•Editor’s note: “Spiritual leaders answer” is a weekly column inviting Kaua‘i’s religious and spiritual leaders to share their doctrine’s perspective on a suggested subject. Every Friday, a topic is printed, inviting a response. Due to space limitations, submissions are edited.
•Editor’s note: “Spiritual leaders answer” is a weekly column inviting Kaua‘i’s religious and spiritual leaders to share their doctrine’s perspective on a suggested subject. Every Friday, a topic is printed, inviting a response. Due to space limitations, submissions are edited. Thoughts or suggestions for future topics are always welcome. Next week the suggested topic is simplicity. The topic at the end of the column is for the following week.
Kahu James Fung
Lihu‘e Christian Church
The story is told of how a young preacher, smiling, confident, one might even say, prideful — walked into the pulpit to deliver his first sermon. He not only rehearsed but memorized his sermon, word for word, so he didn’t bother to carry any notes with him. That was how sure he was of himself.
He started off okay, but somehow lost his place and couldn’t remember his script. He stuttered and stammered a while but with embarrassment he put his head down and confessed to his congregation that he was sorry, that he was new at this, and said that he would try to do better the next time. Hunched with humility he walked down the stairs of the pulpit to take his seat in the sanctuary.
As he walked by her pew, an older woman, with kindness and wisdom in her tone, said, “That’s okay, young man. You know, if you had gone up the way you came down you would have come down the way you went up.”
The Bible warns us of the folly of pridefulness. We all know the saying “Pride goeth before a fall.” (Proverbs 16: 18) It’s true. When we are full of our self we set ourselves up for embarrassment and even humiliation. How much more wisdom there is in the saying, “Let another praise you, and not your own mouth — a stranger, and not your own lips.” (Proverbs 27:1)
Pastor Wayne Patton
Anahola Baptist Church
The oldest Christmas carol, “The Song of Mary,” recorded in Luke 2, reveals six things God does with His mighty arm. As Mary magnifies God she sings in verse 51 that He (God) has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. This is a challenging verse to us because we all tend toward pride in our inmost thoughts. Sometimes a person can appear to be humble and modest and gracious on the outside, while on the inside he is scheming for position and prominence. Motives are sometimes suspect.
This kind of pride is the very essence of sin. In the case of all those who have received Jesus Christ as Savior, the Lord has forgiven them and is chipping away at their self-centeredness. He is molding them, transforming them, making them more and more focused on Christ and less and less concerned about their own status. God wants to help us swallow our pride. Swallowing pride rarely gives you indigestion according to an old Amish proverb.
The Baha’is of Kaua‘i
Every major religion embraces a form of the Golden Rule which states that we should treat everyone equal to ourselves. Pride, on the other hand, implies an elevation of ourselves above others. Pride can lead to conceit and arrogance which are detrimental to love and unity. Followers of the Baha’i Faith abide by the following counsel: “O ye beloved of the Lord! Commit not that which defileth the limpid stream of love or destroyeth the sweet fragrance of friendship. By the righteousness of the Lord. Ye were created to show love one to another and not perversity and rancour. Take pride not in love for yourselves but in love for your fellow-creatures. Glory not in love for your country, but in love for all mankind. Let your eye be chaste, your hand faithful, your tongue truthful and your heart enlightened.”
Topic for two
weeks from today
• Will you speak to us on stories?
• Spiritual leaders are invited to e-mail responses of three to five paragraphs to pwoolway@kauaipubco.com.
• Deadline each week is 5 p.m. Tuesday.