My Fleshly Root of Pride

My brother had a problem
That I thought I was above,
And had a reputation
That he wasn't too proud of,

And instead of just rejoicing that
He's better than he's been,
I let my heart get focused on
my brother's former sin.

So, I was self-exalted,
And approved the reasons why
I'd put my brother down so low,
And myself up so high.

But, what I did not realize
In my self-exalted place,
Was that my pride had made my heart
Resistant to God's grace.

And then, when my temptation came,
It got the best of me,
Because the ebb of grace exposed
My vulnerability.

Then, with my sinfulness revealed,
My spirit was contrite,
And I humbly cried to God
To set my heart aright.

And that's when God revealed to me
My fleshly root of pride-
My scornful criticism of
My brother had implied

That I believed that my success
Was all because of me,
Based on my free-will choices
And responsibility.

And gave the cross and blood of Christ
A secondary place,
By thinking that the power was
In my free-will, not grace.

That's when the Lord forced me to look
On lost humanity,
And comprehend that, without Him,
How very lost I'd be.

For, without God's intervention,
Many live and die,
And never have one thought of Him.
There, but for grace, go I.

For only grace, and grace alone
Has kept me out of sin,
For Sovereign Grace forbids me go
Where other souls have been.

So with that humbling thought in mind,
How can I judge another?
I found I could no longer look
With scorn upon my brother.

And seeing how the Blood of Christ
Has bought us both forgiveness,
The sin my brother used to do
Is just none of my business.

May 15, 2013

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