Devotion's by Deborah

Devotion 2-21-24, Psalm 138:6 NLT- "Though the Lord is great, he cares for the humble, but he keeps his distance from the proud." The Creator of everything, God, the Lord of the Angel armies, Emanuel – God With us, "cares for the humble." Amazing! He knows each of us intimately and loves each of us unendingly. He knows our names. God seeks an intimate relationship with each of us just as we seek intimate relationships with other humans. The difference is He already knows each of our hearts. He knows our innermost secrets. He knows and still cares! When Jesus began His earthly ministry, He demonstrated the truth of this verse. He was concerned for the spiritual state of all; but there were some from whom He kept His distance. Jesus chose to approach the sinners, those that many shunned. He was accused of this and did not deny it. He chose those who knew they needed God. He hung out with tax collectors, harlots, and other notorious sinners. However, the elite of society, those proud people, so sure of their righteousness, where the people Jesus avoided or criticized. He snubbed prideful sinners. Their pride was their stumbling block. They were blind to their sin and need for God. The religious elite were the worst. They had convinced themselves they were good because they were rule-followers. The rules excluded them from relationship. The rules puffed them up with pride. The Apostle Paul, a real rule follower, stated, in the end, he was the worst sinner of all. Jesus had to knock him down to get his attention! Where are you on the pride vs. humility scale? Any pride that pushes God away endangers your relationship. Take an assessment of your heart; be honest about your potential for sin. Humble yourself and God will immediately draw close to you!