But for the Grace of God

“Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” (1Corinthians 10:12)

We are all precariously in the position of possibly “falling.”  If you think you will never fall or fail, that is pride.  And destruction followings pride. “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” (Proverbs16:18) When we see a brother or a sister struggle and fall, pray for them, because it could have been you.  And certainly, a time will come when you will need the prayers of others to help you spiritually during a difficult time.  We should all be able to say, “but for the grace of God, go I.”  Yes!  If it were not for the grace that we walk in, the difficulties and troubles another has could very well be ours.

I think our pride always rises us and we say to ourselves, “I’d never do that.” But one never really knows how we will react in a certain situation.  We can pre-decide what we will say or what we will do at a certain time, but when it actually happens to us, it may well not be that way.

We are reminded of Peter.  When Jesus was telling His disciples about what was to happen. “Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of Me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee.” (Matthew 26:31-32) Peter pre-determined that he would be loyal. “Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of Thee, yet will I never be offended.” (Matthew 26:33) But in the middle of the situation, he acted the opposite of what he’d wanted to do and denied Jesus three times. 

Paul wrote a little about pride when he was explaining that the Jews were broken off because they lacked faith and that the gentiles with their faith were grafted in. But he warns us not to be high-minded. “Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest He also spare not thee.” (Romans 11:20-21) Pride would have us think that we’re better or better off, not knowing and recognizing God’s mercy and love in raising one and putting down another. And I don’t mean just in this instance, but in different instances. We have to remain humble knowing that God knows best.  His purposes are perfect and righteous. And He knows us better than we know ourselves. This is true in every area of our lives, public and private.

The prophet Obadiah who prophesied against Edom said, “The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground?” (Obadiah 1:3) Pride is deceitful.  It will make us believe things about ourselves that are not true. This happened to the church of Laodicea. “Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:” (Revelation 3:17). They are completely deceived. But let’s not think it can’t happen to us. Pride is deceitful. The church thought it was well off, but in God’s eyes they were the opposite.

God forbid that would happen to us. Let’s keep a critical eye on ourselves instead of on others. “And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?” (Matthew 7:3; Luke 6:41) The hardest thing is to see our own weaknesses. Many times, we may justify our weaknesses, but we need to allow the Holy Spirit to reveal those areas of pride in us, those areas we may be deceived about ourselves and those weaknesses we may be justifying, because “but for the grace of God, go I.”