On Dec 15, 10:45*am, Tim wrote:
Somebody in my church wrote something for this past Sunday's
bulletin. *I thought it was interesting. If anything else it's a good
thought on living.

Enjoy!

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"Pride goes before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall…A
man's pride will bring him low, but honor shall uphold the humble in
spirit." (Proverbs 16:18 and 29:23)

"I don't believe there's any cloud that hangs over me; I think there's
nothing but sunshine hanging over me," (IL. Governor Rod. Blagojevich
the day before his arrest)

Pride and power can be two dangerous elements to a person as what
we've just witnessed this past week. The Governor of the State of
Illinois is now facing several corruption charges which could lead to
his impeachment. I really suppose there's no need to go into any great
details. After all, the politically and financially driven scandal has
gotten plenty of news coverage already, and there will be plenty more
headlines in the days to come.

If you're not familiar with the story called "The Emperor's New
Clothes," the fable tells of a pathetically self-absorbed king who
demanded to have the finest robes that could be had, and would be
satisfied with nothing less. So his tailors convinced him that these
certain (invisible) robes were the best of the best and were fit for
no one but him. Finally the king went walking down the street in his
new clothing. The only problem is that he was naked and was the only
one in the kingdom that didn't know it. His pride had blinded him to
the point that he thought he had everything, but actually he had
nothing.

Pride is an exaggeration of ones self-opinion. And this isn't any
thing new. Look all through the Old Testament and you can see how men
have been brought down because they let their soul become infested
with too much pride. Adam's pride led him and his wife into believing
Satan's lie that they could be just like God. *Pride drove their son
Cain to murder his brother Abel, because God accepted his brother's
sacrifice and didn't accept his. Year after year, and with all his
strength, King Saul pursued David to have him eliminated because of
women praising David in song, and not the king.

In the New Testament, pride also caused Jesus' disciples to bicker
among themselves about who would be greatest in the Kingdom of God.
(Matt. 20:20-28) And one shouldn't forget Herod who declared himself
to be a god to be worshiped (Acts 12:21-23) and how the Holy Spirit
dealt with him.

*James 3:13-15 tells us that Pride and envy is "earthly, unspiritual,
and devilish." and breeds, "wickedness of every kind." But the best is
what he tells us in verse 17 and 18: "But the wisdom from above is
first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy
and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. And a
harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace."

Harry's going to get vulgar and call you names for interjecting
religion here!