The Truth about Pride

If there is one personality trait that is more off-putting than any other, it is pride. Kids hate it in their parents, employees hate it in their bosses, students hate it in their teachers, citizens hate it in their leaders-and the list could go on.

Thankfully, G.o.d provides his followers with concrete wisdom on how to navigate our tendencies toward this ugly personality trait. Here are three verses that have served to squelch my own prideful proclivities along the way:

1. G.o.d opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.8

Whenever I am out on the water sailing, I am acutely mindful of the tremendous power of an opposing wind. No matter how determined I might be-no matter how many perfectly executed sailing maneuvers I might manifest-I just can't head straight into an opposing wind and overcome it. The angles don't work, and the force of the wind is too strong. This image floods into my mind whenever pride rears its ugly head in my life. G.o.d actually opposes arrogant people. He resists their forward progress. But, he shows favor to the humble. Ask any boater which he or she would prefer: a stiff breeze on the bow, opposing their forward progress, or that same stiff breeze on the stern, filling their sails and making their journey all the easier. Humility is the easier way, my friend.

2. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.9

At some point in our lives, both you and I have crossed paths with people who, for whatever reason, feel compelled to point out their own strengths and accomplishments. Sadly, these people often receive the opposite response they seek: they end up repelling people rather than drawing admirers. This verse provides a better recipe for success: Have a right a.s.sessment of yourself before G.o.d, and trust him to do the uplifting.

3. Do not be proud, but be willing to a.s.sociate with people of low position. Do not think you are superior.10

If you are looking for something proactive you can do to neutralize your pride, try making it a point to connect with the very people most of society overlooks. I travel with a friend from time to time who makes a special point of having conversations with-and generously tipping-cab drivers, bell hops and room cleaners in hotels. Watching him do this has raised the challenge bar for me, and perhaps you're hearing a whispered challenge yourself. A similar tack can be implemented at home, with grocery baggers, lawn mowing teams or others employed in service-oriented jobs. When you or I are tempted to feel a little superior to those around us, this can be an effective antidote to pride.

The Truth about Anger

Recently I was sitting in my study at the house with my sermon notes spread out on the coffee table next to my laptop, my cell phone and a full gla.s.s of water. I heard my two-year-old grandson, Henry, come barreling down the hall toward the room, clearly unaware of his high rate of speed and the coffee table's imminent approach. In a flash I imagined everything going horribly wrong.

Three seconds later, "horribly wrong" came to pa.s.s.

Henry crashed, the drink spilled onto the message notes, the computer slid off of the table and the grandfather nearly came undone.

As I scooped up little Henry and salvaged what was left of my notes, I thought, "In your anger, do not sin." It's the first part of a verse I had memorized decades ago, and in that moment it was the exact exhortation I needed in order to remember that two-year-olds can't help but be two. Lynne came to the rescue and after a little cleanup, all was well again.

The second part of that verse, Ephesians 4:26, is perhaps the best marriage verse in all of Scripture: "Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry." If you're frustrated with your spouse and the day is drawing to a close, you don't need some supernatural infusion of insight to know what to do; G.o.d already has offered a whisper: Solve whatever problems need to be solved before you drift off to sleep.

CAN I GIVE YOU ONE MORE VERSE TO CONSIDER, AS IT RELATES to the topic of anger? James 1:20 says, "Anger will not help you live the right kind of life G.o.d wants."11 In the heat of the moment, it can feel good to yell, say wounding words or slam a door. But lashing out in anger harms those around us and is a barrier to leading the right kind of lives G.o.d wants for us.

The Truth about Justice

I met a man last week who is enormously wealthy, and within the first five minutes of our conversation, it was clear to me that he was leveraging his resources for incredible good in this world. I asked what was behind his decision to live such a generous life of compa.s.sion, and in response he quoted a verse that is a favorite of mine. Isaiah 1:17 says, "Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow."

He named this verse as the "most important piece of Scripture" he'd ever read and said that it is his goal to spend however many days he has left on this earth seeking justice, encouraging the oppressed, defending the cause of the fatherless and pleading the case of the widow. When he inhales his last breath, just imagine what a full life he will have led-and how many lives he will have blessed!

G.o.d loves justice12 and promises that whoever is "kind to the poor lends to the Lord," who will repay the giver richly.13 Write these powerful words on your heart, and then be attuned to living them out.

The Truth about Wisdom

At the start of an Elders' meeting recently, one of Willow's Elders began his prayer this way: "G.o.d, may we have your mind on the matters we're about to discuss."

