A Struggle with PRIDE

[BibleStudent100]

20 hours ago, Dennis1209 said:

Pride is not always bad; I take pride in belonging to Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. I take some pride in home ownership, keeping the place halfway decent and serviceable.

Pride can also be a sense of dignity and self-respect and a feeling of satisfaction which you have because you or people close to you have done something good. There is nothing wrong with this righteous pride. The apostle Paul told the Thessalonians: “We ourselves take pride in you among the congregations of God because of your endurance and faith in all your persecutions and the hardships that you are suffering.” (2 Thess. 1:4) So feeling good about the works of others and even having a degree of pride in ourselves can be healthy.  Dennis, you are spot on in being balanced and thank you for standing up to the gossipers!
 

[Dennis1209]

16 hours ago, Sower said:

That's called vindication.
= the fact of proving that someone is not guilty or is free from blame, after other people have blamed them.

                    "Hear a just cause, O Lord; attend to my cry!
                 Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit!
                From your presence let my vindication come!
                          Let your eyes behold the right!
                                     Psalm 17, 1-2

I've had a few confrontations receiving shame in front of others. I also was burning up from their tirade/outburst.
But by God's grace/mercy, and my shock, I stood calm and made no reply. I needed vindication desperately.
I felt God said to wait upon him.  God's promises are true. All of them.
 

I was a 50yr+ smoker, and have heard all the stinking smoker jokes from the pulpit, while all those in the pews laughing.
The man behind the pulpit was a minimum 150 lbs overweight. For christians, gluttony is socially acceptable.
I knew I was the last hold out smoker, as did every one in the congregation. Lost my respect for my shepherd.  

(I used to sin sit (Freaudlin slip:) on the steps after church with the deacons, smoking our tobacco back when it was still socially acceptable.   They all quit, although some now dip, unobserved.                                                                                                                                                                                      

Dr. J Vernon McGee had a Christian radio show (Through the Bible) I always listened to while driving. One day cutting it on I heard something about smokers. Listening I heard him say "yeah, most people he knew were ex smokers as himself at one time, and the few still smoking are all still desperately trying to quit, and was sure with God they would some day.

But, says Dr. McGee on the radio, "there is another group in church I want to discuss. He called them the blue silver brigade.
 

These 'ladies', mostly older, have their private pow wows discussing the latest tid bits if information (gossip). They can cause the new young seekers/believers dressed not so modest to be shunned, and embarrassed before they had a chance to learn from the more mature christian ladies had a chance to share/instruct with them what attractive appropriate clothing was.

The kicker McGee said, "And they have no intention of ever quitting"

Upon hearing this in my truck I raised my fist and shouted, smiling with tears, God had vindicated me, privately with my Lord.

                            "Humble thyself before the Lord and HE will lift you up!"

           Thanks, Dennis   (sorry, just some residual bitterness cropping up, now to go confess:)
    A good stand you made, and God knows, and will redeem it, publicly, from his seat..A much better kind of 'popular'..

 

 

 

Hi Sower,

I had never heard of J. Vernon McGee until around 2018 or so. Long story short, his 60 volumes Thru the Bible series are in my top three commentaries (digital) I go to when I need an excellent expositor. I love the everyday man's communication and his real-life examples. Overall, knowing what I know now if I was restricted to only one entire Bible commentary, this would be it. If I recall, it is a collection of all his sermons written down.

[Neighbor]

35 minutes ago, BibleStudent100 said:

The apostle Paul told the Thessalonians: “We ourselves take pride in you among the congregations of God because of your endurance and faith in all your persecutions and the hardships that you are suffering.” (2 Thess. 1:4)

A bit of a different take is found  within the NKJV: 2 Thess 1

"We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other, 4 so that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure, 5 which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer;  since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels,  in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.  These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,  when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed."

This English transliteration seems to me to be exclaiming not pride in a person, but a boasting of the evidence of the righteous judgement of God.

[Vine Abider]

7 hours ago, Neighbor said:

There is substantial instruction within Matthew 18 as to how the "body" of Christ Jesus is to work, and work out differences that is rather different than how the members of the body are to go about this world  as witnesses giving testimony of the gospel of Jesus.

And because of Christ's Spirit living in us, we can carry out those instructions in a living way!

