Irvin Wasswa- Tylertown Campus Pastor LHBC
Obadiah 2-4
2 Behold, I will make you small among the nations;
you shall be utterly despised.
3 The pride of your heart has deceived you,
you who live in the clefts of the rock,
in your lofty dwelling,
who say in your heart,
“Who will bring me down to the ground?”
4 Though you soar aloft like the eagle,
though your nest is set among the stars,
from there I will bring you down,
declares the Lord.
A few months ago I found myself having getting a taste of that good ol’ humble pie. You ever tasted that before? It for sure is my least favorite of the pies but I got a big ol’ taste of it. Here is what happened: I was at the basketball court with some friends and up to that day I was playing really well. I felt untouchable. I was handing out losses to individuals and teams left and right! I honestly didn’t think at that time anyone from the gym could beat me and I let my friends know that too. Well one of my friends there challenged me to a game of one on one and so we played. Honestly I thought it was going to be an easy win for me. Well, I was DEAD wrong. He beat me two games in a row AND in one of the games I rolled my ankle really bad on a move he made on me to score a point. I was so embarrassed as a hobbled off the court in humiliation after the games. My pride was so high and my friend quickly humbled me big time that day.
The book of Obadiah is shortest is book in the whole entire bible yet it packs a major punch. The book portrays a prophet by the name of Obadiah speaking the word of the Lord to the people from the land of Edom. The word Obadiah was supposed to bring was that of judgment to the people. Why? Because the people of Edom were a people of sheer arrogance. Here’s the deal, they were a people who thought they didn’t need God. They were living large in nice homes up in the mountains, in fortified locations where they could essentially protect themselves from harm. They thought so highly of themselves, they said statements such as “ Who will bring me down to the ground?” They truly felt as though they were untouchable. They learned quickly though that they were not higher than the Lord and they experienced a slice of humble pie from him.
Proverbs 16:18 tells us this: Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall. The reality is as followers of Jesus, we have to guard ourselves from falling into the same pride trap as the people of Edom fell into here in Obadiah. If we are not careful we can easily find ourselves praising what we have accomplished, accumulated and attained instead of praising the Lord. When we choose to boast on about ourselves and what we possess, what we are saying is that we do not need God. When we find ourselves in that place, destruction swiftly follows.
May we as Christians choose to be people of humility. The truth of the matter is the Lord is the one who has provided us with the gifts and abilities to work where we work. He is the one who has provided you with that house, that car, those kids, that life. No matter the successes, no matter the resources, our response ought to be, to Him be the glory. At the end of the day, we absolutely need God. Though American culture may teach that God is a crutch and we can be self-sufficient beings, don’t buy into that lie and instead choose to cling to God. John 15 tells us that apart from Jesus we are nothing. We are unable to live this Christian life without Him so understand that we need Him.
This morning, choose to be humble! Lay aside the pride that may be plaguing your life and make the choice to humble yourself before the Lord, yielding your life to Him in surrender every single day.
James 4:10: Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
PRAYER FOR TODAY: Dear Heavenly Father Lord, thank you for your many great gifts. Help me to see that who I am and what I have possessed is a gift from You. I choose to lay down my pride at your feet and humble myself before you. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK:
Joel 2:25
I will restore to you the years
that the swarming locust has eaten,
the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter,
my great army, which I sent among you.