Dear Daily Message Readers,
Proverbs 12:15 (NIV) The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice.
A U.S. Air Force transport plane with its captain and 5 crew members was flying over Alaska in the mid-50s when they entered an unusually fierce snowstorm. The navigator contacted an air base only to be told that he had veered several hundred miles off course. Correct coordinates were given to the navigator, who continued to insist that his own calculations could not be that far off. Soon the plane ran low on fuel. The six men decided to abandon the plane and parachute to safety, but because of the -70 degree Fahrenheit temperature and winds that gusted to 50 mph, they were all frozen within minutes of hitting the ground (Dave McPherson).
I know some people (myself included) that closely resemble the men in this story. They are high-flying in the sense that they set themselves above others. They are correct in that they never accept constructive criticism. And they are empty because they never allow anything to get inside.
Whenever we put ourselves above and apart from others, we are practicing prideful behavior. Pride is particularly dangerous because Satan disguises it as something good and makes us think we don't need God. Pride also keeps many so-called "good" people from entering heaven because of their deeds and actions. Even those that accomplish great miracles in Jesus' name will one day hear Him say, "I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers" (Matthew 7:23). But others who humble themselves will become "greatest in the kingdom of heaven" (18:4).
Denying our natural inclination to do things one way--our way--is tough. However, Christ would have us do things only one way--His way. We ought to be teachable, and we ought to strive to put aside our foolish self-righteousness and try to learn God's.
Ask the Lord today specifically how to do things less your way and more according to the one right way, which is His way. Faith Lesson: Psalm 40:4: "Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods."
In Christ,
Darin Smith
Proverbs 12:15 (NIV) The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice.
A U.S. Air Force transport plane with its captain and 5 crew members was flying over Alaska in the mid-50s when they entered an unusually fierce snowstorm. The navigator contacted an air base only to be told that he had veered several hundred miles off course. Correct coordinates were given to the navigator, who continued to insist that his own calculations could not be that far off. Soon the plane ran low on fuel. The six men decided to abandon the plane and parachute to safety, but because of the -70 degree Fahrenheit temperature and winds that gusted to 50 mph, they were all frozen within minutes of hitting the ground (Dave McPherson).
I know some people (myself included) that closely resemble the men in this story. They are high-flying in the sense that they set themselves above others. They are correct in that they never accept constructive criticism. And they are empty because they never allow anything to get inside.
Whenever we put ourselves above and apart from others, we are practicing prideful behavior. Pride is particularly dangerous because Satan disguises it as something good and makes us think we don't need God. Pride also keeps many so-called "good" people from entering heaven because of their deeds and actions. Even those that accomplish great miracles in Jesus' name will one day hear Him say, "I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers" (Matthew 7:23). But others who humble themselves will become "greatest in the kingdom of heaven" (18:4).
Denying our natural inclination to do things one way--our way--is tough. However, Christ would have us do things only one way--His way. We ought to be teachable, and we ought to strive to put aside our foolish self-righteousness and try to learn God's.
Ask the Lord today specifically how to do things less your way and more according to the one right way, which is His way. Faith Lesson: Psalm 40:4: "Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods."
In Christ,
Darin Smith
