Okay, I’ll admit it: I want to be a celebrity.
Well, sort of. I write a blog, and I want people to admire me for my cutting insight, charming wit, and penetrating analysis. I lead worship, and I want people to say things like, “He’s the awesomest worship leader ever. He leads me straight into the holy place. And he’s much taller than Chris Tomlin.” Sometimes I get to preach, and it would make me very happy if people said things like, “I think we may have another Charles Spurgeon on our hands.” You get the point. I want people to be built into me, admire me, and follow me.
Do you see this in your own life? Maybe you lead a small group, and you really want the admiration of those in your group. Or maybe you teach Sunday school, and crave the compliments of those you’re teaching. Insert your own particular situation.
Then read the cutting words of 1 Corinthians 3:5-7
What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth…
If anyone could have boasted about his spiritual success, it was Paul. After all, his resume did include things like seeing the resurrected Christ, planting churches, and leading thousands to Christ. But Paul was distinctly unimpressed with himself. He was only a servant. He planted seeds. Apollos watered them. But the growth came only from God.
Spiritual pride takes root in my life when I start taking credit for something only God can do. I can play my guitar, but only God can create true worship in a person’s heart. I can preach a sermon, but only God can transform a life. I can lead my small group, but only God can truly care for those in the group.
I want to be a celebrity. In reality, I’m just a servant.
What about you? Do you struggle with spiritual pride?
{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
Great word Stephen!
God's shown me recently that pride is something He wants to chop out of my life! I've always considered myself fairly humble – I bought a copy of CJ's book "Humility: True Greatness", but never read it, as I thought I was doing okay and didn't need to yet, so I read other books instead. When a friend wanted to borrow it, I thought, "yep, you need to learn humility…"
Turns out those were fair signs I wasn't the most humble person! I read a great quote the other day from Spurgeon that said, "God keeps us low for our own safety". That got me. I can see how God has kept me low and humbled me in the past, and I hope and pray (thought it's painful) He does that now as well.
I love the line in a Trip Lee song that says "I'm nothing special, just a vessel, service makes me happy…" – I have that running round my head often to remind myself. Jesus, fully God and great, humbled Himself and became..of all things….a man! and then humbled Himself unto death, even death on a cross! From the greatness of Heaven to a humiliating death on a cross. I need to learn that!
Anyway, great post…sorry for rambling!
Wow, that Spurgeon quote is awesome. Where is that from?
I go on a blog called "Of First Importance" – daily quotes about the gospel / about Jesus. Very Encouraging.
The link to the fuller quote is:http://firstimportance.org/2010/04/07/you-are-kep...
Stephen,
I want to be recognized for my pithy blog comments. I want to be admired for knowing what "pithy" means.
Clearly, this is an area where I need to continue to repent, and die to building a reputation for myself. I want to join with the Psalmist in saying "Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory (Ps. 115:1)."
By the by, "Humility" by Andrew Murray has been a great resource in helping me to address pride in my life. Reading the introduction alone produced a godly sorrow that led to repentance. Good stuff.
Dave
That Psalm is a wonderful Psalm. All for his glory, nothing for mine. Lord help me.
1 Corinthians 3:5-7 has convicted my heart many a time from unhindered self-idolatry. Thank God for his word.
Yes, praise God for his word!
I recently experienced this regarding why I write my blog five days a week. Why do I do it? I am a pastor's wife so I deal with spiritual pride regarding teaching women, or counseling the hurting or taking food to a new mother. I ask this question on a daily basis making it my goal to glorify God in everything else not glorifying Jody.
I can relate to the element of blogging so that people think I'm wise, funny, or insightful. I want God to change my attitude!
I read the "Of First Importance" quote from C.H. Spurgeon last week, which Tom references above. It was a powerful moment in a week that not only needed God's powerful working through His Spirit, but also needed much in the category of humility. As a pastor of a smaller church, I all too often take great pride in our smallness, that we don't suffer with the troubles of bigger churches, that we're not caught up in all the temptations of bigger churches. Personally, I need to be kept humble for my own good and safety. It's so easy to wait at the back of the sanctuary to hear all the accolades for the service, the sermon, the meaningful morning, only to find that I really had very little to do with it.
Spurgeon said, "True humility is a flower which will grace any garden." Oh Lord, uproot the pride within and plant the flower of humility in me today.
It's funny how pride pops up in every situation. Those in small churches are proud of their smallness, those in large churches are proud of their size. We definitely need humility for our safety!
Of all the days
…several weeks ago I woke up with the song "So I Will Trust in You" playing over and over again in my dream. I woke up with lots of peace and I felt I had been praising God while sleeping. I have some health issues going on in my life right now that cause me to wake up in pain…so the wonderfulness of that particular morning stands out to me very clearly. The weird thing about the dream is that I actually knew all the words to the song in my dream. I have tried to sing the song from memory, while awake, but I cannot. My brain must have buried these lyrics deep into my heart…which is a good thing.
At one point in my life the question, "How could I not trust my King?" would be a very tough verse to sing. I had a big loss and felt God had broken my trust for Him. God is described in Narnia as, "No, He is not safe, but He is good". At that time, I felt unsafe and not trustful and I had to convince myself of His goodness. But, now I feel safe and by God's wooing and grace, I can sing this verse with so much confidence and with more trust than I ever imagined. More like, "how can I not trust my Kind, duh…no problem?"…God is good.
Anyway, I have been meaning to tell you about my dream to let you know I was thankful I was for God working in you this way. But, I was embarrassed and I did not followed through till today, in the mid-swig of my coffee, I was reminded of that experience again and felt urged that I should tell you that I was encouraged by your lyrics. The only way I knew how to contact you was through this blog so opened it up and I could not believe it when I read today's topic. I almost decided that my encouragement would be inappropriate and may seem silly in light of what God is teaching you about pride. But, I needed to thank you for this gift God has given you.
God is so good to love us so much that He would create us in His image and also give us specific and unique gifts and talents to each of us individually (that when not buried) can be used to show each other His love and to redeem His earth one square inch at a time.
In addition to that…we get to revel in using these gifts. God is good. 1 Thessalonians 4:15
Jennifer Van Wieren
Thanks so much for sharing your encouragement Jennifer. I'm really grateful that God used the lyrics to encourage you. What a kind God we serve! I'm glad he uses me in spite of my pride.
(oops I had a typo…I meant "how can I not trust my 'King' not 'Kind')
Jennifer
(oops and I cited the wrong verse…not used to posting and wish I could edit…oh well)
I can't relate to this struggle at all .
(NOT!)
Thanks for your honesty..and thank God for His mercy on us!
I guess I can say just be thankful that your pride is in doing Gods work. I have a husband who is a very arrogant man and suffers all kinds of emotional stuff. But, I love God and can't wait every day to get home from work to see what treasure he may have for me. Either some good program on tv or something good to read or the Holy Spirit giving me exactly what I need. My husband and I are seperated right now (a legal situation). So many things are changing in my own personality as I learn to forgive him, release oppressive thoughts, trust in Jesus's love, rest in him, learn obediance, break strongholds! If anyone wants to give me an Amen please feel free. God is sooooo almighty!