March 23, 2010, Luke 14

KEY VERSE:

“For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted”

(Luke 14:11)

CENTRAL TRUTH:

Having pride in God will center your focus on what's really important and keep you grounded.

Humility is PRIDE in God

Humble is a word that gets thrown around a lot. As Christians we know we are supposed to be humble (not arrogant, boastful, or prideful), but sometimes we find ourselves in situations where that is really difficult.Exalt is a word that isn't spoken quite as much. When was the last time you used the word exalt in conversation? To "exalt" someone means: "1. To raise in rank, character, or status; 2. To glorify, praise, or honor."

So basically, verse 11 is saying that anyone who tries to raise his rank or status, or bring praise, glory, or honor to himself will soon not have much to boast about. And anyone who behaves in a way that doesn't display arrogance or pride will be rewarded with a raise in rank or status and will be honored and glorified.

Athletically, one of the rules associated with games is that there will be a "winner" and a "loser," and this can be very dangerous when PRIDE comes into play. So how do we combat this? In my first devotion in February, I shared my new redefinition of SUCCESS: "having peace of mind in knowing you did your best to be the best you are capable of becoming." As Christians, it is important that we begin each game (and especially the game of life) with the right perspective: success over winning. Once our attitude/perspective is right, being humble should come a little easier.

That being said, how you define success will influence your ultimate view on winning and losing, and therefore it will also affect your level of PRIDE. It affects your level of PRIDE because you know who gave you your gifts and abilities; you know who made it possible for you to do the things you did – the things that lead you to SUCCESS.

I'm a competitor and “proud” of it, because we compete for Christ. The way we compete should reflect a Christlikeness for us to be PROUD of. I think it's fair to say that God wants us to use the talents and gifts He blessed us with to the best of our abilities. And when we do this, we bring honor and glory to Him. It's worship ... IF we give the credit to God. We try to teach our athletes to take the focus off themselves and place it on God - to give thanks to God ... for the ability He's blessed them with, for the day he's given them to compete, and for the win … or the loss. We praise Him regardless.

So ... We want to define Humility as PRIDE in God. As a coach I know how proud I have been of our baseball teams recently and how proud I was of our single season school record in wins in softball this past fall. BUT, I know where the source of every bit of it is. Without Christ, none of it would have been possible, and with a closer relationship to Christ, our baseball and softball teams at Tattnall are learning how to put Christ first. Whenever we feel a little moment of PRIDE taking the reins of what we are doing, we stop and direct that PRIDE to its rightful owner - God.