SuzanneK

When we attribute success to our own “wonderfulness” a process begins – – a moving away from God begins. It can happen so quickly and so silently as to not be comprehended until the road back to Him becomes very arduous – – heartbreaking at times. This, for me, is nothing to play around with. I must give thanks to my God in everything great or small. I must give Him every drop of Glory all along the way because, in reality, it all belongs to Him. I need Him close to me. He is my all in all.

I think that pride versus humility is a picture of the old nature without Christ versus the new creature in Christ. True humility without Christ is impossible to achieve, yet we will still struggle with our old nature as long as we are flesh. Virtues flow from humility because it is from Jesus. Vices flow from pride because it is from our fallen state.

To love God with all my heart, and all my soul, and all my mind is to give myself completely to Him. If I do that (I have to do it fresh every morning) I am able to also love my neighbor as I do myself. A low self-focus requires that I give myself over to God every day, leaning on Him and trusting Him to meet my needs and guide my path, in order to achieve a high other–focus — Once I reach that point of submission to God’s love and care, am set free to focus on the needs of my neighbor without the thought of “what’s in this for me”?