DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 3RD, 2010
“THE WORST KIND OF PRIDE”
BY
GARY CHAPMAN
I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus.
—PHILIPPIANS 3:12-14, MSG
I was reluctant to start a work that I felt God was calling me to do," an acquaintance told me. "I had no training and felt I would make a fool of myself. Then a friend said to me, ‘God does not always call the equipped, but he always equips the called.' So I stepped out and God did the rest."
When this woman trusted God with the outcome, she was set free to serve others.
If you feel unable or unworthy to attempt something for God, consider whether it is an unhealthy desire to do things perfectly that holds you back. As author Warren Wiersbe said, "Denying that we can accomplish God's work is not humility; it is the worst kind of pride." If you are waiting until you become better, brighter, or more ready, you are probably relying on yourself more than God.
The apostle Paul knew that following Christ's call in his life would sometimes be a messy process. As he wrote, "Not that I…have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me" (Philippians 3:12). When your greatest desire is to love others as Christ leads, you practice the humility that is needed to risk making mistakes.
Thought
Think of one thing you feel called to do that you have hesitated to begin. Pray about whether God is telling you to wait or you are holding back because you are afraid of failing.
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