Getting the Big Head - Martin Wiles

Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with the staff, and water gushed out. So the entire community and their livestock drank their fill. Numbers 20:11 NLT

Henry was a close friend of my father’s, but they were different. Dad was quiet and reserved; Henry was outgoing and comical. Dad held post-graduate degrees; Henry never made it out of college. Dad held no position in his state denomination, while Henry had moved up in the ranks. Dad was a relatively unknown pastor. Henry was known by most and had served for many years as the parliamentarian for his denomination on the state level. But Henry never got the big head. Regardless of how important the people were whom he hobnobbed with, he remained the same old Henry. He must have known that getting a big head can push us away from God and others.

Moses forgot how to be humble. God had chosen him to lead the Israelites from Egyptian slavery to the Promised Land. He also gave him the power to perform miracles. One was striking a rock with his staff. When he did, water gushed out for the thirsty people. But on this occasion, God told him to merely speak to the rock. Moses, full of himself and angry at stubborn people, hit the rock instead. God doesn’t appreciate orneriness and politely informed Moses he had forfeited his chance to lead the captives into the Promised Land.

The Bible doesn’t use the word big head, but it does use the word pride—and they’re identical. When pride infiltrates our lives, life becomes about us. Initially, Moses wanted nothing to do with the assignment of freeing the captives, but as time moved on, he thought more of himself than he should.

Pride leads us to distrust God, causing us to make poor decisions. No inherent power resided in Moses’ staff. Trust in God made the staff work—along with anything else God told him to use. Many of my poor decisions have been selfish and made in a moment when I failed to let God guide me.

God has a way of shrinking our heads when they get too big. He shrunk Moses’ by taking away the privilege of living in the Promised Land. He’s used various methods on me as well. But God isn’t in the head-shrinking business because He’s mean. He simply wants us to trust in him instead of in ourselves.

When your head gets too big, let God remind you about who you are without Him.

Father, remind me daily that I am nothing without you. 

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Pride Slices Deeply - Martin Wiles

Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. Proverbs 11:2 NLT

Perhaps I was judging when I shouldn't have been, but my first impression ushered in pride and arrogance.

Jansen was the head of a medium-sized organization. He and I were acquaintances, but little more. He needed someone to fill a position I was skilled in and invited me to join. From the beginning, I felt I had made a mistake. Jansen paraded around like the sole cock in the chicken yard. He made the rules and asked no one their opinion. He rebuked anyone who dared to buck his system.

Something about Jansen didn't seem right, but I assumed my first impression was wrong. He rarely spoke to anyone unless he was spoken to first. In spite of his mannerisms and prideful personality, his charismatic personality drew people.

Jansen's pride, however, eventually came home to roost. Thirteen years after joining the organization, those in charge discovered he had been having affairs with numerous women inside and outside the organization. The ruling board soundly rebuked him and requested his resignation. Pride sliced him deeply and brought him down.

Pride will do for anyone what it did for Jansen. When we're proud, we think more of ourselves than we should. While we shouldn't think less of ourselves than is healthy, we must remember that we are who we are solely because of what Jesus Christ has done. As Christ's followers, we've been given his righteousness, but we had nothing to do with being worthy of it.

Pride will repel others. Jansen may have had a winning personality, but just as many avoided his organization because of his arrogance as joined it. No one enjoys hanging around with someone who thinks they are better than others.

Pride also interferes with our dependence on God. When pride controls us, we'll think we can handle life ourselves, forgetting we can only do all things through Christ . . . not ourselves.

Pride will eventually lead to a downfall, as it did with Jansen. What the downfall might be or how severe the consequences are varies, but the bringing down by God will happen.

Don't let pride slice you. Stay humble, and remember you are who you are solely because of God's grace and mercy.

Father, remove pride from my life so I can humbly serve you as you did me. 

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Brought Low - Martin Wiles

They said, “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses? Hasn’t he spoken through us, too?” But the Lord heard them. Numbers 12:2 NLT

He envied the ducks—and wanted to be one.

As the turtle in the pond listened to the ducks describe their travels, he longed to visit the places they went. Of course, being a turtle, he couldn’t travel far or fast. One day, two of the ducks offered to help him. One of the ducks said, “We will each hold an end of a stick in our mouths. You hold the stick in the middle in your mouth, and we will carry you through the air so you can see what we see when we fly. But be quiet, or you will be sorry.”

Loving the idea, the turtle snapped onto the stick, and away they flew. Over the trees. Around meadows. He saw flowers on the hillside. This new perspective on the world amazed the turtle. 

