Faith ‘n Pride (Poem)

See the Faith and Pride series here

Here’s something critical the New Testament says thrice:

‘The righteous shall live by faith!’ That is God’s best advice.¹

But He only once mentions of what we can be proud:

‘That we know Him who’s in the earth, doing what He vowed.’ ²

The opposite of faith toward God, is pride in yourself.
If you have no faith in God, don’t think faith is ‘on the shelf’.

It’s alive and well, doing what it was designed to do.
Your faith is just making you think it is all about YoU!

Ummm, Faith ‘n Pride...
Take a careful look, my Friend, and you will plainly see,
Both words are balanced on the great ‘I, Myself and Me!’ 
The center of both words is the letter, ‘I’, you’ll observe.
Life is all about whom in our lives you and I will serve.

So common among us all is a built in tendency,
To shape everything in life to make it ‘all about ME!’
Thus, we fail to note the most important part of life’s test:
That we’re put here to serve each other, and give God our best.

Pride blinds us, and thus it switches our mentality.
Into our life, it triggers a great discrepancy.
Prompting us to doubt, then deny love plans that God for us designs,
Pride then moves us toward stepping on hidden devilish land mines.

Faith in God’s Word opens our eyes, so we can plainly see,
That life is designed around Him. It’s not all about ‘Me!’
But if to His Word we choose to remain a stranger,
Seeds of pride will take root, and will our lives endanger. ³

Faith in God’s Word prompts us to call ourselves names

from Him received,
Then causes all these things within our spirit to be conceived.’ ⁴
But if to the names He calls us, we choose to never answer,
Then pride will ensure these things into our lives will never venture.

Faith is...
...born as an imagination of our heart.
...bred as hands and feet do their part.
...sustained by Patience, it’s powerful twin.
...believing that God’s way, at last, will win!

Pride is...
...born as an imagination of the heart.
...masquerading as faith. Can you tell them apart?
...parading as our fear of God gets lost.’ ⁵
...bred as heart and mind think, ‘We’re the boss!’

F.A.I.T.H. - Father And I Together, Harmony

P.R.I.D.E. - Personal Ruin In Devils’ Enmity

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¹ See: Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, and Hebrews 10:38, all echoing and amplifying the Old Testament admonition in Habakkuk 2:4.

² Thus says the LORD: ‘Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, exercising loving kindness (grace/mercy), judgment, and righteousness (doing what’s right) in the earth. For in these I delight,’ says the LORD. (Jeremiah 9:23-24)

³ -- Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. (Proverbs 16:18)

  -- A man’s pride will bring him low, but the humble in spirit will retain honor. (Proverbs 29:23)

  -- Woe to the crown of pride… (Isaiah 28:1)

  -- Behold, the day! Behold, it has come! Doom has gone out; The rod has blossomed; pride has budded. (Ezekiel 7:10)

  -- The pride of your heart has deceived you… (Obadiah 1:3)

⁴ God changed the names of Abram and Sari, to Abraham and Sarah, calling him ‘Father of many nations’. (Genesis 17). Likewise, He calls us Christ-believers: forgiven, righteous, redeemed, healed, rich, kings, priests, etc., etc. What does He call you? Better yet, what do you call you??

⁵ The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth, I hate. (Proverbs 8:13)