Day 2318 of the 7 day Bible verse challenge.


1 Peter 5:6 NIV

Humility is pretty far from popular in this world. Pride on the other hand is flourishing. We've been talking a bunch about the selfishness that sin causes and how so many don't want to turn away from that kind of life. They would rather seek out justification for their wickedness than to address the sins that they're not willing to admit. Sadly that's just easier nowadays. It's easier to find someone that will tell you that what you're doing is okay than it is to face the truth and be forced to change because of it. People would rather arrogantly do what they want to do than to even consider the fact that maybe God's right after all.

As I said yesterday or the day before, there is no arguing with God. There's no debating His truth. There is no changing His commandments or altering His design. Yet so many try in vain to do so because their pride tells them that they can't be wrong so someone else must be. If their particular choice of sin makes them feel good then it just has to be right. The darkness makes them comfortable so it can't be wrong. This lie of sin being okay and right being wrong is truly tailor made for a world that wants to run wild doing whatever anyone wants to do. But that lie needs justification in order to keep being effective.

That's the amazing thing about living a humble life before God. You don't need that external justification because you know that what you're doing is right. You don't need people to approve of your choices because you know in your heart that you're making those choices based on trying to please God. Following Christ gives us this confidence that no other way of life can offer. There's a powerful kind of peace in knowing that we're trying to live good lives according to God's will for us. There just isn't any need for any other validation than knowing that God is our focus and His path is the one we're following!

I don't need to lift myself up to feel better about who I am. I don't need people to approve of the way I've chosen to live my life. I don't need a bunch of worldly praise to know that I'm doing what's right. This world doesn't have to like us. It doesn't have to appreciate our faith. It doesn't have to agree with the choices we make. And we don't need to live to gain that approval or acceptance. We're living for God and that's all that matters! If I live to build myself up, justify all of my sinful choices, and gain worldly acceptance then what difference have I made? Everyone does that! What impact will we have if we live like the world lives? What message is that sharing? It's definitely not the one that we're here to spread!

One of the biggest underlying truths that I've found in all of these posts is that this world isn't our home. So I don't need the world to tell me I'm doing right. I don't need the world to approve of my choice to share these posts, pray all the time, read the Bible, or walk a different path. I'm not doing it for me! I don't need some kind of worldly praise of accolade to feel like I've accomplished something. Our reward comes next and God will lift us up at that time. So it doesn't really matter if anyone else agrees with or approves of what we do and how we live following Christ while we're here. This world cannot offer what He's already given us! And it definitely can't lift us up as high as He will when this world has stopped spinning!

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