Define fair

Today Kyle Idleman continues his description of six verbal symptoms of a prideful heart (Chapter 3, The End of Me).

You may be a Pharisee if . . .

3.  you catch yourself saying, “It’s not fair.”  Pastor Idleman emphasizes there is a major question here: how do we objectively define fair?  A lot of things are going to seem unfair if we feel we are more deserving or entitled than those around us.

Kyle supplies the following clue: if you have a hard time celebrating with others in their successes or victories and if you lack gratitude for the good things in your life, you’re probably suffering from a case of pride.  And if you feel entitled and discontented, you have no reason to be thankful for anything.

4.  you catch yourself whispering, “Did you hear about . . .” Gossip tends to put others in their “proper” place and underscores how superior Pharisees are.  Gossip provides a convenient stepping stone on our quest to be king of the mountain.

5.  you catch yourself saying, “I don’t need anybody’s help.”  Pastor Idleman observes that the Pharisee in the parable never asks for God’s help.  He’s got everything under control and checked all the boxes off- fasting, tithing.  The Pharisee is convinced God couldn’t get along without him.  Pride blinds us from realizing our desperate need for God.  If your prayers are filled with complaint and self-justification, you may have a pride issue.

Today’s question (from Kyle): In what ways do you take ownership of your own humility?  Please share.

Tomorrow’s blog: “Pride is blinding”

Define fair

You may be a Pharisee if . . .

In Chapter 3 of The End of Me, Kyle Idleman describes six verbal symptoms of a prideful heart.  The first two symptoms are discussed today.

You may be a Pharisee if . . .

1.  you catch yourself saying, “You aren’t going to talk like that to me!”  When pride takes over, we become defensive.  We’re unwilling to listen to criticism or correction.  It’s like undiplomatic immunity.  A prideful attitude also assumes a hierarchy in which we outrank the other person.

Pastor Idleman adds we might be thinking no one is offering us advice because they can’t find anything to criticize.  The truth may be closer to this: no one is offering us advice because they know it won’t go well if they try.

2.  you catch yourself saying, “I’m not going to be the one to apologize.”  Kyle cautions that the proud are magnetically attracted to conflict.  Solomon wrote in Proverbs 13:10: “Pride only leads to arguments.”  Squabbles can become epic because apologizing requires humility.

Forgiveness brings on the agony of defeat.  Proud people obsess about being undefeated in arguments and love to wait out the worst disagreements.  They may hold out for decades hoping everything blows over.  In the unlikely event a proud person apologizes, he/she will qualify that apology: “I’m sorry- but . . .”  And that type of apology never seems to work.

Today’s question: Have you ever dug in your heels and refused to apologize?  What was the result of your decision?  Please share.

Tomorrow’s blog: “Define fair”

You may be a Pharisee if . . .

Spit first. Dig second.

“God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth.”- Matthew 5:5 (NLT)

Kyle Idleman opens Chapter 3 (“Humbled to Be Exalted”) of The End of Me with this important avalanche survival tip: Spit first.  Dig second.  Pastor Idleman points out that one of the biggest mistakes people make when buried by tons of snow in an avalanche is digging blindly to get out.

Once someone is covered with snow, it’s almost impossible to tell which direction is which.  Gravity, however, still applies.  The solution is to push the snow away from your face and spit.  The direction gravity takes your spit determines your position.  For example, if you spit and it lands on your face, you know you’re facing up. which is a good thing.

Pastor Idleman observes that when Jesus came on the scene as a rabbi, directional confusion was rampant.  In “the fullness of time” Jesus came to set the compass for all time.  Yet, to twenty-first century ears, Jesus’s third beatitude seems ironic.  To our culture, it looks more like CEOs, movie stars, and professional athletes have dibs on inheriting the earth.  Jesus countered this misperception in Luke 18:14 as well:

“For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

In order for this to happen, Kyle asserts that we need to deal with our inner Pharisee.

Today’s question: What Bible verses keep you headed in the right direction?  Please share.

Tomorrow’s blog: “Your internal Pharisee”

Spit first. Dig second.