A Captive of Conceit?

Skipp was a former pastor, by most accounts a good and tender shepherd but his life had changed completely.  When I knew him he had become an active opponent of all things “Christian.” He even wrote a book about the reversal - Jesus Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. One day we were talking over our Chinese lunch about life and religion. He gently mocked my faith as something very much like a little child’s belief in Santa Claus or the tooth fairy.  How exactly he came to those ‘new’ conclusions I cannot know, but it was obvious to me that a pride rooted in his intellect had overtaken him making him a captive of conceit.

Conceit is not a new thing.  Scripture has many stories of those who were blinded by pride.
Saul lost his mind and his throne when his conceit led him to reject the will of God for his own wisdom. Samuel challenged him to remember that “to obey is better than sacrifice’ but the warning fell on deaf ears.
Solomon came to his place as king and gave himself to self-aggrandizing work which he declared was ‘vanity’ near the end of his life.  
Herod, king at the time of Jesus’ birth, heard of the new King from the Magi and reacted in pride, killing the baby boys of Bethlehem in an attempt to hold onto his throne.
Judas, the betrayer of Jesus, failed in faith, thinking only of himself.

Are you tempted by conceit, thinking that you surely know what you should do,
resistant to the will of God?

Do you read His Word with judgment,
rejecting and questioning, rather than receiving it and living it?

The Proverb goes to the heart of the matter: "Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him." (Proverbs 26:12, NIV)  

Isaiah, the eloquent preacher of Jerusalem, said: "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight." (Isaiah 5:20-21, NIV)

Let me be clear about this. There is mystery to the will of God for us sometimes. His ways are ‘higher than our ways’ and we may find ourselves confounded by our experiences. I have no idea why God allowed my late wife to suffer through 20 months of cancer and then took her home to Heaven 8 years ago. The questions are real and I do not escape into denial or easy explanations. But, I refuse to become a captive of the conceit of my own mind, claiming that I know better and turning bitter.  I choose to trust in humility.  And know this - I make no case for silly superstition or so-called ‘proof text’ Christianity that finds a verse of the Bible for every situation, often drawn out of context, to explain life!  Living for Christ is a walk of faith, a daily discovery of grace and a choice to live with the mysteries of faith, even as we pray to understand and are students of God, His Word, and the world in which we live.  

Someone has said that we can stand on the simple declaration - “Jesus loves me!”  For me that is oh so true. I may not be able to unravel the tangled threads of evil in this present world. The future remains an unseen and known only to Him - but I am assured of His great love.  This season of Advent I renew my HOPE by going back to the story that John summarizes this way:  “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it." (John 3:16-17, NLT)  In this I stand secure.  How about you?

Do not became a captive of conceit, wise in your own eyes. Choose humility. Enter times of prayer, not to argue or plead with God, but to wait on Him, to listen for His voice, to offer genuine worship. You will find life ‘to the full’ in His Presence.

The word from the Word challenges us to make the choice of humility. Will you?  "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up." (James 4:10, NIV)   "All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time." (1 Peter 5:5-6, NIV)

(Video of this blog at this link)

____________________

My Faith Looks Up To Thee (Olivet)

My faith looks up to Thee

Thou Lamb of Calvary

Saviour divine

Now hear me while I pray

Take all my guilt away

O let me from this day

Be wholly Thine

 

May Thy rich grace impart

Strength to my fainting heart

My zeal inspire

As Thou hast died for me

O may my love to Thee

Pure warm and changeless be

A living fire

 

While life's dark maze I tread

And grief's around me spread

Be Thou my guide

Bid darkness turn to day

Wipe sorrow's tears away

Nor let me ever stray

From Thee aside

 

When ends life's transient dream

When death's cold sullen stream

Shall o'er me roll

Blest Saviour then in love

Fear and distrust remove

O bear me safe above

A ransomed soul

 

Words: Public Domain