6月27日

標 題：高傲必使你卑下

經節：人的高傲必使他卑下；心裡謙遜的，必得尊榮。（箴言廿九章23節）

驕傲是基督徒最大的敵人。驕傲是高看自己，它會使你明知故犯，做一些不像基督的行為，也會阻止你去做一些榮耀神的事。驕傲使得亞當與夏娃想要和神一樣（創世記三：5），驕傲促使該隱謀殺自己的弟弟（創世記四：5），驕傲激怒約瑟的哥哥們，把他賣了作奴隸（創世記卅七：8），驕傲使掃羅王極為憎惡大衛，甚至要謀殺他（撒母耳記上十八：8），驕傲使希西家王愚蠢地向敵人展現自己國家的財富（以賽亞書卅九：2），驕傲是法利賽人敵視耶穌的根源，驕傲也是門徒爭議天國地位的原因（路加福音九：46）。

驕傲是你無情的敵人。倘若屈服於它的影響力，你自然得承受驕傲的後果。你可能知道自己冒犯某人，然而，驕傲使你不願開口要求饒恕。你可能知道自己必須修復破裂的人際關係，但是驕傲使你否認這個需要。聖靈可能光照你正生活於罪惡之中，驕傲卻使你不願意承認自己的問題。驕傲會使你確信自己應受更好的待遇。驕傲會阻礙你服事他人。驕傲會讓你努力出人頭地。驕傲會使你喜歡人的恭維及忽視誠實的建議。驕傲會使你孤立自己、為人不可靠。

相對地，謙卑會討神的歡喜，使你的生活得到神的稱許。如果驕傲已經慢慢侵入你生命的某些部分，趕緊在它奪取神在你身上的旨意之前，求神讓你克服它。

Pride Brings You Down

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

Pride is the great enemy of the Christian. Pride is an overly high opinion of yourself. It motivates you to do things that you know are not Christlike, and it hinders you from doing what brings glory to God. Pride influenced Adam and Eve to try to become like God (Gen. 3:5). Pride motivated Cain to murder his brother (Gen. 4:5). Pride provoked Joseph's brothers to sell him into slavery (Gen. 37:8). Pride caused King Saul to resent David so deeply that he tried to murder him (1 Sam. 18:8). Pride led King Hezekiah to foolishly reveal his nation's wealth to his enemies (Isa. 39:2). Pride was at the root of the Pharisees' anger toward Jesus. Pride was the reason the disciples argued over rank in the kingdom (Luke 9:46).

Pride is your relentless enemy. If you succumb to its influence, there will be consequences. You may know that you have offended someone, but pride holds you back from asking forgiveness. You may realize you need to reconcile a broken relationship, but pride will lead you to deny that need. The Spirit may convict you that you are living a sinful lifestyle, but pride will discourage your admitting it. Pride will convince you that you deserve better treatment. Pride will impede your serving others. Instead, pride will have you striving for places of prominence. Pride will have you listen to flatterers and ignore honest counselors. Pride will lead you to isolate yourself so that you are not accountable to others.

Humility, on the other hand, is pleasing to God and places your life in a position where God will honor you. If pride has crept into some areas of your life, ask God to give you victory over it before it robs you of God's will for you.