1 00:00:02,670 --> 00:00:04,370 Speaker 1: Life Audio. 2 00:00:10,840 --> 00:00:14,560 Speaker 2: Welcome to the Crosswalk Devotional. We are so glad to 3 00:00:14,600 --> 00:00:17,959 Speaker 2: have you listening with us here today. Today's topic is 4 00:00:18,000 --> 00:00:21,939 Speaker 2: about pride and how subtle it can really be. We 5 00:00:21,980 --> 00:00:38,690 Speaker 2: will return after a brief message from our sponsor. Surprising 6 00:00:38,750 --> 00:00:43,330 Speaker 2: Ways Pride Shows Itself Written by Aaron D. Anthony Brown 7 00:00:43,830 --> 00:00:49,990 Speaker 2: Read by Rochelle Alberti Bible Reading Do nothing out of 8 00:00:50,070 --> 00:00:54,710 Speaker 2: selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as 9 00:00:54,810 --> 00:00:58,690 Speaker 2: more important than yourselves. Everyone should look not to his 10 00:00:58,870 --> 00:01:03,340 Speaker 2: own interests, but rather to the interests of others. Philippians 2, 3-4, 11 00:01:03,350 --> 00:01:10,600 Speaker 2: CSB In his epistle to the Church of Philippi, Paul 12 00:01:10,700 --> 00:01:14,459 Speaker 2: urges fellow believers to be united in spirit with one another. 13 00:01:15,040 --> 00:01:19,039 Speaker 2: Philippians 2.2. He wanted everyone to be on the same 14 00:01:19,100 --> 00:01:21,610 Speaker 2: page with what they believed and how they lived as 15 00:01:21,670 --> 00:01:24,950 Speaker 2: Christ followers. He goes on to say that such a 16 00:01:25,010 --> 00:01:28,690 Speaker 2: life is lived by esteeming others as more important than ourselves. 17 00:01:29,690 --> 00:01:32,550 Speaker 2: Don't look to what brings you the most glory. Do 18 00:01:32,830 --> 00:01:36,789 Speaker 2: what benefits others. We hear the same sentiment preached in 19 00:01:36,810 --> 00:01:40,610 Speaker 2: church today. But how many of us live this out? 20 00:01:42,440 --> 00:01:45,459 Speaker 2: While our pastors talk about loving our neighbors, building the 21 00:01:45,500 --> 00:01:49,059 Speaker 2: church up from within, and sharing the gospel with non-believers, 22 00:01:49,760 --> 00:01:52,660 Speaker 2: we don't often seem to be in the same accord. 23 00:01:53,860 --> 00:01:57,940 Speaker 2: Even if we do these things, our motivations are sometimes selfish. 24 00:01:58,640 --> 00:02:03,470 Speaker 2: We should be prioritizing others, but really, we're interested in ourselves. 25 00:02:04,970 --> 00:02:08,399 Speaker 2: I've heard other believers say things like, I enjoy hearing 26 00:02:08,440 --> 00:02:11,840 Speaker 2: myself talk. Or claim they don't have time to hang 27 00:02:11,880 --> 00:02:16,480 Speaker 2: out with other Christians. Then suddenly, they're dating someone, which 28 00:02:16,540 --> 00:02:20,399 Speaker 2: requires a lot more time. Or perhaps the only time 29 00:02:20,419 --> 00:02:23,470 Speaker 2: they show genuine interest in you is when you're going 30 00:02:23,510 --> 00:02:29,750 Speaker 2: through a hard time. Otherwise, you're simply not important. Naturally, 31 00:02:29,870 --> 00:02:34,560 Speaker 2: we won't be close to or have deep conversations with everyone. However, 32 00:02:34,810 --> 00:02:40,400 Speaker 2: it's important to consider whether day-to-day relationships, conversations, and actions 33 00:02:40,480 --> 00:02:46,020 Speaker 2: reflect selfish conceit or humility. Perhaps you've had such a 34 00:02:46,060 --> 00:02:49,280 Speaker 2: hard time esteeming others as more important because in our minds, 35 00:02:49,760 --> 00:02:54,040 Speaker 2: no one is more important than ourselves. Pride is often 36 00:02:54,100 --> 00:02:58,060 Speaker 2: called one of the most deadly sins, maybe the most deadly. 