The “before and after” videos of Constantinople, showing its architectural beauty and social and economic power on one hand, and then its fall by the Turks in 1493 should dispel the idea people hold that the glory of any city or country continues indefinitely. Proverbs 15…”The Lord will destroy the house of the proud.” That is why hyper patriotic fervor is not a virtue. When our current president, whom I voted for 3 times, blathers on about the “golden age” of America, I feel a nauseas stir in my stomach, thinking back about the lessons of history I learned as a schoolboy. And God’s word rightly warns us that the sin of pride, not to be confused with confidence, leads to a thought life which relies on self and excludes real devotion to God’s sovereignty in the affairs of men. He pulls down nations, and lifts up others. We do Him no honor by wearing a proud look and viewing our blessings like Nebuchadnezzar, “All this I have done.” To rob God of His glory is like the spoiled and dependent child of a benevolent and just father and mother who sets out to prove he or she is not only entitled, but better than the parents whose Providence made their comforts possible. When my wife and daughter and I went abroad to Italy for a once in a lifetime trip, the art and architecture of Rome, the ruins of former palaces and walled cities, set along the Mediterranean coast were visually awesome, yet they were the remnants of what was once the pinnacle of Western civilization. When we see such structures and view the collapsed and decaying walls of these structures, we should receive the lesson that nothing is permanent except the word of God. As humans, we create, we build, we must do these things, but once we add excessive pride to our accomplishments, we are drawing away from God and placing ourselves as the architects of our own destiny. Soli Deo Gloria
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The “before and after” videos of Constantinople, showing its architectural beauty and social and economic power on one hand, and then its fall by the Turks in 1493 should dispel the idea people hold that the glory of any city or country continues indefinitely. Proverbs 15…”The Lord will destroy the house of the proud.” That is why hyper patriotic fervor is not a virtue. When our current president, whom I voted for 3 times, blathers on about the “golden age” of America, I feel a nauseas stir in my stomach, thinking back about the lessons of history I learned as a schoolboy. And God’s word rightly warns us that the sin of pride, not to be confused with confidence, leads to a thought life which relies on self and excludes real devotion to God’s sovereignty in the affairs of men. He pulls down nations, and lifts up others. We do Him no honor by wearing a proud look and viewing our blessings like Nebuchadnezzar, “All this I have done.” To rob God of His glory is like the spoiled and dependent child of a benevolent and just father and mother who sets out to prove he or she is not only entitled, but better than the parents whose Providence made their comforts possible. When my wife and daughter and I went abroad to Italy for a once in a lifetime trip, the art and architecture of Rome, the ruins of former palaces and walled cities, set along the Mediterranean coast were visually awesome, yet they were the remnants of what was once the pinnacle of Western civilization. When we see such structures and view the collapsed and decaying walls of these structures, we should receive the lesson that nothing is permanent except the word of God. As humans, we create, we build, we must do these things, but once we add excessive pride to our accomplishments, we are drawing away from God and placing ourselves as the architects of our own destiny. Soli Deo Gloria
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