Seeds For Thinking

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

Scripture: Jesus said, “For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly.” Mark 7:21-22 NIV
Oh wad some power the giftie gie us
To see oursels as others see us!
It wad frae monie a blunder free us,
An' foolish notion.
--Robert Burns

It is said that Scotch poet, Robert Burns, wrote about “seeing ourselves as others see us,” after watching a louse crawl up the back of a lady sitting in front of him in church. She was decked out in the latest fashion, including a large hat with a feather plume in it. Quite proud of her appearance, no doubt!
Puffed-up pride has been around as long as there have been people. Cain’s pride got him in trouble, and so on through history. Proverbs 16:18 notes that “pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”
We need to have a certain amount of pride in ourselves, but of a humble sort, rather than haughty pride. A Greek axiom was “Know Thyself.” We need to be knowledgeable of our capabilities, but also our limitations. One of the most destructive traps is the pride that prevents us from admitting that we are wrong, or that we don’t know the answer.
As “Bobbie” Burns observed, “It would from many a blunder free us, and foolish notion.”
One comedy routine went something like this:
1st: “Only fools are positive!”
2nd: “Are you sure of that?”
1st: “Positive!”
Daniel observed that King Nebuchadnezzar was deposed from his royal throne and stripped of his glory because his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride. (Daniel 5:20)
Jesus included pride (arrogance) as one of the things that makes a man unclean. From within, out of men’s hearts, come evils that make a person ‘unclean’. (Mark 7:21-22)
January 7, 2001