Swimming Upstream

One of my favorite, but lately frustrating, television programs features a family famous for building motorcycles. The father is aggressive, "self-made," and demanding. He is very black and white in his interpretation of the world around him. The sons are by degrees very, very different, and lack many of the disciplines that made their father a success. One could predict conflict at every turn; and if that is what you like, you will not be disappointed. But, the element of pride is their common denominator. Each has staked out a position and is equally unyielding in their defense of it. Each is demanding (aggressively or passively) that the others change and see things and do things their way. The program has become less about motorcycles and more about the drama within the family and like most "soap operas" if one could add the elements of humility and communication, the show would lose much of its plot.


Don't get me wrong, pride has a place in our lives; for example, I am very proud of my children and my wife. I am proud of many of my friends. I am proud that my Alma Mater is finally winning football games. But, I have little to do with any of those things. By contrast, I am pleased and thankful that I recently got an "A" in a class I'm taking. Those who know me realize that grades like this come by the grace of God and the mercy of a kindly professor because at my age academia doesn't come easily. But I hesitate to call the good feelings about the grade "pride." Give credit where credit is due.


Pride becomes sinister when it inflates our ego and our own sense of worth because then it robs us of our objectivity and teach-ability. When we begin to celebrate ourselves instead of the God who made us, we are bordering on idolatry--and thus, our pride, whether subtle or in excess can rob us of finding God.  . . . God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. James 4:6 NIV


Should then one decide, either through adversity, or inspiration to seek God, be aware you are choosing a lonely path. Living a life that is faithful to Christ is counter-cultural for several reasons:


God's ways are not our ways
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. Isaiah 55:8 ESV
Isaiah preached to a nation that was deceived and distracted. In their efforts to be sophisticated and worldly the people of Judah engaged in empty ritualistic religion and idolatry. Instead of depending upon God they began to look to neighboring kingdoms for help. The more they tried to fix their problems without God the deeper their problems became. Isaiah implores his people to return to God, "why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy" (55:2). "Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him while He is near" (55:6). Pride tells us that our thinking is correct; just like the proud husband who refuses directions and drives until he is completely lost, our pride convinces us to stay our course even when our choices become very painful. That's a lot of inertia to overcome! Pride blames everyone else; humility says "I've screwed up! I need help!"


God wisdom is foolishness to nonbelievers
But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 1 Corinthians 1:27 ESV

Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.  1 Corinthians 2:12-14 ESV


In short, apart from the indwelling Spirit of Christ, the ways of God will appear convoluted, parochial, or absurd. The world surrounding the believer won't "get it" because the world behaves naturally, selfishly, pridefully. Don't expect an unbelieving society to encourage faith in Christ. Their encouragements will be just the opposite; and conforming to the culture around us is the path of least resistance. Pride says, "I will be like everyone else, only better!" Humility is self-sacrificing and chooses to live for God.



Our natural bend is to elevate self and seek our own way
And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”  Luke 12:15 ESV


Apart from knowing Christ, your best efforts and my best efforts will be selfish and prideful. Apart from Christ even Mother Theresa would always advance her own agenda--ALWAYS. In Christ, though, you and I have begun the process of becoming more like Him (sanctification), we are a work in progress. If a believer is not rooted in the Word of God (John 15) and daily communing with Him, the old patterns of behavior can and will rise up. A believer can be prideful and selfish--looking out for number one-- and completely fit in with our culture. Christ calls us to a different way. Pride says, "I'm okay and perhaps you are, too!" Humility leads us to recognize we have a long way to go in emulating Christ, and only through Him can we do so--leaving our natural inclinations behind.




Even on our best days, we tend to fool ourselves
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? Jeremiah 17:9 ESV

Closely related to the last point: on our best days, we have trouble eliminating selfish motives. On our best days, we have trouble avoiding the pitfalls of pride. Consider for a moment buying a dazzling Christmas present for a spouse or a child. Compare that feeling to donating cash anonymously to help feed a family you don't even know. One action feels better than the other; one action provides immediate and positive feedback: "Thanks Dad!" Jesus once watched people turning in their tithes and offerings at the Temple in Jerusalem. Rich men were clanging loads of coins into the brass container, but he noticed the poor woman whose two small coins hardly made a sound. He judged her gift as greater than all the others because the rich gave from their plenty (and got some notoriety from it), but she gave all she had (Mark 12:41-44). You see, living humbly is counter to our own heart's hard-wiring. We will often wrestle with ourselves in following Christ. Pride likes to point to all the good it is doing. Humility seeks to serve selflessly.



Satan will oppose those who choose to find Christ and follow Him
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.  1 Peter 5:6-10 ESV

We truly live in a spiritual dimension and are engaged in spiritual battles on a daily basis. Jesus reminded us of this in the Gospels:
I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. John 10:9-11 ESV


Jesus is in the business of seeking and saving sheep--and giving abundant life! Satan is in the business of stealing, killing, and destroying sheep. Satan opposes us in finding God, and he ramps up his opposition after we choose to give our lives to Christ. Satan is the epitome of pride; it is his essence and favorite weapon. Satan began as angel who aspired to be greater than God and was willing to use any means to achieve his ambitious goal. He is BLIND PRIDE personified. The truth is, he still thinks he can pull it off.


