Daily Devotion

Talk About Embarrassing

Daniel 4:37.  ”I . . . praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he able to humble."           ..........Pride.......    What was your most embarrassing moment? Was it the time you realized your pant leg was stuck in your sock right after you did your speech in English class? Was it when a friend mentioned that your fly was open as you walked away from a conversation with the cutest girl in the whole school? Was it when you had the biggest zit in your life when you went to meat your boyfriend/girlfriends parents for the first time and didn't realize it until you were home?    Mine came when I was 26 yrs old! I went over to our newest pastors house for dinner one night to get to know them better. My wife was out of town so I was flying solo. It was a wed night I believe, and all that week I was eating a bunch of spicy food and my stomach was a little weak. All was going well, we were having a good time after we ate and then it happened..... A huge growl in my stomach, then a little pressure, and before I knew it I was running to the bathroom to drop a huge one. And did I ever, so bad that when I went to flush it wouldn't. All I saw the water rising and refusing to stop. It was like slow motion, I couldn't do anything but watch in complete horror as the water AND EVERYTHING IN IT came out onto the floor. Yes it was horrible, thankfully Jake and Kim were good sports and just laughed it off (I know on the inside they were throwing up) and I quickly cleaned it up.    We've all had experiences like these (well not all like mine), times when we looked foolish and wished we could borrow Frodo's ring and disappear from sight. Imagine how embarrassed you would be if you were king of the greatest country on earth and woke up one morning to find that you had been living in the fields with the cows for seven years? King Nebuchadnezzar lost his mind because he took credit for the ways God had blessed him. One day he was walking on the roof of his palace surveying the beautiful and prosperous city of Babylon. It truly was impressive, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The problem was that Nebuchadnezzar thought it was all his doing. He said, "Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?" (Daniel 4:30)    The first thing Nebuchadnezzar did when God restored his sanity was to raise his eyes to heaven and praise the Most High God. He had learned the hard way that "pride goes before a fall, but God exalts the humble." (1 Peter 5:5)    God probably won't turn us into a lunatic if we get too full of ourselves (he will just make you take a huge crap at your pastors house only to have it not go down...lol). But, he may allow us to suffer one of those embarrassing moments. We must give God the credit he deserves for our talents and successes. He created us for his glory. He rescued us from Satan's power. And, he blesses us with success over and over. Rather than bragging on ourselves like King Nebuchadnezzar, we should praise and glorify him for what he enables us to accomplish. Then, he can bless us with even more opportunities for success because he knows we won't get all puffed up with pride.   Today’s Prayer:                                                                                                                                                                      Dear Father, thank you for all the talents and abilities you have given me. Thank you for blessing me with success. Please help me reflect any praise that comes my way back to you instead of allowing it to make me proud. Amen.