G.o.d's mind is one of wisdom. He invented wisdom, he loves wisdom and according to James 1:5, he dispenses wisdom freely. The verse says it this way: "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask G.o.d, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you."

After asking for G.o.d's wisdom, heighten your sensitivity to any communication from heaven. G.o.d will be true to his promise and will dispense wisdom your way. The challenge isn't whether or not he will send it, but whether or not we will hear and heed it.

Sometimes wisdom from on high shows up fast and clear, and sometimes the path of wisdom is more subtle. But regardless of whether or not you've sensed a clear whisper from G.o.d for any given situation you're facing, you can still choose wisdom's course. Jesus counsels his followers in Matthew 10:16: "Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves." Although G.o.d may not be whispering his specific wisdom to your particular situation, he has already provided you with default wisdom, through the clear, practical principles of wisdom that permeate Scripture. Make the best decisions you can make, based on biblical principles and common sense.

If you find yourself with the opportunity to speak into a situation that demands wisdom, but the wise path is not obvious to you, consider King Solomon's counsel, found in Proverbs 17:28: "Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongues." Perhaps G.o.d intends to communicate his wisdom through the lips of another, and your role in this situation is to listen. I've been in more than my share of board meetings when our team was chewing on a complex issue, and although I was straining my ear toward heaven, I was getting nothing. Rather than muddying the issue by adding my "nothing" to the dialogue, I've found my most helpful contribution in those situations is to not contribute verbally. (Side benefit of this strategy: Many a time my colleagues have mistaken my silence for my being deep in thought!) Sometimes wisdom's finest advice is simply, "Keep your mouth shut!"

The Truth about Security

Nearly every Christ-follower I know has faced a season or two in life when G.o.d seemed distant or uncharacteristically aloof, and I believe that Romans 8:38a39 was written especially for times like those. It says, "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of G.o.d that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

For most people, it's an utterly overwhelming idea that a loving and all-powerful G.o.d wants to share an intimate bond with the likes of you or me-but this pa.s.sage a.s.sures us that he does. Through one simple verse of Scripture, G.o.d seems to remind us, "I know you're going to foul up. I'll forgive you. I know you're going to get scared as well, and I promise to help you with that. You won't always pray as wisely as you hope, but I promise the Holy Spirit will give expression to what you don't even realize you ought to be praying. Just keep your hand in mine, and we'll walk together each step of the way. I'll cover you. I'll love you. I'll never leave you. I'll always be your G.o.d."

G.o.d wants to be connected to us every hour of every day, for the rest of our lives. What's more, he craves this sort of intimacy not just during our span of life on earth, but for all of eternity-that's your Father's loving heart toward you!

On the darkest of days, you may be tempted to say, "But surely my circ.u.mstances (or sin or past-you fill in the blank) must have ripped me out of G.o.d's hands." Know that this is a lie, in direct violation of Scripture. In the middle of calamity, disappointment, betrayal-in the midst of the most terrible situation you can conceive-G.o.d a.s.sures, "Nothing can separate us, my child." Hang onto that truth with everything you've got! As we'll discuss further in chapter 6, even on the darkest nights of the soul, our G.o.d says, "Rest easy. You're secure."

The Truth about Power

Ready for the truth about power?

The next time you face a weighty challenge and want some whispered empowerment from G.o.d, bring to mind Philippians 4:13, which says, "I can do all this through him who gives me strength," or Mark 10:27: "With human beings this is impossible, but not with G.o.d; all things are possible with G.o.d."

Or, if you're the type who thinks you're powerful enough on your own, you might be better served by the words of Zechariah 4:6: "'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD!"

The Truth about Contentment

Can you imagine a world in which every single person subscribed to the apostle Paul's worldview as articulated in Philippians 4:11? Paul-who had lived through the most difficult, exhausting, dangerous and painful of circ.u.mstances in his journeys as Christ's amba.s.sador-writes, "I have learned to be content whatever the circ.u.mstances."14 Or how about this shot of wisdom from Hebrews 13:5: "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have."

And then there is the simple reminder from 1 Timothy 6:6, which says, "G.o.dliness with contentment is great gain."

When you're craving something you presently don't have and wonder about G.o.d's take on your craving, wonder no longer! His advice is to be content.

I hope you're beginning to catch the idea that G.o.d speaks profoundly and powerfully through his Word. Let's keep going.

