“See, the enemy is puffed up;
his desires are not upright—
but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness – Habakkuk 2:4 (NIV)
Have you noticed how easy in life it can be to rely on yourself? You might think, if I work hard enough, I’ll get into the college I want. Or perhaps, if I practice my instrument enough, I’ll be able to get a solo in the school band concert. Sometimes, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that in life, it’s all about me. And feel like you’ve got to do it all in your own strength.
Now, as a caution, the Bible teaches about working hard and doing all things to the glory of God. So what is being discussed today isn’t saying that you shouldn’t work hard. Rather, you shouldn’t put confidence in your efforts. That’s being full of pride.
Pride looks to itself. Faith looks to God.
That’s the message of today’s Bible verse. We want to look to God. We want to read His word and get His input in the decisions we make and in the things that we do. Faith says I’m going to follow after God, no matter what it costs me, and I know that God will come through.
Pride says, it’s up to me, my strength, and my ability.
Part of living the Christian life is letting go of pride. It’s realizing there is nothing I can do to earn God’s love and living by faith knowing that you’ve been made righteous in God’s sight.
Today, challenge yourself to live by faith. Choose to go after the things of God. Choose to make God’s word the number one priority in your life and live according to it and not according to your ideas and efforts.
