Nothing New Under the Sun

We are all familiar with the saying "Been there, done that, got the T-Shirt".  We don't like to be told something we already know. If someone is talking to you and trying to convince you of something you know about, the typical response is, "Hey, stop talking, I don't need to hear this again, I've got it. ". I know that I have had this type of response before. It's an inward annoyance, a condescending feeling of superiority.  There is another word for this. It's Pride. Oh, don't stop reading now, because right now you are proving exactly the previous statement. Feel it building in you now, the thoughts forming in your mind, what pride? no, maybe you are adding an eye roll for more emphasis. Dictionary.com provides a couple of definitions for the word 'pride', one of them is: pride is a high or inordinate opinion of one's own dignity, importance, merit, or feelings of superiority, whether as cherished in the mind or as displayed in the mind, or as displayed in bearing or conduct. Now Dictionary.com, Wikipedia, Webster's Dictionary, and all other current methods of obtaining the meaning of words are not older than the most contested, sold, and debated written word put to paper than the Bible, The Word of God. The Bible has provided a definition of pride, along with many other sins that plague the human race. Pride is one of the most difficult sins to address or accept, especially in today's, "It's all about me" culture. God has a lot so say about pride, and none of it's good. One of the books of the Bible, Proverbs provides many warnings about pride :pride goes before destruction,..The Lord detests the proud. If pride is so big of a deal, why do we still struggle with it? God says we struggle with pride and many other sins because we deceive ourselves and are being deceived because we choose not to believe in His Son Jesus Christ. It is the Holy Spirit of Jesus who sets us free from deception and opens our eyes to the truth. The world says, you are special, you deserve what ever your heart desires; the magazines, the TV shows they all promote self elevation. We pride ourselves on our looks, how much money we have, the house we live in, the car we drive, we compare ourselves to the Joneses and do everything in our power to try to rise above others.

The truth of this is just glaringly obvious today. The 'selfie' activities are world wide, they have made equipment so individuals can easily take a 'selfie' photo using their cell phones. A common theme on the magazine covers: How You can be happy, How You can be beautiful, How You can be successful, How You can be make money and be rich. On and on it's all about me, myself, and I; and it's a viscous parasitic symbiotic process where celebrities are dependent on the worship of their fans and the fans are dependent on the celebrities for their well being. The lifestyles promoted by the world are in complete contrast to the life of a true follower of Christ. The world is enslaved to sin. What is sin? I know that the word 'sin' is now a dirty word, but it does not change the fact that disobeying the laws of God is sin. Sin separates us from God. The Christian is set free from sin and bondage and brought back into a real relationship with God. The world promotes a life of selfish endeavors with the false promise that you will be happy living this way. Please don't lie to yourself. It is shown and proven time and time and over and over that material possessions,sexually promiscuous behaviors, a life away from God DOES NOT LEAD TO HAPPINESS. You think that's not true? If living a life contrary to what God has said leads to 'happiness', why then are millions of people using drugs and alcohol for various reasons, why do celebrities who make millions of dollars and have 'everything' the world has to offer are STILL depressed and hopeless and some have even taken their own life? Why are millions of young adults in therapy because they are depressed, but they have every material property?  Because the truth is sin does not lead to happiness, it leads to only one place, death. Physical death, spiritual and emotional death. Pride is just one of many sources of pain that if you claim the name of Christian, pride should not be apart of your countenance. If you do not have a life changing, saving faith in Jesus, what are you waiting for? Be set free from pride and all other death traps. Become a part of the everlasting kingdom of God by
1. Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is real, He lived and died and rose from the grave.
2. Believe that you are a sinner, repent-turn from your sins and realize and accept you need Jesus.
3. Confess that Jesus is your Lord and God
4. Find a local Bible preaching church that does obey the commandment for water baptism for the remission of your sins and to identify yourself with Christ.

This is just the first step to a lifelong journey of growing in truth and love with the God who created this earth and everything in it, including every human being that has ever lived.

Bible verses related to this post: Proverbs 16:5, Proverbs 8:13, Galatians 6:3, Acts 2:38