As they flew across venues the turtle had never seen before, suddenly, a crow passed them. Seeing a flying turtle amazed the crow, who said, “Surely this must be the king of all turtles!”

When the turtle heard the crow’s remarks, he said, “Why certainly . . .”

But he never finished his statement. Opening his mouth caused him to lose his grip on the stick. He fell to the ground below—stripped of his newfound adventure, his life, and his pride.

Pride makes an awful bedfellow, as Aaron and Miriam discovered. They may have been Moses’ siblings, but this didn’t stop them from a prideful attitude that led them to think they should have a more significant part in leading the children of Israel to the Promised Land. When they complained, God humbled them—especially Miriam. Perhaps she had led the charade. A little temporary leprosy reminded her and Aaron of whom was in charge.

Selfish, sinful human nature makes it easy for pride to slip into our lives unawares. It did with Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. He walked across the roof of his palace and marveled at the great kingdom he had built—or at least that’s what he thought. God brought him down by sending him into the fields to live as a wild animal for a period. As with Aaron and Miriam, he learned his lesson the hard way.

Pride causes us to forget our place. God is the Creator; we are the created. We don’t tell Him what to do; He tells us what to do. It might appear pride elevates us, but it takes us down a notch or two or three. Aaron seemed to have less pride than Miriam. When he saw God’s punishment for his sister, he humbly pleaded for her.

Pride can lead to relationship problems. Being friends with people who think they are better than us can be difficult, and being the spouse of one of those folks can be even more problematic.

The list of where pride can lead us is long: anger, selfishness, unreliable reasoning. Pride also opens us up to Satan’s temptations. After all, pride led to his downfall. He wasn’t satisfied with being an angel. He wanted to be God.

Remembering who we are and who God is keeps our perspective correct and lets humility reign instead of pride.

Don’t let a prideful spirit ruin your life.

Father, remind me often of who I am and of who you are. 

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Ego Deflation - Martin Wiles

As he looked out across the city, he said, “Look at this great city of Babylon! By my own mighty power, I have built this beautiful city as my royal residence to display my majestic splendor.” Daniel 4:30 NLT

Just five days after accepting the position, he resigned in disgrace.

 

In December of 2001, George O’Leary took the position as head coach of the Fighting Irish Notre Dame football team. Five days later, he resigned. An investigation revealed that twenty years before he had included false claims on his resume, which included saying he had lettered in football when he was not even on the team and that he had a master’s degree which he had not earned. The lies had not been discovered at any of his previous coaching jobs, but the high profile accorded the position of a coach at Notre Dame led to his exposure.

 

In a statement, O’Leary said, “Due to a selfish and thoughtless act many years ago, I have personally embarrassed Notre Dame, its alumni, and fans. With that in mind, I will resign my position as head football coach.”

 

Although a considerable amount of time passed between O’Leary’s deception and its discovery, it did come to light with devastating results. He had seemingly reached the height of his profession, only to wake up and find it all taken away. Pride can do that.

 

King Nebuchadnezzar ruled the mighty nation of Babylon—a nation he thought he had built by his own power and ingenuity. Although a pagan nation, God controlled who ruled it, and Nebuchadnezzar needed to realize it. So, God humbled his prideful spirit by temporarily taking the kingdom away from him.

 

God doesn’t want us to think less of ourselves than we should—after all, we are created in His image—but He also doesn’t want our view of ourselves to be higher than it should. We are His children, but He controls every breath we take. We can do all things through Christ, but we are nothing without Him. All our efforts made apart from His guidance—or in disobedience to His plan—are bound to fail.

 

God has wonderful plans for His children, and an attitude of humility will lead us to search out those plans and use our gifts and talents humbly to carry them out. When we recognize our position in Christ, God will open doors we could never imagine. We may never attain notoriety, as George O’Leary did as head coach of a famous football team, but we’ll be famous in God’s eyes for doing what He created us to do.

 

Don’t let pride ruin your work for God. Humbly accept the plans He has for you. After all, life is about Him, not you.

 

Prayer: Father, give us faith to seek and follow Your plans for our life. 

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The Last-First Rule - Martin Wiles

Welcome to Meandering Monday, where we take a trip back to an earlier post and enjoy it again.

Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else. Mark 9:35 NLT

With a smirky smile, he looked at us and said, “We’ve been waiting in line too.”

My family and I were attending a Christian concert. A desk for ticket pick-up was in the center of the entrance hallway. Crowds of people who had their tickets mulled around with seemingly no organization. We made our way to the desk and then through the line—trying to get to a table where my mother could sit until the doors opened.

