Posts Tagged ‘pride’
All Growth is from God
Human nature dictates that we take credit for all the good things we accomplish. At work, at home, even at Church, when something goes well, we take the credit. When something goes wrong, don’t you dare accuse us of doing something wrong. Human nature is wrong. I was inspired by today’s reading from Saint Paul,…
Read MoreEpisode 483 – Unworthy but Loved by God
As humans and especially as American’s we never like to admit that we are not worthy of God’s love. There is nothing we can do to make us worthy of God’s love, mercy and grace. He is the one who makes us worthy through our faith and humility. Instead of pride and arrogance, humility and…
Read MoreTake No Offense
We’ve all said it. We’ve all had that moment when we needed to tell someone the truth, but we knew it would hurt to hear the truth. So, we soften it with a simple warning. “No offense, but…” Let’s face it, with the wrong heart, hearing these words are always an offense. We take offense…
Read More2026 Daily Lenten Journey Day 39 – We’re in this Together
He isn’t fasting. She isn’t saying her prayers. They never come to Church. These are the sayings of those who forget an important truth of Christ. Instead of judging others we need to remember we are in this together. Great Lent seems to bring the worst out in Orthodox Pharisees. I’ve written many times against…
Read MoreEpisode 474 – Obstacles to God
There are many obstacles between us and God. Some obstacles are from the world trying to stop us from reaching God. Other obstacles are from God to protect us from ourselves. The most dangerous obstacles are from our own making, our sins that separate us from God. No obstacle can keep us from God if…
Read MoreGreat Compline Prayer Two
Many weeks ago, even before we began our Great Lenten Journey, the Church prepared us with the Parable of the Publican and the Pharisee. One saved and another not. One filled with pride and another who could not even lift his eyes to heaven. We return there today. Today’s prayer reads like the ‘extended version’…
Read MoreNo Such Thing as Self Authority
Throughout the ancient world, and still in some places today, some leaders declare themselves the authority. They go by all sorts of names. Kings and emperors are the ‘nice’ names. They are also knows as dictators. There is no such thing as ‘self-authority’ in the Church. At that time, as Jesus was teaching the people…
Read MoreAlways Point to Christ
It is not easy in our society to escape attention. Either we ‘stand out’ because we are successful or because we do not act like the rest of those around us. In fact, most of us enjoy the attention, if even just for ‘our five minutes’ of fame. Like so many worldly realities, we should…
Read MoreBlind Egos
Nobody wants to admit it, but everyone struggles with it. Our ego challenges our faith every day. On the one hand we desire to be like God. On the other hand, our ego helps us forget we are not God. When we assert ourselves to know better than the Church, we can blame our ego.…
Read MoreDon’t Allow Yourself to be Tripped Up
I was once taught the first step to any sin is to believe I would always be able to ‘say no’ to temptation. Instead of counting on my willpower, I was taught to do whatever I could to set up protections against temptation. That way I would increase my chances of avoiding sin. Brethren, God…
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