Reclaiming The Angels
'It was pride that changed the angels into devils; it is humility that makes men angels.' ~ Augustine
Pride is my firmest deceiver, it persists within my heart. It breathes a life of its own, and has grown into a great tree within - long before I could ever see it.
My pride is independent of wisdom, correction and reason. There is little chance of rescue from its chokings.
The very troubled prophet Jeremiah observed nearly 3000 years ago:
The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? (Jeremiah 17:9)
Pride, deceit and the heart are the best of companions. They dine together, travel together, and share together. Each is united in its opposition to my humility, that accurate understanding of self. These three will perish together (and seek to take me with them).
The Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. (1 Chronicles 28:9b)
Pride accuses, humility excuses.
Pride is both the pursuit and the protection of self-glory.
Pride refuses to admit fault. It is the denier of error to both God and man.
Pride is the original sin - the root of all death and the fount of all evil. Pride does not know grace.
Pride assassinates relationships. This murder is as deliberate as it is devoid of mercy.
You save the humble but bring low those whose eyes are haughty. (Psalm 18:27)
My dear old mum would often remind her difficult teenage son, pride cometh before a fall. This I did not understand, but now I do. Time has proved her correct.
It is only in falling/failing that pride may be lost. Thank God for the falls, for in so doing He is reclaiming His angels.
Today's Soul Snippet:
'Prayer is the slender sinew that moves the muscle of omnipotence.' ~ J. Edwin Hartill
ENJOY too - The Station That Few Men Can Survive, Pride - The Unseen Disease
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