Pride vs. Humility (Round 2)

"In every step of our Christian growth and maturity, and throughout every aspect of our Christian obedience and service, our greatest foe is pride and our greatest ally is humility."

-John Stott

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I've continued reading Mahaney's book on humility. Part 3 of the book deals with how to weaken pride and cultivate humility. Here's some thoughts from the book about how to pursue humility

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ALWAYS:

1. Reflect on the wonder of the cross. Martin Lloyd-Jones wrote, "There is only one thing I know of that crushes me to the ground and humiliates me to the dust, and that is to look at the Son of God, and especially contemplate the cross...When I survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of Glory died, My richest gain I count but loss And pour contempt on all my pride...Nothing else can do it. When I see that I am a sinner...that nothing but the Son of God on the cross can save me, I'm humbled to the dust...Nothing but the cross can give us this spirit of humility."

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AS EACH DAY BEGINS:

2. Begin your day by acknowledging your dependence upon God and your need for God. Sin doesn't wake up tired, because it hasn't been sleeping. When you wake up in the morning, sin is right there, fully awake, ready to attack. Dependence upon God is humbling before God.

3. Begin your day expressing gratefulness to God. "Thankfulness is a soil in which pride does not easily grow." -Michael Ramsey

4. Practice the spiritual disciplines--prayer, study of God's Word, worship. This is a declaration and demonstration of our dependence on God and our need for Him.

5. Seize your commute time to memorize and meditate on Scripture. Commute time or mundane time--don't waste time, use it to experience God's transforming grace.

6. Cast your cares upon Him, for He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God casting all you anxieties on Him, for He cares for you.

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AS EACH DAY ENDS:

7. At the end of the day, transfer the glory to God. "But let not a single day end without the specific and intentional "transfer" of all glory, for all grace, to God alone!" God alone deserves all glory!!!

8. Before going to sleep, recieve this gift from God and acknowledge His purpose for sleep. We are not self-sufficient. We are not the One who "will neither sleep nor slumber." We are dependent. Sleep reminds us of this and is a gift from God.

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More to come...

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"True Greatness is attained only by emulating the Savior's example-and made possible only by the Savior's sacrifice."