Humble and Right

Behold, the puffed up one; his soul is not upright within him, but the righteous, by his faith, shall live. Habakkuk 2:4

Rational thought eludes the proud. Try as we might, attempting to solve problems with any hubris only leads to disaster. For arrogance erects a barrier truth cannot penetrate. Not trusting the wisdom and power of God is ir­rational, puts us in a wrong relationship with him, and leads to death. So Eve’s pride in her abil­ity to decide whether the forbidden fruit would be good or evil led to the Fall. Since our know­ledge of the future is at least as limited as hers was, we would be wise to humbly align our decision making processes with God’s instruc­tions about how to live in our present. We are right to follow Jesus’ example and live out the obedience of faith. With humble faith we rea­son that we can only expect the consequences that are promised by the one who knows the future. Proud unbelievers defy this reality and attempt to manipulate the lives of others to forge their own self-centered future. When we live in humble faith, we accurately evaluate every­thing in comparison to the infinite, unexcelled and irreplaceable worth of Jesus and his grace. Proud unbelievers delight themselves in trea­sures that rot away. Faithfulness in following Jesus is right-headed and leads to eternal life.

Exalted Lord, keep me from the foolish pride that betrays and belittles you while it harms my neighbor and kills me.