When we look at people who take pride in their achievements and accomplishments our God-given discernment can help us see past the surface images the world admires. There’s nothing wrong with achieving and accomplishing, but the world’s motives are often different than those of the Believer. Proudly seeking fame and fortune for one’s own glory seems to be the accepted mindset around us. Relying on our self-efforts prevents us from depending solely on God’s grace, and we must be careful to rely on what Jesus did more than on what we do.

God wants to show us favor, but he can’t do so if we let pride block His blessings. We show true humility when we move out of our self-centeredness and believe in the power of what Jesus accomplished on the cross. By putting him in the center of our lives instead of ourselves, we begin to see amazing things happen. This is how we move from living under the Law of Moses to living under grace.

It’s easy to slide back into self-effort, especially when we see so many others depending on what they can do for themselves; but when we have the wisdom to step back and look at the big picture, we see that what looks dazzling and bright by the world’s standards doesn’t last. We can waste years of our lives spinning our wheels trying to make something happen only to see zero results. God wants us to do great things, and when we seek his counsel he will empower us to do so.

Prayer:

Lord God, in your wisdom you know that as human beings, we’re all tempted to fall prey to pride and self-effort. We can make the mistake of getting too involved in what’s going on around us and get caught up in competing with others to demonstrate our own greatness instead of the greatness of your son. Yet, despite that, your grace offers us an escape from the requirements of our self-efforts. In Jesus’ name, thank you. Amen.

Scriptures:

Romans 4:1-5

Galatians 3:1

John 1:17

James 1:5

Proverbs 3:13, 21, 23, 26