The Truth about Peace

As Jesus wrapped up his earthly ministry and prepared to ascend into heaven, he pulled his disciples together and said, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you."15 These words reflect the great value he puts on peace-his peace. Part of what it means to be a Christ-follower is that we now get to implement Christ's peace here on earth. We get to mature from being peace-takers to being peace-makers. When we advocate for the purpose of peace throughout the world, Matthew 5:9 declares, we will be called blessed: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of G.o.d."16 Another verse that gives me great comfort in my daily life is Philippians 4:7, "The peace of G.o.d, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." "When I'm feeling anxious or uneasy, and my inner world feels constricted and tight, I breathe deeply of the spiritual oxygen found in those eighteen words.

The Truth about You

In addition to declaring your go-to verses on subjects like a.s.surance and wisdom, anger and fear, I believe every Christ-follower ought to name a single "life verse"-a verse from which he or she senses G.o.d's calling and purpose in their lives. Since I was twenty-two years old, my life verse has been 1 Corinthians 15:58, which says, "Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord."17 Another translation says, "Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your work in the Lord is never wasted."18 Either way I read it, the verse helps me to remember that each day, I am to approach my ministry role with diligence and pa.s.sion rather than with a cavalier att.i.tude. Everything around me can be spiraling into chaos, but I am to remain steadfast and immovable, and I am to abound in G.o.d's work.

I love the end of that verse as well: "Your work in the Lord is never wasted." Language like that fires me up and helps me stay the course when I'm wondering if my efforts are even making a dent. And the idea that 100 percent of anything will count for good is math that adds up, in my book.

When you're choosing a life verse, look for scriptural pa.s.sages that fine-tune your focus and set your feet more firmly on G.o.d's path. For me, it's 1 Corinthians 15:58, but an entirely different theme might resonate with you. My challenge to you is to select a verse that motivates and clarifies G.o.d's call on your life-and then memorize it so that you have it close at hand as you walk through each day.

ONE TIME THE APOSTLE PAUL WAS PROBED ABOUT WHY HE was so at ease when he knew he could lose his life for the cause of Christ. In response he said, "To me, to live is Christ and to die is gain."

In essence he was saying, "I'm in a win-win situation here! If G.o.d allows me to live, then I will live for him. And if following him costs me my life, then I get to live with him for all eternity."

You might need that kind of resolve in your life today. If so, claim Philippians 1:21 as your life verse, post it where you will see it each morning, memorize it so that you take it with you wherever you go and allow its simple truth to penetrate everything you do.

Another example of a powerful "life verse" is John 15:8, which says, "This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples." One weekend at Willow, our production team set up a huge fruit stand on stage, which served as a backdrop while I taught from that verse. After one service I met a woman who had adopted that piece of Scripture as her life verse years ago. She had determined in her heart that the most important achievement she could net in life would be to bear much fruit for Christ, and so that is what she spent her time, her energy, her money and her efforts doing. She picked fruit-bearing over everything else. Once we dismissed the final service that weekend, hundreds of people took pictures of themselves on stage in front of that fruit stand and then saved the photo as their computer's screensaver. I would be willing to bet that the Holy Spirit has used John's 15:8 and this accompanying visual reminder to prompt those people toward greater "fruit production" for G.o.d.

This is the power of stating a life verse: In those critical crossroads moments, when you must choose whether to fully engage in your calling or to simply play pa.s.sive pa.s.senger in the life G.o.d created you to live, a few inspired words from your heavenly Father will help you to fight the good fight.

The truth about salvation, the truth about temptation, the truth about contentment and peace-we've covered more than a dozen different categories and barely scratched the surface on the whispers G.o.d has provided through his Word.

Colossians 3:16 says, "Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you."19 To "dwell" is to be at home in, and G.o.d desires for his Word to be so at home in us, that his whispers in Scripture are like pieces of conversation with him throughout our day. You and I must be so saturated with the Word of G.o.d that when we're caught off-guard by life's circ.u.mstances, we reflexively hear his wisdom, his nudges, his whispers through his words that dwell within us. Whether it's in the marketplace, in traffic, in the grocery store or in school, the Holy Spirit actually has a shot of turning every circ.u.mstance of our day into his good. He only has to whisper his Word to us!

In John 8:44, Jesus calls Satan the "father of lies." And at every turn the ultimate fraud will try to convince you that peace is not available, that temptation is not escapable and that G.o.d's grace is only a temporary gift. G.o.d's truth must dwell so deeply in us that we can conquer the evil one's lies.