By Richard Shin
Hi, collegian. I’ll get straight to the point: the world has been tricking us. It throws at us a vast array of reasons for us to be prideful. It’s not only the eclecticism that we should recognize, but the slyness and depth of the message as well. It is neatly packaged for us which is what’s so deceiving. Here is just a small sampling of how this message is presented:
- TV shows like American Idol and America’s Got Talent that put the spotlight (literally) on one person or one group. And even if it’s for a brief moment, I’m sure we’ve all imagined and secretly wished to be in the contestants’ shoes.
- Movies of triumph like Rudy and Scarface that glorify the power of the will and its rewards.
- Internet-powered tools like YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and blogs that let us share our talents, thoughts, opinions and much more, in hopes of being noticed.
- Sports communities that imply talent, skill, and hard work matter more than character.
- Music whose lyrics focus around how I feel and what I want that influence how we think.
- The “Customer is King” mentality that seems to permeate our thoughts when we make purchases or eat at restaurants, as if we deserved the best treatment.
- Online resources that impart much knowledge, which often only puffs up.
When these things enter our lives, oftentimes some form of pride ensues. We become more willful; we covet the lifestyle of the rich and famous; we want to be noticed by those around us; we become proud in what we know; we try to show others that we’re “all that.” Simply put, these thoughts and actions are all signs of pride, evidence that we have forsaken the primary purpose in God’s gifts: glorifying God.
These things are not inherently bad. In fact, I would categorize them as “neutral.” In the right context, we can enjoy and use the things above. But like all of God’s gifts, they can be abused. The scary thing is we’ve become indifferent to the abuse.
Let me be real with you. We don’t have a fighting chance – we never did. We might have been deceived into thinking that we did (a la examples above), but we’ve fallen for a lie (Rom. 1:25). But don’t think we were sitting helpless like a baby; we are at fault for believing this lie. Let me explain.
We are prideful by nature. We weren’t created this way, but when Adam and Eve decided to question God’s holiness and authority in Genesis 3, they exhibited pride. They thought they were better than they were and decided to step away from what was right, namely God’s law. And because we were all born of Adam and Eve, the prideful tendencies and desires passed on from one generation to the next.
No one born of Adam is an exception; we all think we’re better than we are (Rom. 3:23). We love thinking about ourselves. We love remembering about how great we are, or could be. Because of this natural tendency, we take advantage of every opportunity to be prideful that’s presented before us. And with access to the world at our fingertips, how easy has it become to find more reasons to be prideful? It almost seems hopeless, doesn’t it?
But there’s an answer: we need to lean on Jesus Christ.
You see, Jesus was the only person who has overcome that cultural influence, ever. How did he do this? By singularly focusing on his mission to glorify the Father (John 4:34, 6:38, 8:29). If we truly believe in Romans 11:36, then we have to believe that even neutral activities can glorify God. Here are a few ways we can do this while not being influenced by the world:
- Meditate upon the life of Jesus and the gospel. Spiritual growth is a process of becoming more like Jesus (Rom. 8:29). That means from the moment of conversion to the last breath you take, you will have an uncountable number of ways to glorify God. What you can do is remember that Jesus was sent to do the will of his Father. Reflect upon the humility he displayed when being born of man. Imagine the restraint he must have shown when he was being tempted. Dwell upon his showing love and truth, grace and mercy hand-in-hand to everyone whom he ministered. Mimic the dependence he showed in the Garden of Gethsemane. Emulate the discipline he must have shown when carrying his cross. Remember the sense of duty he must have felt when being nailed to that cross. Imagine the sense of satisfaction and anticipation he must have felt when he said, “It is finished,” ready to be received by his Father saying, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”
- Take active measures to examine our own hearts. We can check ourselves with biblical truths and principles like
- Looking out for the interest of others (Phil. 2:4)
- Not leaning on our own understanding (Jer. 17:9; Prov. 3:5-6)
- Being mindful of what we say and do (Mark 7:21-23; Titus 2:7-8)
- Not coveting what we don’t have (Ex. 20:17) because we are content with what God has given us (Heb. 13:5-6)
- Pray. For example, we can glorify God by praying while watching the next episode of The Voice. We can. Before we watch it, pray “God, allow me to watch this and marvel at the gifts you grant. Allow me to not be judgmental of those who don’t perform as well. Guard my heart so that I don’t become jealous of the people who do. If they don’t already, please allow them to use those gifts to honor you. I pray others watching be shown a glimpse of your creativity and greatness, and that you would lead them to worship you alone.”
Now I want you to know that while these neutral activites can be used to glorify God, it doesn’t mean it’s always wise to partake in these activities. There will be times when watching that football game or perusing that website will need to take a backseat for other activities to take priority. But what I’m saying is that when you actually do pursue these endeavors, there is a God-glorifying way to do them.
Collegians, we need to draw from that well. Our effectiveness to be the salt and light in this world is not founded upon ourselves, but in God. And He is the only way we will be able to eradicate pride from our lives. When the world presents opportunities for you to think better of yourself, and you truly desire to fight pride, remember that God will always see you through. If you truly believe that Jesus died for you and your sins, then he died for your inflated sense of self-worth as well.
As we go through the series of “Collegians Have Issues,” let us remember that God is the only one that is worthy to be glorified. This decision to actively glorify God in everything we see, hear, and feel is not one of those decide-once-and-be-done-with-it types; it’s a deny-yourself-and-pick-up-your-cross-daily type. You have to commit every day that you will breathe and live to glorify God in everything that you do.
