The best way

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

THE BEST WAY

Prov 29:23

23 A man's pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor.

NIV

To be prideful about some aspect of our lives is not a worthy attribute. We could be prideful about our own abilities or intellectual prowess. We could be prideful because of our wealth. We could be prideful of our position either in our profession or in the community of believers. We could be prideful of our spirituality. We even might be prideful of the work of God in our lives, how much he has blessed us. We might be prideful about our righteousness, how little we sin, if any at all and how well be behave following all the rules and how much we do at church. It almost becomes bragging in a sense and we know for sure there are not many people who like a braggart. There will be little to no honor given for such a person. However being humble is the desired trait, yet it is even possible to be prideful in our humbleness. The idea here is that we are but sinners saved by grace. It is all God and none of us. Being of lowly spirit is understanding our wretched estate. We can do nothing apart from Christ. We are the branches, he is the vine. We are the tree which bears fruit only as we are planted by the stream of living water, Christ. Understanding we live in a corruptible form, the body is weak and it is going to fail us and God. We cannot keep ourselves from sinning. Perfection in the body is not possible, yet we should endeavor to live as best we can to please God. It is not that we should just go on sinning so his grace may increase, God forbid. But we have to understand we have nothing to be proud about. Our lives have a purpose which God has established. We merely need to live as we are guided by him, through the Spirit. We are weak, but he is strong. We fail, he does not. To be prideful is to not know self, to be humble or be of lowly spirit is to fully know self. Then we truly know we need Jesus. This is the best way.