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Thursday, October 11, 2012

Love Does Not Parade Itself - (Day Eleven)

"Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails." 

1 Corinthians 13:4-8a
Love is not a power grabber, controller, nor is prideful.  Pride is an undesirable attribute.  It is at the very core of Satan’s nature and the reason he was thrown out of Heaven.  However, it is prevalent in our world of self…self-promotion, self-satisfaction, and self-love, after which everyone takes a bow. 

Peter wrote in 1 Peter 5:5-6 (NLT) that “God opposes the proud but favors the humble.  So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor.”  Jesus taught and modeled perfect humility.  He is our ultimate example of humility in its perfect form.   

It is only by way of a humble mind that we will see and understand that our achievements and worth come from God’s love for us through the grace of His Son.  All have sinned and all we have is from God.  In no way can we (or should we!) take personal credit for His eternal blessings; something the world can’t produce. 

We can’t expect God to use us to reach the unsaved with a condescending attitude.  There is no room for us as Christians to determine to look good, impress, or lord over others.  Christ said in Luke 14:11 that everyone who exalts themselves will be humbled

A humble LOVE is courteous and willing to admit to one’s deficiencies, faults and sins, and considers others first.    

Forever His,
Anita

For further study, you may want to check out these Scriptures on humility and pride:
Proverbs 3:33,34, Proverbs 11:2, 15:25, 16:18, 16:5, 18:12, and 22:4, Isaiah 57:15, 1 Peter 5:6, and James 4:6. 

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