-Pride Is Like False Advertising!

Have you ever checked the label on a bottle of juice? I mean, really checked it?  Recently, I picked up a bottle of juice that said it was “Blueberry Pomegranate, 100% Juice, All Natural” on the front label with a picture of a ripe pomegranate & lots of plump, perfect blueberries! But, then I read the list of ingredients—“Filtered water; Pear juice concentrate; Apple juice concentrate & Grape juice concentrate.” So, where are the BLUEBERRIES? And, where is the POMEGRANATE, I thought? Finally, I found them listed #5 and #7 on a list of 9 ingredients! Now, the nice lady in the health food aisle informed me that, by law, food ingredients are listed in descending order of weight! Did you know that? That means a product contains the greatest proportion of the 1st ingredient on the list & successively less the further down you go! So, according to the list, on the bottle in my hand, it contained mostly water & other juices with just enough blueberry & pomegranate for flavor and color! I put it back on the shelf! The pictures & the clever labeling were enticing; but, I would call that a form of false advertising!

-An Illustration Of Human Pride!

It was disguised to look like something that it wasn’t! That seems like it illustrates human pride to me! What if we use that bottle of juice to illustrate what it’s like when we’re proud of our work; or, our intellect; or, our earning power; or, our standing in the community; or, we’re proud of our house, our car, our neighborhood; or, our kids accomplishments! The clever label says we’re a “self-made man”; or, a “self-made woman”! We’re a rising star! We’re prosperous! We’re going places! We’re a mover & a shaker! But, the ingredients listed on the side don’t lie—God says: “Bring MY sons from far away & MY daughters from the ends of the earth—everyone called by MY name and created for MY Glory. I have formed him; indeed, I have made him” Isaiah 43:6-7.  We were created for HIS Glory, not our own! HE formed us! He made us! As for the gifts, talents, and abilities we take credit for? The things we’re tempted to take pride in? The rest of the ingredients, on the list, don’t lie!

-It All Comes From Him!

According to the Apostle Paul, the “ingredient list” on the side panel of our lives says, “For who makes you so superior? What do you have that you didn’t receive? If, in fact, you did receive it, why do you boast as if you hadn’t received it?” 1 Cor. 4:7. Everything we have comes from Him! And, we face deadly consequences when we deny God the Glory! It is not an insignificant matter when we dismiss or deny God the Glory due His Name! Human pride is deadly! I’ve said before that human pride is our attempt to steal God’s glory & that is why God’s Word says, in Proverbs, “These six things the LORD hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him...”; and, what’s #1 on the LIST? “A PROUD LOOK” Prov. 6:16-19. All glory was God’s Glory from the beginning of Creation! All glory, in the world, is ultimately a reflection of the Glory God gave it!