Elevated vs Exalted

The other day I was watching television and one of those ‘feel good’ commercials came on. The ones where people are willing to lend a helping hand to their fellow man, where they strive for a clean drinking water, abundant health care in places where its desperately needed and a conscientious approach to our effect on the environment.
How could one ever argue with these issues and the need for us all to get along better?

….but something is missing.

Often times we read Scripture from such a comfort zone that it becomes very easy to paint mental pictures that may very well distort the reality of what took place. Think about the Tower of Babel story: Because we know that God confounded the languages and divided the people, it’s quite likely that we see these people as evil and deserving of this dispersing as punishment. We may even see them as bad people actively rebelling against God. However, the account in Genesis 11 says nothing to that effect. What you see is a people, looking to unify and (literally) elevate themselves. It’s entirely possible that their world looked a lot like the commercial I mentioned.

God created us for His pleasure.

Psalm 100:3 Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Keeping this in mind, even if we venture out into what could be considered ‘honorable’ endeavors, if we’re doing them in our own strength and for ourselves without God – the efforts, being Godless, are still basically evil.

It seems that much of the world today is striving for better. Government and politics are becoming more dismissive of God at an increasingly alarming rate – but it’s doing so under the guise of elevation.
Human elevation.
We’re collectively trying to provide for our own needs using our own efforts. But wait? Shouldn’t striving for better be something commendable in God’s eyes? Yes, but God does have a plan for our prosperity.
God, as a loving Father, indeed has a plan to benefit you, to give you reason to rejoice, and this rejoicing will be proper and without reproach or sense of pride that tends to derail things down the line. People who believe they are able to rejoice in themselves can only do so if they, in some way, are promoting a self-reliance and ability….a self-glory if you will. When you see this properly, it’s not hard to understand why it becomes an issue.

Here’s The Word;

Daniel 5:2(Speaking of the Babylonian King, Nebuchadnezzar) But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him:

Luke 14:11 For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

One could easily argue that the sin that "started it all" was the one where Lucifer became impressed with himself; when he got a glimpse of his own glory.

Trust that the Lord's ways are right and that God protecting us from our self-pride is as merciful an act as we could ever pray for. Everything simply works out all the better if God receives all the glory.

Here's The Word;

2 Corinthians 10:5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Jeremiah 4:2 And thou shalt swear, The Lord liveth, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.

2 Corinthians 10:17 But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

In closing, my only point is – Keep a discerning eye (and ear) open. These days ARE evil but often times they don’t look like the evil you’d expect. It’s become so well disguised that you’d actually look foolish to deny the intrinsic “good” embedded in their promotion. Know the truth of the Word and give God the glory. Know the difference between elevating and exalting.


In Him,
Cros