The Nature and Marks of Spiritual Pride
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Jonathan Edwards: “The spiritually proud man is full of light already; he don’t need instruction, and is ready to despise the offer of it.” - Nick Batzig
The Dunning-Kruger effect: Maybe unskilled people know they're unskilled, but nearly everyone believes they're above average.
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“The Dunning and Kruger experiment did find a real effect – most people think they are better than average. But according to my team’s work, that is all Dunning and Kruger showed.” - The Conversation
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Why We Shouldn’t Gloat When Leaders Fall
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“there’s a difference between gloating, that is, rejoicing at the misfortune of others, and rejoicing at God overcoming evil.” - TGC
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On Being the Main Character in Your Own Sermon
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“…if you’ve ever led as much as a single Bible study, then I expect you know the temptation. I expect you have longed to make much of Jesus, but have also felt the desire to have people make much of you.” - Challies
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On Shamelessness: In a performative age, brazenness gives an illusion of strength.
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“In the short run, shamelessness works. Eventually, though, one must stand before God—naked and unable to fight one’s own conscience with bravado.” - CToday
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The DNA of a Diotrephes, Part 2
Read Part 1.
5. Those with the DNA of Diotrephes are a divisive presence in the Body of Christ.
Since Diotrephes always had to be first, the interest of unity in Christ took a back seat to his desire for preeminence. Mark it down, when our agenda usurps the greater good of the Body of Christ, we inevitably end up causing great harm to the unity of God’s people.
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The DNA of a Diotrephes, Part 1
Growing up, I never knew my biological father and was totally clueless about my paternal bloodline. Scientists can match with 99 percent accuracy a person’s DNA with others with the same genetic ancestry. So, for roughly $90, I mailed my saliva to a DNA testing place. I learned I am 40 percent British and 33 percent Irish, with the rest being mostly eastern European. It was amazing to find out who I really am, at least from a physical and historical standpoint.
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5 Questions to Help Guard Against Selfish Ambition in Ministry
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“1. Is my desire for gospel fruitfulness driven by a desire to exalt Christ’s name or my own?” - F&T
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“We may sin in many different ways, but it’s impossible to sin without being prideful.”
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“If we’re going to help our people, we pastors must cultivate humility. We need to grow in our Christlikeness to help others do the same. So how do we do it? Here are a few ways to cultivate humility in ministry.” - 9 Marks
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“We default to thinking so well of ourselves it can be difficult to think God might not think quite so highly of us.”
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“Third, pride can mean the kind of smugness identified often in our culture as arrogance, or braggadocio—a self-preoccupation that’s either insensitive to others or simply doesn’t care. Often relatively benign, in its more egregious forms it’s abrasive and even oppressive.” - Pastors & the Battle Against Pride
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