As we passed one gentleman—who obviously thought we were trying to get ahead of him—he reminded us we needed to wait in line as he was doing. I had no time to rebuke his “Christian” attitude; I simply kept moving. But when the doors opened and the people poured in, I made sure he observed me staying behind him. I wasn’t about to break Jesus’ last-first rule.

Even Jesus’ closest followers had trouble with the last-first rule. As the little band of disciples made their way to Capernaum, they discussed which of them was the greatest. When they had settled in the house where they would stay, Jesus confronted their prideful attitudes.

Pride is one of Satan’s greatest temptations. Eve had a dose of it when she thought she knew better than God about eating forbidden fruit. Thousands of years later, I frequently think the same thing. By observing my world, I perceive many others do as well. Unfortunately, this jostling of who’s the greatest is even found among God’s people as it was with the disciples.

The Bible says humility is the better quality. 

We’re not to think too much of ourselves, but neither are we to think less of ourselves than we should. 

In Christ, we can do all things. We’re masterpieces in the making, but the key is “in Christ.” When we humble ourselves before him, he will exalt us at the right time and the right place.

How can you rebuke pride in your life and observe Jesus’ first-last principle?

Prayer: Father, enable us to humble ourselves before You and others. 

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Walk-on Wednesday - Water Walker - Martin Wiles

Welcome to Walk-on Wednesday. By Hump Day, we are struggling, but we believe a good devotion can strengthen us to finish the week strong. 

Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.” Matthew 14:28 NLT

I don’t walk on water, float on water, or swim in the water.

I grew up in a family of swimless people. But being able to float without any chance of going under would be enticing. I’ve never visited the Dead Sea, but if I did, I could walk out until I was waist-deep in water, lean back, and watch my feet and body pop up like a jack-in-the-box. This lowest place on earth is dominated by salinity that makes floating a breeze.

Peter wanted to walk, not float. He and the disciples were fighting a storm on the Sea of Galilee when Jesus came walking toward them on the water. Impetuous and prideful Peter asked if he could come to Jesus on the water. Jesus permitted him. Strutting like the sole cock in the chicken yard, Peter did well until he felt the violent wind blowing through his hair and noticed the struggling waves at his feet. As he spiraled downward, Jesus rescued him.

Peter was a seasoned fisherman and knew how to swim, but in this case, ability failed him. Pride outweighed his skill and sent him reeling toward the sea’s bottom. Pride does this. When I think I’m walking tall, pride will take me down. So popular has Peter’s story become through time that “walking on water” is now used as a synonym phrase for pride.

God is the one who holds me up day by day. He may give me strength, wisdom, and other natural abilities, but his hand is responsible for my floating and not sinking. He should receive the credit and glory for any and everything I accomplish.

While God won’t prevent all the storms in our lives—self-inflicted or not—he will keep us from succumbing to the warrior waves they bring. And when we cry out to him as Peter did, he will even grow our faith through them.

Are you guilty of thinking you can walk on water? If so, rebuke pride and invite humility into your life.

Prayer: God of glory and grace, remove any pride from our lives so that we might serve You in humility and power. 

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Know-It-All - Martin Wiles

For the Lord sees clearly what a man does, examining every path he takes. Proverbs 5:21 NLT

Every class I took in college seemed to have one.

Know-it-alls are people who think they know it all. And during my college tenure, there was at least one in every class. They were the ones who quickly raised their hands when the professor asked a question he thought no one should know. With a smirky smile, they bellowed their answers and were proud of them—even when they were wrong. They were the ones who prided themselves in asking difficult questions to the professors, thinking they might be able to stump the one who was supposed to know everything. And they loved to brag…on themselves.

I never enjoyed hanging around with know-it-alls. Their pompous attitudes got in the way of my having any meaningful conversation or relationship with them. A friendly, “How are you?” was the most I could manage. 

Inside, I felt sorry for them when the professors put them in their place or when I saw others avoiding them because of their attitude. And there were times when I knew more than they did, but I wouldn’t answer because I didn’t want to be perceived as a know-it-all myself.

But there is one know-it-all I choose to have a relationship with: God. We define His ability to know it all as omniscience. Just as He is all powerful and can be all places at the same time, so He also has the capacity to know the past, present, and future—as well as all of the possibilities that never materialize.

This trait of God is comforting. When I’m down in the dumps, He knows. When the financial crunch crunches, He knows. When the relationship sours, He knows. When the test grade bombs, He knows. Not only does He know the facts, but He also knows the why’s behind the facts. He knows how to get me through the financial messes, the soured relationships, the difficult assignments, the tough work atmospheres, and the emotional upsets.

I make a habit of avoiding know-it-alls, but not God. He’s not pompous or self-focused. He wants to help me through life’s tough spots…and will if I ask.

