himself and be born as a man! I know nothing of humility, Father, this fact becomes truer to me every day I live. I sing with the the song, "I can't comprehend this fathomless love; I'm gripped and amazed by what you have done. How could the adored become the despised and bear all the furious wrath that was mine? How awesome this mystery of Your fathomless love for me!" Father, let my sin never be far from my mind. Do not let me grow comfortable with it. Give me the strength to fight it. Teach me more of Yourself for only then can I grow in humility.