This past Sunday I preached on Naaman, whose story is told in 2 Kings 5. He’s the powerful military commander who had favor with the King…but at the same time he had leprosy. Isn’t life like that? You can be at the height of your career or ministry…You can be killing it (in a positive sense : ) in every area, but there’s always that one area that’s a real challenge…that one thing (or person) you can’t control. Paul called his a “thorn in the flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:7) and you can call them whatever you want, the reality is, they keep us humble, they keep us on our knees, trusting God.

It really seems like there is nothing more destructive than pride. Unfortunately, it’s easy to slip into an attitude where we’re a little too fond of our own ideas, looks, position, accomplishments, etc. The Bible says in Proverbs 11:2 that pride leads to disgrace. Ultimately, an inflated view of ourselves will bring us down. One translation of Proverbs 11:2 says…Pride leads to disgrace… When you study the Bible, its pretty clear that humility isn’t a spiritual gift or something that God gives us. Its something we cultivate ourselves. James 4:10 says, “Humble yourselves…” Someone asked me between services on Sunday how to tell the difference between confidence and pride. I thought it was a great question. Naaman shows us how. He listened to the people in his life. First it was the maid, the young Israelite who served Naaman’s wife. She first suggested that he should go see the prophet. Then he listened to his own master, the King of Aram, who influenced him to go for it. Even when he was offended by what Elisha suggested he should do, he ultimately listened to the men around him who pleaded with him to do what Elisha said. I think his life is a lesson for all leaders. You can’t let everyone into your world, but you’ve got to let in some people. It’s dangerous in every way when we turn up the volume of what we want in order to drown out the voices of the people who love us and want God’s best for us.

Proverbs 13:10 - Pride leads to conflict; those who take advice are wise.