Don’ wait for life to go downhill to consult God. He’s the know-it-all who knows it all and wants to help you every day and with every detail.

Prayer: Father, as our heavenly Know-It-All, prompt us to come to You with all of life’s episodes—good and bad.  

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Getting the Big Head - Martin Wiles

Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with the staff, and water gushed out. So the entire community and their livestock drank their fill. Numbers 20:11 NLT

Getting the big head can push us away from God and others.

Henry was a close friend of my father’s, but they were different. Dad was quiet and reserved; Henry was outgoing and comical. Dad held post-graduate degrees; Henry never made it out of college. Dad held no position in his state denomination while Henry had moved up in the ranks. 

Dad was a relatively unknown pastor. Henry was known by most and had served for many years as the parliamentarian for his denomination on the state level. But Henry never got the big head. Regardless of how important the people were he hobnobbed with, he remained the same ole Henry.

Moses forgot how to be humble. God chose him to lead the Israelites from Egyptian slavery to the Promised Land. He also gave him the power to perform miracles. One was striking a rock with his staff. When he did, water gushed out for the thirsty people. 

But on this occasion, God told him to merely speak to the rock. Moses, full of himself, hit the rock instead. God doesn’t appreciate orneriness and politely informed Moses he had forfeited his chance to lead the captives into the Promised Land. 

The Bible doesn’t use the word big head, but it does use the word pride—and they’re identical. When pride infiltrates my life, life becomes about me. Initially, Moses wanted nothing to do with the assignment of freeing the captives, but as time moved on he began to think more of himself than he should. 

Pride leads me to distrust God and will also cause me to make poor decisions. 

No inherent power resided in Moses’ staff. Trust in God made the staff work—along with anything else God told him to use. Many of my poor decisions have been selfish and made in a moment when I failed to let God guide me.

God has a way of shrinking my head when it gets too big. 

He shrunk Moses’ by taking away the privilege of living in the Promised Land. He’s used various methods on me as well. But He doesn’t shrink my head because He’s mean. He simply wants me to trust in Him instead of in myself. 

When your head gets too big, let God remind you who you are without Him.

Prayer: Father, remind us daily that we are nothing without You. 

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Pride's Deep Slice - Martin Wiles

Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. Proverbs 11:2 NLT

Perhaps I was judging when I shouldn’t have been, but my first impression was one of pride and arrogance.

Jansen was the head of a medium sized organization. He and I were acquaintances, but little more. He needed someone to fill a certain position in which I was skilled and invited me to join. From the beginning, I felt I had made a mistake. Jansen paraded around like the sole cock in the chicken yard. He made the rules; no one was asked their opinion. Anyone who dared to buck his system was scathingly rebuked. 

Something about Jansen just didn’t seem right to me, but I simply assumed my first time impression was wrong. Rarely did he speak to anyone unless he was spoken to first. In spite of his mannerisms and prideful personality, people were drawn to his charismatic personality. 

Jansen’s pride, however, came home to roost. Thirteen years after coming to the organization, it was discovered he had been carrying on extramarital affairs with numerous women in and outside of the organization. He was soundly rebuked by the ruling board and his resignation requested. Pride sliced him deeply and brought him down. 

Pride will do for anyone what it did for Jansen. When I’m proud, I’m thinking more of myself than I should. While I shouldn’t think less of myself than is healthy, I must remember that I am who I am solely because of what Jesus Christ has done for me. As a Christ follower, I’ve been given His righteousness, but I had nothing to do with being worthy of it. 

Pride will repel others. Jansen may have had a winning personality, but there were just as many who avoided his organization because of his arrogance. No one enjoys hanging around with someone who thinks they are better than others. 

Pride also interferes with my dependence on God. When pride controls me, I’ll think I can handle life myself, forgetting I can only do all things through Christ…not me. 

Pride will eventually lead to a downfall as it did with Jansen. What the downfall might be or how severe the consequences are will vary, but the bringing down by God will happen. 

Don’t let pride slice you. Stay humble, and remember you are who you are solely because of the grace and mercy of God. 

Prayer: Father, remove pride from our lives so we can serve You with humility as You did us. 

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Flashback Friday - Martin Wiles

I Forgive

“No! I don’t want to forgive ______!” he seethed. Sure, he believed in forgiving, but not this person…never.

Craig Groeschel was bitter after learning a family friend had molested his sister. He had been his sister’s sixth-grade teacher, but behind the façade was a sick man who abused numerous girls. Groeschel wanted him to die and burn in hell. But the preacher’s message and God’s Word convicted him otherwise. Read more...

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