LOOK TO THE LORD, NOT SELF

Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. —I Chronicles 16:11

For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the Lord made the heavens. —I Chronicles 16:26

Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. —Romans 1:28

In his pride the wicked man does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God… He says to himself, “Nothing will ever shake me.” —Psalms 10:4, 6

             Pride… the letter “I” is right in the middle of the word and that is what pride is— “I.”  Pride is when the person thinks they are the most important, that their decisions are what matters, that their ideas are the best, that they are the center of the universe.  They surely do not look to the Lord, they do not seek His strength, but live in their own.  They definitely do not seek His face.

             Pride leads to idolatry.  Idolatry is anything that takes away from our Lord being top priority in one’s life.  Idolatry is destructive.  It doesn’t take much observance to see all the wickedness in our world.  The wicked exists to suppress the truth (Romans 1:18).  How unfortunate that, instead of looking to the Lord Who made the heavens, people would rather “not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God.”  So, “In his pride the wicked man does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God… He says to himself, “Nothing will ever shake me.”   Yes, this is the prideful man thinks, but what is the result of this choice? 

“God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy.  Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.” —Romans 1:28-32

             Let the prideful person make their choices.  As for me, my desire is to “Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.”  And, Dear Father, may this be so by the power of Your Holy Spirit and in the authority of Your Son Jesus.  All praise, glory and honor is Yours now and forevermore. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqWYSyDZYIg&list=RDEqWYSyDZYIg&start_radio=1