If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! (1 Cor. 10:12)
Once I was trying to get something just above my reach. Instead of going to get a ladder, I decided to stand on a nearby bucket to gain height. But the ground wasn’t level, and as I stood on the bucket and reached over my head, the bucket tipped. Trying to regain my balance, I fell and landed on my back right on top of the bucket. I was sore for a few days and thankful that my self-assuredness didn’t lead to serious injury.
After reminding his Corinthian readers about the early Israelites’ foolishness that caused them to die in the wilderness before reaching the promised land, Paul warned them not to be self-assured about their own holiness. If they thought they couldn’t possibly stumble or be wrong, then they were setting themselves up for an embarrassing and possibly devastating fall.
We live in an age where it’s no longer surprising to hear of religious leaders being exposed in their sin. The antidote, Paul said, is to always exercise humility before God and others. It might be tempting to think that we always get it right, never make mistakes, and always understand and apply the Bible perfectly. We might think we’re incapable of falling into sin and hurting other people. A more holy way, though, is to cultivate an attitude of humility and to let Christ’s Spirit guide us.
Remember to seek and trust Christ’s Spirit in you.
Kevin R. Scott is a pastor, author of ReCreatable: How God Heals the Brokenness of Life, and editor for Wesleyan Publishing House. He lives with his family in middle Tennessee.
© 2022 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
