John 9:41 Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.”

Proclaiming moral superiority is very dangerous! It’s not that we know nothing or see nothing, but claiming that we know everything or see everything is pure hubris, and even the ancient Greeks recognized that was dangerous indeed. Salvation requires a fundamental humility that we are all too prone to choke on. What tripped up the Pharisees was their elitism, feeling that their academic knowledge of the Torah put them on a higher plain than anyone else. Here, they had just been shown as illogical fools by someone who, since he had been blind from birth, couldn’t even read or write, and they couldn’t stand it. As Paul pointed out, “God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things–and the things that are not–to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.” (1 Corinthians 1:27-29) And the Pharisees loved to boast! They didn’t realize that their very accusations were coaching the man born blind to bring him to the conviction that Jesus was indeed from God, so that when Jesus revealed Himself to him, he worshiped. (verse 38) Humility was a big part of what Jesus was talking about when He said that we must become as little children to enter heaven. (Matthew 18:3-4) We are far better off being like this illiterate man born blind than having a list of academic degrees and not knowing our Creator personally.

As I write frequently, I have really struggled with pride, and I’m not through with it. Now I’m in danger of being proud that I’m humble! I have learned, to my deep gratitude, that God can and does speak to and through me, and I have also learned the danger of pretending I’ve heard from Him when I haven’t. I’m not to discount what He does, but I’ve got to remember that on my own I can do nothing, just as even Jesus said. (John 5:30) Recently I have been hearing and feeling a push to write my own autobiography, which I have resisted to this point. In the night last night I feel the Lord gave me what I should express in the forward, to make it clear that it is a testimony of God’s grace and mercy. I have nothing that I’ve earned, really, but God has been extremely gracious to me and I want to give Him glory by expressing it for others to read. To go back to the Pharisees here, I hope I at least know that I’m blind!

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me indeed follow through to do what You want me to do when You want me to do it. May the gift for words that You’ve given me be exercised exactly as You intend, building up the Body of Christ and You glory alone. Thank You. Praise God!