Devotion:
God is love, so when we read what God hates and what God detests, we need to pay close attention! In our reading for today, we see a common theme…God hates arrogance, pride, and haughtiness. God loves humility of spirit. As we learn to do a new thing, we often lack confidence. We listen carefully to instructions, and we watch closely as someone skilled in this new thing shows us how to do it. Then we begin to get it, and our confidence grows. We may even get very good at this new thing; and as we realize that, the danger arises. We may notice that we are better at this than others, and we become prideful and haughty, the very traits that our God of love hates!
There is such a fine line between the healthy confidence that allows us to accomplish our work without fear and a spirit of arrogance. When I think back on times when I am aware that I have behaved or spoken arrogantly, I realize that I didn’t know then how much I didn’t know. There is always more to learn, higher levels of skill to attain, and more work to be done. Realizing this helps us to remain humble and to thank God for whatever we may accomplish.
Personal Worship Option:
Very few, if any, of us set out to be arrogant, prideful, or haughty. Pray for discernment and self-awareness that will help us to see where we may be speaking or acting in these ways. Finally, pray for a genuine spirit of humility.
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