What do you think of Yourself?: Gospel Today Devotional - 26th November, 2023

There's this trait that is inherent in man, the trait that makes one esteem himself better than another; the trait that makes one despise others; the trait that makes one think he is all in all, and none can be compared to him. This trait as it has been said is channeled by that which is called pride. There's a very clear difference between confidence, and pride. While confidence tells of your self worth, it doesn't do that in comparison with others as though no one is as good as you. Pride however has nothing to do with yourself being made known to you but reveals other people's worth to be inferior to yours. Pride is a disease that if allowed can ruin a person completely.

Many people exhibit this trait in churches, schools, organisations, nations. There are preachers who feel no one has got the wisdom they have, and according to them, no one has ever or can ever access the realm from which they operate. Are there not students who just for no reason think they are better than their peers? How about marriage where the husband feels the wife is not up to his standard, and the wife feels the husband is not up to her standard? There are nations in the world that despise other nations, and leaders that consider other leaders irrelevant. If there's any form of cancer that should be dealt with especially among believers, it is the cancer of pride. It is that deadly. So many don't understand this. I pray the Lord open our eyes to see.

Pride is the reason you feel no one can pray than you do, and if you're not there, the prayer won't make sense. Pride is the reason you feel the message you preach, and the words you say are so deep that no one can ever give that kind of rhema (as it is used by believers), and if it's not from you, then it's not deep enough. Please note that even God detests pride, he resists the proud, but then he regards the lowly in heart (those who are humble). Praise God. This is the focus for today's devotional. The passage of scripture under consideration is seen below,

"For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself". (Galatians 6:3).

It was Jesus who said that if you're invited to a feast, and although you may seem important, he says not to consider yourself important by deciding first to sit where special guests should sit, but should first take the lowly spot, such that when he who invites you sees you, he would tell you to come up higher. (Luke 14:8-11). Imagine our Lord Jesus giving such a wonderful counsel because he knows that pride has the ability to disgrace. Just imagine, if after you had taken the topmost sit considering yourself as the most important person there, and someone who is more important than you comes around, what do you think would happen? 

You would be asked to vacate the seat of course to a lower seat, wouldn't that be shameful? That's the reward for pride, it brings shame. The scripture we're considering today says that for if a man thinks himself to something (if a man is proud) when he is actually nothing, then he deceiveth himself. Praise God. This means that pride is deceptive. It makes you esteem yourself better than others when in the real sense, there are a thousand people who are better than you. God resists the proud, he looks at them from afar (Psalm 138:6). I trust the Lord to open our eyes for this disease has plagued many believers. The question is, what do you think of yourself? Do you think of yourself better than others? Is it not by God's grace that you do what you do? Why act as though you are all by yourself sufficient in yourself, and better than others?

This is the reason a young minister would feel he is now in a position to talk about fathers of faith who laboured for the gospel message he now has because he now feels he has got more revelation. This is the reason believers now begin to claim the title, I'm older than you, and feel none should treat them in ways that are not special . This is the reason a song minister, a preacher, would be invited to a programme, and then despise every other minister there. Pride brings about disgrace, God detests the proud, and please don't think pride is shown through actions alone, there's what is called the pride of the heart (secret pride). So you can bow, and greet everyone and still despise people, also, you can still sit at the back in a programme when you should be sitting at the front, and then still despise people. This is a call to us today, let's examine ourselves, let's pray to the Lord for help. Pride is a deadly disease. May the Lord help us. Amen.

Thought for the day: 

Pride is a very deadly disease, it is cancerous in nature. It disgraces, and most importantly, God resists the proud.

Gospel Today is a comforting, exhorting, edifying and inspiring devotional published by the Delightsome Land Christian Ministry. For questions, enquiries/testimonies, please call/WhatsApp: 08174915361, 08161655758 or Email: [email protected].