37 00:02:58,900 --> 00:03:01,959 Speaker 2: When we start thinking we know best, it becomes a 38 00:03:02,020 --> 00:03:06,840 Speaker 2: gateway for other sins. You might not think of yourself 39 00:03:06,900 --> 00:03:11,100 Speaker 2: as prideful. I generally don't. But if we're being honest, 40 00:03:11,419 --> 00:03:15,400 Speaker 2: we could all be a bit prideful sometimes. C.S. Lewis said, 41 00:03:15,980 --> 00:03:18,160 Speaker 2: There is one vice of which no man in the 42 00:03:18,210 --> 00:03:21,350 Speaker 2: world is free, which everyone in the world loathes when 43 00:03:21,389 --> 00:03:23,830 Speaker 2: he sees it in someone else, and of which hardly 44 00:03:23,970 --> 00:03:28,430 Speaker 2: any people, except Christians, ever imagine that they are guilty themselves. 45 00:03:29,230 --> 00:03:34,220 Speaker 2: Mere Christianity. The sooner we acknowledge this truth, the sooner 46 00:03:34,300 --> 00:03:38,240 Speaker 2: we can change our thinking and get ourselves on one accord. 47 00:03:39,860 --> 00:03:44,990 Speaker 2: Intersecting Faith and Life Most people won't need help identifying 48 00:03:45,040 --> 00:03:48,370 Speaker 2: the major ways pride affects our lives, but who says 49 00:03:48,490 --> 00:03:53,150 Speaker 2: pride can't be subtle? Here are three ways we might 50 00:03:53,190 --> 00:03:57,850 Speaker 2: not even realize. Only Engaging with People Who Are Useful 51 00:03:59,490 --> 00:04:02,330 Speaker 2: One mistake Christians make is only engaging with people at 52 00:04:02,370 --> 00:04:05,860 Speaker 2: church who are useful. This means ignoring others until they 53 00:04:05,900 --> 00:04:09,100 Speaker 2: join your team or become a friend of your friend, etc. 54 00:04:09,940 --> 00:04:12,640 Speaker 2: Don't we all have some measure of importance and worth 55 00:04:12,780 --> 00:04:16,140 Speaker 2: given by God? Why not be open to speaking and 56 00:04:16,180 --> 00:04:19,779 Speaker 2: engaging with people as the norm? For those who don't, 57 00:04:20,020 --> 00:04:23,300 Speaker 2: when you finally decide to interact, you risk making the 58 00:04:23,339 --> 00:04:29,980 Speaker 2: encounter uncomfortable and more than that, disingenuous. Talking as opposed 59 00:04:30,020 --> 00:04:33,440 Speaker 2: to listening. The Bible says to be slow to speak 60 00:04:33,860 --> 00:04:35,820 Speaker 2: Not making time for others. We're probably all guilty of 61 00:04:35,839 --> 00:04:37,760 Speaker 2: using the phrase, I haven't had the time. But if 62 00:04:37,779 --> 00:04:40,640 Speaker 2: we took time to consider what that statement means, we'd 63 00:04:40,740 --> 00:05:05,180 Speaker 2: say something else instead. Everyone is given the same amount 64 00:05:05,200 --> 00:05:09,520 Speaker 2: of time within a day, 24 hours. However, we all 65 00:05:09,850 --> 00:05:13,650 Speaker 2: use our time differently. The issue is not having enough time, 66 00:05:14,089 --> 00:05:18,150 Speaker 2: but rather priority. What's important and what's not? Or at 67 00:05:18,190 --> 00:05:22,690 Speaker 2: the very least, what is most important? We prioritize what 68 00:05:22,710 --> 00:05:26,909 Speaker 2: we value most. Therefore, we should stop telling people we 69 00:05:26,950 --> 00:05:29,390 Speaker 2: don't have time to do that favor, read that book, 70 00:05:29,750 --> 00:05:33,060 Speaker 2: or do that thing. We simply haven't made the time yet. 71 00:05:33,710 --> 00:05:37,570 Speaker 2: That's the honest answer. And the sooner we can be 72 00:05:37,630 --> 00:05:41,370 Speaker 2: more honest, the sooner we can stop pride from stifling 73 00:05:41,630 --> 00:05:45,770 Speaker 2: our callings. Thanks for listening to today's devotional. If you 74 00:05:45,790 --> 00:05:47,750 Speaker 2: liked what you heard. 75 00:05:47,630 --> 00:06:04,890 Speaker 1: Today, We want to make sure you know about our 76 00:06:04,950 --> 00:06:09,010 Speaker 1: sister podcast, Your Daily Prayer. When you follow Your Daily 77 00:06:09,050 --> 00:06:12,330 Speaker 1: Prayer in your favorite podcast app, you'll get a brand 78 00:06:12,370 --> 00:06:15,710 Speaker 1: new prayer and devotional each day so your days begin 79 00:06:15,870 --> 00:06:19,130 Speaker 1: in conversation with God. 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