And He said, What comes out of a man is what makes a man unclean and renders [him] unhallowed.
For from within, [that is] out of the hearts of men, come base and wicked thoughts, sexual immorality, stealing, murder, adultery,
Coveting (a greedy desire to have more wealth), dangerous and destructive wickedness, deceit; unrestrained (indecent) conduct; an evil eye (envy), slander (evil speaking, malicious misrepresentation, abusiveness), pride (the sin of an uplifted heart against God and man), foolishness (folly, lack of sense, recklessness, thoughtlessness).
All these evil [purposes and desires] come from within, and they make the man unclean and render him unhallowed. (Mark 7:20-23 AMPC)
REFLECTION
We may be quick to reassure ourselves that we generally abide by the laws of the land, but we see in this passage that the sins of the heart, like pride, are listed along with more obvious sins that would put a person in prison. Pride may not get you locked up in a literal cell, but it can keep you bound and isolated or be a weapon of oppression. It can do great damage to your soul, while on earth and into eternity. We would be wise to wake up to the reality of pride.
“Pride is spiritual cancer: it eats up the very possibility of love, or contentment, or even common sense.” (C.S. Lewis – Mere Christianity)
I generally find it relatively easy to feel compassion for those in overt need. But when I encountered a very prideful person, all trace of compassion left my heart and I was shocked to discovered my own pride rising up to do battle with his pride – each wanting to be seen to be right and in the spotlight. And when this happens within the church, the battle can be even more intense, because one expects people who call themselves Christians to generally behave well. But some of us tend to forget, especially in the throes of an unexpected battle, that the true church (the body of Christ) is comprised of spiritual soldiers in the great spiritual war, with Christ as our Commander. Some soldiers are out on the spiritual battlefield, some are in ICU in a spiritual hospital and others are in varying degrees of recovery, with wounds that still cause them to flinch and react when touched in a certain way.
Pride can be difficult to detect and conquer because it is so incideous and can hide behind pious behaviour and good deeds. But pride has a way of parading itself when we feel intensely offended by the actions of others. And when it’s all up in my face, and becomes very personal, then I find myself tredding on dangerous ground … a minefield of fragile egos that are ready to explode when bumped with the wrong word, look or tone. Sigh. It’s enough to tempt one to give up the battle for truth and unity altogether. But, thank God, we can call on God-of-the-angel-armies and receive the inner strength and wisdom we need to stay in the trenches when missiles of offence are flying, and trust Him to lead us to victory within, whereby we learn and live out the ways of God’s Kingdom, on earth and into eternity. We can’t make decisions for others, but we can choose to humble ourselves and turn to God for help, and do what we truly believe He is leading us to do. Sometimes obedience means acknowledging personal wrongdoing and modelling what repentance looks like … which is not just lip service, but sincerely seeking to prayerfully live out God’s Word, by His grace.
PRAYER POEM: Under
God-of-the-Angel-Armies, I confess my pride and humble myself under Your mighty hand, for Your ways I long to understand.
Enlightened me with insight, for I desire to do what is right in Your sight.
🔗SUGGESTED LINK: Overcoming Pride – https://jamesriver.church/blog/overcoming-pride
