The Cost of Pride

All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves.

Matthew 11:29

When I read the words of Jesus my initial focus is on His promise of “rest”. It’s one of the most refreshing invitations in the Bible. Am I tired today? Jesus promises rest. There is another message in His invitation that I have often overlooked. I noticed this message because of my recent studies in the Old Testament book of Obadiah. Obadiah has caused me to consider the consequences of pride. One of the subtle costs of pride is fatigue. Did you notice it in the message of Matthew 11:29? In Christ, gentleness, humility and rest are connected. To put it bluntly, maintaining pride can be exhausting. Brennan Manning helps us understand how much labor is required in order for us to maintain our pride:

“Defense mechanisms are useful ploys to warp our perception of self and protect us from rejection, loss, and emotional pain. Through the smokescreen of rationalization, projection, and insulation, we remain on the merry-go-round of denial and dishonesty. Unable to accept our brokenness, we wear a thousand masks to disguise the face of fear.”

Why would I want to do that? I don’t even like merry-go-rounds! There is one primary reason. It’s pride. So what is the solution? Jesus says, “Learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in heart”. Jesus not only promises to teach us a better way of life, but He promises rest.

Climbing the Ladder of Humility

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Your presumptuous heart has deceived you, you who live in clefts of the rock in your home on the heights, who say to yourself, “Who can bring me down to the ground?”

Obadiah 3

As I continue to journey through the Old Testament, I have a fresh appreciation for how the prophets address contemporary issues with great precision. Obadiah is the shortest book in the Bible, but it packs a powerful punch when it comes to the dangers of pride. The question of Obadiah 3 is attributed to Edom, the descendants of Esau. It’s a question that is saturated with pride: “Who can bring me down?” Great question Edom, are you ready for the answer? Of course, the answer is “God”. Obadiah shows that pride encourages foolish invincibility. Though we may never ask such a presumptuous question with those exact words, it’s an attitude that can easily creep into our lives. How do we overcome it? In the 6^th century, Benedict of Nursia addressed the need of his day with an ironic call to ascend the “Ladder of Humility”. It’s a ladder that we need to climb.

“The first step of humility is to have a constant reverence for God before our eyes. We must shun our tendency of forgetfulness and be always mindful of God’s commands…Let us remember that God sees all form heaven, that the eyes of God are upon us at all times and in all places.”

Benedict reminds us that it is impossible for our pride to grow alongside of reverence for the Almighty and a mindfulness of God’s commands.

Woe to you who are at ease in Zion, and trust in Mount Samaria

Amos 6:1

When I read Amos, I find myself thinking of terms that are common in our world today. Words like “threat assessment” come to mind. I don’t mean to simply equate God’s judgments with threats, but there is an overall tone of impending danger. You probably know that the U.S. government has a National Threat Assessment Center. If you access the United States Secret Service website, you can read the following words: “The United States Secret Service has long held the view that the best protective strategy is prevention”. Sounds like a wise strategy to me. During the days of Amos, Israel enjoyed a time of relative peace and prosperity. Despite the warnings from the prophet that judgment was imminent, the people seemed disinterested in any strategy of prevention. Isn’t it just like a prophet to disturb the “peace”? Amos warned Israel of a “real and credible threat” to the status quo. Yet, they did not respond. They didn’t want to hear it. In fact, Amos 6:1 describes the state of Israel as a mixture of false security and apathy. Simply put, Amos pronounced a woe on those who were “at ease”. Not only were the people at ease they misplaced their trust in Mount Samaria. This is a reference to their belief that Mount Samaria was deemed to be impregnable. In hindsight, we know they were wrong. Amos knew they were wrong because God clarified His perspective in an earlier chapter. God reminded the prophet that He formed the mountains   and He treads on the high places of the earth. Mount Samaria could never protect them from His judgment. Thankfully, Amos is not just about judgment. Amos pointed to the remedy for apathy and false security, The Lord said, “Seek Me and live”. In God alone we find true peace, protection and security.

What do I seek?

For the Lord says to the house of Israel: Seek Me and live!

Amos 5:4

What do I seek? What do I pursue? What motivates me to take disciplined and focused action? These are questions that define us. Sometimes we cast these questions aside and sometimes we wrestle with them. Whether we take the time or not to wrestle, the answers define our lives. During the days of Amos the prophet, the people of Israel had developed some bad habits. These habits affected their worship, their relationships with others and their identity as a nation. Amos, a shepherd, was chosen by God to deliver a strong message to the people. In Amos 4, he describes how God had attempted to gain their attention. Sadly, the result of those efforts was a stubborn refusal to return to God. I think we experience some of the same types of opportunities to return to God. We may react to our circumstance with anger or frustration or simply dismiss our state of affairs as just another example of “the way things are”. I believe that’s a mistake. In the context of Amos, the situation was dire and God spoke in direct terms. The message to Israel was “Seek Me and live”. What grabs my attention in Amos 5:4 is the offer of God. The reward God offers is life. Life is offered, not simply in contrast to death, but as something that cannot be gained elsewhere. Israel was guilty of seeking after many substitutes for the life that God offers. So are we. We convince ourselves that we can make life apart from God. In the midst of our busy lives, it has become so easy to forget that God is the source of life. This week, I will think about this. Perhaps many of my circumstances are subtle and not so subtle reminders of the need to seek God and receive life from Him. In God we find life. Not only will God provide direction, but He will breath life into my pursuits, motivations and relationships.