And there are only two camps in this world. Bob Dylan, in a rare moment of insight, wrote the song "Gotta Serve Somebody" and released it on his Slow Train Coming album (CBS, 1979). He deduced rightly (though not the first to do so) that one is either serving God or Satan; there are no other options. Serving self is serving Satan; serving anything or anyone other than God is serving Satan. There are no in-betweens. In short, faith and pride cannot occupy the same space. 


So, finding God and choosing to follow Him comes down to one's willingness to choose a different path completely ; a path that (by definition) is very different from the one most of the world prefers.  Matthew reminds us  
“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. Matthew 7:13-14 ESV


But God remains sovereign, and all-powerful, and able to save, heal, and restore--and give abundant life. Apart from the Holy Spirit's prompting, we will never catch a glimpse of Christ's design for our lives, but will be swept along into the wide gate. Unfortunately,  when our lives are exactly what we want them to be (humanly speaking) we don't listen well anyway. But thankfully God provides speed bumps for us allowing us to slow down and look up every now and then. 

Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Proverbs 16:18 ESV


It is a work of grace when God breaks through our fullness of self, our personal self-serving agenda-filled life, and our world of rusting treasures to reveal His truth. For some it may be more than a speed bump, for others it may be a silent, clawing emptiness at the top of the heap. But what a gift! Jim Elliot once wrote, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose." The gains of pride in this life can never match the gifts given to us when we humble ourselves before God and accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior.



For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ  Philippians 3:18-20 ESV

Finding God

Often we hear the term "finding God" associated with those residing in correctional facilities. The phrase describes a positive change in behavior, attitude, or perspective that sets a person apart from his or her former ways. Often it is a ploy to gain sympathy or some other consideration from the courts, but now and again their change is the real deal. People can and do find God in prison. Thankfully, that is not the only place.

The true seeker can find God just about anywhere. Scripture reminds us repeatedly that God is seeking to find us, so finding Him is not hard at all—when we want to.

But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul. Deuteronomy 4:29 NIV

There are two big “ifs” in that verse. Because our motivation is often impaired by the many distractions in our life, "finding God" or, more accurately, "repentance" is often associated with some form of confrontation or adversity. Undeterred, most people will coast and drift in a manner that suits them until their lifestyle runs aground. You may remember the story of Saul. He was an angry, violent, zealous and strict Pharisee, who persecuted the early Church. Armed with the permission and authority of the High Priest and Sanhedrin, he pursued early believers all over Palestine arresting them and placing them in prison for their faith. He believed he was doing God's work, protecting the Jewish faith from the impurity of this dangerous new heresy. On the road to Damascus, Saul was shown the error of his ways after a dramatic encounter with the risen Lord (Acts 8:1-3; 9:1-19). Saul did in fact change so radically he needed a new name! We know this man as the Apostle Paul, and are pleased to have his many epistles included in our Bible. 

Adversity may be the catalyst for many people to find God, but the operating truth that opens our eyes to our need for God is the humility that our adversity brings. “Boy, I really messed up this time” is the perfect realization and perspective for the Holy Spirit to use in opening our eyes to “the cure.” Seeing God requires that we stop looking at (and relying upon) ourselves.

But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. James 4:6-10 ESV

Perhaps you are in humbling circumstances today. Maybe some of your plans recently derailed. Are your talents, skills, and personality suddenly failing to "win friends and influence people?" Or perhaps your situation is far more threatening. In this economy you may be out of work and wondering if you will ever find another job. Perhaps your health is failing you.  Has some other serious or tragic event knocked you off of your feet? Sometimes God allows the things we depend upon to reveal their frailty. Sometimes He allows us to see in vivid relief our own shortcomings, inexperience, mortality, and the heartbreaking imperfections of this fallen world. He does so in hopes we may be willing to listen to a voice besides our own (for a change). Know this, when God reveals our limitations to us it is a gift of grace! It is like a sign telling us we are travelling on the wrong road.

You see, God is rarely “found” when we are avoiding Him; nor can we "find God" through our own merit, efforts, or agenda. There has to be a point where we realize our limitations, our inadequacies, and our failings spiritually. Speaking of this universal condition, Isaiah wrote,

All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God's paths to follow our own. . . Isaiah 53:6 NLT

Paul, the Apostle, concurs,

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Romans 3:23 NLT

Like the drunk in the gutter, we need to ask ourselves how well our life is working for us. Challenging circumstances make us more amenable to this discussion.

The Gospels capture this notion beautifully in the story of the two thieves crucified with Jesus.

One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” Luke 23:39-43 ESV

One of the thieves was desperately seeking escape from his punishment; the other realized that he was but reaping the rewards of a sinful and selfish life. The main difference between the two, however, was the second thief (the humble realist) also recognized that he was hanging next to someone who could change his entire life, not just his immediate circumstances. That realization was a gift of grace, an awareness given by the Holy Spirit. When we are willing to hear that hard word of grace, humble ourselves, cease trying to bend the world our way, confess our selfish sinfulness and give ourselves to Christ, the power of God is unleashed into our lives. For a person “finding God” in this manner, prison walls are no longer an overwhelming barrier, unemployment becomes an opportunity, sickness is not a central focus, and death is not the end.

In short, we will not “find God” until we tire of trying to “find ourselves.” May God’s Word guide you to find your life and sufficiency in Christ-- and in Him alone!

(For further reference see: Romans 3:23; Romans 6:23; Romans 5:8; Romans 10: 9,10; Ephesians 2:8.9; 2 Corinthians 5:17)