[Sower]

7 hours ago, Dennis1209 said:

Hi Sower,

I had never heard of J. Vernon McGee until around 2018 or so. Long story short, his 60 volumes Thru the Bible series are in my top three commentaries (digital) I go to when I need an excellent expositor. I love the everyday man's communication and his real-life examples. Overall, knowing what I know now if I was restricted to only one entire Bible commentary, this would be it. If I recall, it is a collection of all his sermons written down.

As McGee always said, "Where the Rubber meets the road." A  Down to earth blue collar ex smoker native Texan...
His broadcast came on every day at 11 o'clock on KDRY radio station here in central Texas.
And all the carpenters on the job site heard him preaching on my radio screwed on under my mitre saw.

One of my crew, my brother, heard McGee one day preaching on 'who is your God'  Basically he said "If you are born again you have a heavenly Father. If you are not born again, your god is the devil, who is the god of this world."

HA! My brother (catholic at the time) jumped up shouting and said 'that's not true.... is it?' I said, yes, it is true. Let me explain.
Three months later in our old trailer house he believed, and another child was born. With a new heavenly Father. cool huh...

 

[Mr. M]

4 minutes ago, Sower said:

As McGee always said, "Where the Rubber meets the road." A  Down to earth blue collar ex smoker native Texan...
His broadcast came on every day at 11 o'clock on KDRY radio station here in central Texas.
And all the carpenters on the job site heard him preaching on my radio screwed on under my mitre saw.

One of my crew, my brother, heard McGee one day preaching on 'who is your God'  Basically he said "If you are born again you have a heavenly Father. If you are not born again, your god is the devil, who is the god of this world."

HA! My brother (catholic at the time) jumped up shouting and said 'that's not true.... is it?' I said, yes, it is true. Let me explain.
Three months later in our old trailer house he believed, and another child was born. With a new heavenly Father. cool huh...

 

John 8:

42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father,

you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came

from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. 

43 Why do you not understand My speech?

Because you are not able to listen to My word. 

44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires

of your father you want to do. He was a murderer

from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth,

because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie,

he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and

the father of it. 

45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. 

46 Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth,

why do you not believe Me? 

47 He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear,

because you are not of God.”

 

All people are natural liars. I have been around many souls

who professed Christ, but you could not rely on a word they spoke.

Could they possibly be born again? 

Ephesians 4:25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man 

truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another.

[Marathoner]

By pride comes nothing but strife. (Proverbs 13:10)

Pride is among those evil things that defile a man. (Mark 7:21-23)

Pride is not desirable, is not commendable, and because it springs forth from within, it accordingly defiles the prideful. 

[farouk]

I think Philippians 2 - about the perfect Bondservant Who was 'obedient unto death, even the death of the cross' - should be an antidote to human pride.

[Neighbor]

3 hours ago, Vine Abider said:

And because of Christ's Spirit living in us, we can carry out those instructions in a living way!

Amen and praise God.

The board needs an amen  thing a m'jigger emolie

[D. Adrien]

12 hours ago, Sower said:

As McGee always said, "Where the Rubber meets the road." A  Down to earth blue collar ex smoker native Texan...
His broadcast came on every day at 11 o'clock on KDRY radio station here in central Texas.
And all the carpenters on the job site heard him preaching on my radio screwed on under my mitre saw.

One of my crew, my brother, heard McGee one day preaching on 'who is your God'  Basically he said "If you are born again you have a heavenly Father. If you are not born again, your god is the devil, who is the god of this world."

HA! My brother (catholic at the time) jumped up shouting and said 'that's not true.... is it?' I said, yes, it is true. Let me explain.
Three months later in our old trailer house he believed, and another child was born. With a new heavenly Father. cool huh...

 

Audio files of J. Vernon McGee can still be heard. I use to cram in earpods and listen to audio sermons while doing chores. My understanding is that he died while rocking in a chair on his porch one morning.

 

How did J.Vernon Mcgee die?

According to the search results, J. Vernon McGee died on December 1, 1988, at the age of 84, due to heart failure. He was at his home in Templeton, California, when he passed away. Just a few minutes after visiting with the Associate Director of Thru the Bible, McGee fell asleep in his chair and quietly passed away, surrounded by his Savior.

https://search.brave.com/search?q=How+did+J.Vernon+Mcgee+die&source=desktop&summary=1&summary_og=06d7ae52066b879210e577