Pride and Prejudice

He is constantly inviting you further up and further in, to know him better and more deeply–more fully.

There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and destroy.
But you – who are you to judge your neighbor?”

JAMES 4:12

Recently I had the wonderful privilege of opening God’s word with a group from Mt. Gilead Bible Camp. The group is called Kaleb’s Kids and it is a day of worship on the camp grounds for our senior (or seasoned) brothers and sisters. They sing the hymns, offer prayers, and have a message followed by some good fellowship over coffee and goodies. It was an amazing day.

I remember heading to the dining hall for the food and fellowship after chapel and holding the door while some of my spiritual siblings entered. While I was there one lady stops and shakes my hand. “I have to confess my sin,” she said. “You got up there to preach and I said to myself, ‘Okay, what does this kid think he’s going to tell me?’” As that thought crossed her mind, she stood at a crossroad – whether she knew it or not. Either her prejudice would close her ears to God’s message, or she would overcome her prejudice and open her heart – not to what I had to say, but to what God had to say to her.

I am glad to say that this dear woman went on to tell me that as we opened God’s word together the Lord said to her, “This is my word,” and that she was humbled, blessed, and felt compelled to both confess to and encourage me. She overcame her prejudice, but it got me thinking about how crippling our preconceived notions and ideas can be. The apostle Paul instructed Timothy to not allow anyone to think less of him because of his young age. The Sanhedrin stood amazed at the boldness of Peter and John, recognizing them as “ordinary, uneducated men” who should never have been vessels for such a powerful testimony. Nathaniel almost missed a three-year walk with Jesus because “nothing good can come from Nazareth.” Our prejudices can close our hearts to God’s word, which can come to us through any vessel God chooses. In fact,

“God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise;
God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.
He chose the lowly things of the world and the despised things – and the things that are not –
to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.”

(1 Corinthians 1:27-29)

Just because someone is less educated, older, younger, from a big church or a tiny church, is poor or rich, mature in the faith or a new believer, dresses in a more conservative tradition or wears the latest trends, we can assume nothing. Your job is to listen for the Spirit, to “test the spirits to be sure they are from God” (1 John 4:1).

There is another side to this coin, one I find myself struggling with from time to time: Pride. Like king David who hung back in Jerusalem and presumed he was above temptation only to find himself guilty of adultery and murder, we too can think too highly of ourselves and shut out the Spirit’s conviction, instruction, and leading. There have been times where I ceased to listen because I assumed I was mature enough, educated enough, or gifted enough in a certain area. What foolishness! My pride has too often closed my ears to the voice of God, and I have found myself shamed in light of my own ignorance and immaturity. It is not that I think less of anyone else but that I think more highly of myself than I ought. I thank God for his patient, yet firm, correction.

Our growth, development, and refinement are a never-ending process. Any time we encounter God’s word, the testimony of the saints, praise and thanksgiving, or a truth–no matter where it comes from since all truth is of God–we encounter God himself. For you or me to judge God by virtue of our opinion of ourselves, or our perception of the messenger, is a foolish rejection of God. The Lord of all creation is so much bigger than your experiences, understanding, aspirations, and especially your accomplishments. He is constantly inviting you further up and further in, to know him better and more deeply–more fully. Will you allow pride and prejudice to keep you from that intimacy? When we judge ourselves and/or others by our own standard, we find ourselves steeped in sin (completely missing the mark).

As the apostle Paul says,

“I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court;
indeed, I do not even judge myself” (1 Corinthians 4:3).

Our eyes are to be set on and seeking Christ. We are to be attentive to His Holy Spirit. If Jesus truly gives sight to the blind, then we will not be crippled by the appearances and standards of this world. We will simply see God before us in every opportunity. How beautiful is that?