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Envy & Pride in Life & the Church
By jason | March 6, 2008
As I’m reading Stott’s The Cross of Christ I was struck by this amazingly profound quote:
Envy! Envy is the reverse side of a coin called vanity. Nobody is ever envious of others who is first not proud of himself.
Wow. I don’t know that I ever really thought of it like that but I think he has hit the nail right on the head. I think this explains a lot about my own sin proclivities.
Not only that but this tendency toward pride (and I suppose ultimately envy) is precisely why LifeConnection is connected to greater network of churches through the SBC. Is it a perfect network? Not by any stretch. But what I know is we could have a tendency to become an piously and pridefully independent church (look at us, we can do this without you!).
I know too many church planters and existing churches, right now, with this attitude and I don’t want to become puffed up in this kind of way. It’s ironic really because I hear churches talking about their “unique” ministry and it’s something that 20 other churches are doing (pride blinds us doesn’t it?). Not every independent church will have this problem, remember I am talking about my own sin tendencies.
Anyway, Stott masterfully hit the core of the issue in my own life.
Topics: Leadership, Spiritual Growth, Theology |