The Pride of Life

Satan's original sin stemmed from pride-- thinking more highly of himself than he ought to think. And one of the areas in which we are tempted is in the area of the pride of life. We become enamored with our successes, with our talents or abilities. We begin to think that we are special, that we are better than everyone else, that we deserve preferential treatment, that the world revolves around us. We think that others exist to serve us or that we are above the law. That's the pride of life! Satan tempts Jesus in this area by reminding Him of how special He is as the Son of God! Since Jesus is so special, God the Father will not let anything bad happen to Him. So, go ahead and jump! Take that leap of faith and jump off the pinnacle of the temple. Make a spectacular temple entrance and jumpstart your ministry. But Jesus understood that the 'leap of faith' was actually a "lunge of unbelief', for in putting God the Father to the test, Jesus would be expressing His lack of confidence in His Father to care for him. It would also be putting Jesus in a superior position to His Father, making the Father His servant. But jesus instead humbled Himself, refused to presume upon His Father but submitted Himself to His Father's plans and will. So must we if we are to successfully overcome the 'pride of life'.