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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Saturday, July 19, 2003

EXPRESSIONS OF FAITH
Park pride and walk with God

Park pride and walk with God "Swallow your pride — it's not poison."

— Bob Dylan

By John Wesley Nakao

Why do you think the majority of us will never enter into a personal relationship with the true God who created each of us?

The answer is scriptural and obvious: Although God wants a friendship with us even more than we do, he has given us the freedom to choose this relationship.

My observation as a Christian for many years and as a hospital chaplain over several years is that people reject friendship with God for two reasons:

  • Even the humblest of us is often fed by a subdued yet immense pride in ourselves. Our knowledge, education, achievements and need to be in control become our fortress, shutting God's voice out.
  • More rarely, people from different cultures may not have had exposure to the truth of a personal relationship with God.

Why do we choose to be separated from God's direction and love to do, instead, our own thing?

The truth is that most of us would rather do our own thing. Once glorified angels in heaven, Satan and his demons were cast to earth, now sowing seeds of greed, lust, power and pride. Those result in crops of war, disease, crime and death to those intent on doing it their way.

Shakespeare observed: "I charge thee, fling away ambition. By that sin fell the angels."

You have only to read the daily news and the Bible to know indeed that evil is real. Evil comes from the "father of lies" the devil, who comes to steal, kill and destroy us.

On occasion, I encounter terminally ill patients who do not want to be prayed for or to learn of God's love and plan for their lives. Many have self-designed a seemingly better plan for eternal life. In so doing, they have not met God for who he is or in the manner he has prescribed but have vainly fashioned a god of their imagination. We can be sincere and be sincerely wrong, so humbly search for God with all of your heart. He promises to honor your faith with his presence in your life!

Pride is a life-killer, unnecessarily creating rivalries, jealousy, strangling relationships, making us self-centered, unforgiving and unteachable. Pride blinds us from seeing ourselves as imperfect, self-focused souls and God as the Savior from our sins.

James 4:6,10 advises, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. ... Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will lift you up."

Don't let your pride separate you from a life-changing personal and eternal relationship with God.

John Wesley Nakao is a volunteer chaplain at Pali Momi Medical Center and a member of New Hope Christian Fellowship. Expressions of Faith is a column that welcomes submissions from pastors, priests, lay workers and other leaders in faith and spirituality. E-mail faith@honoluluadvertiser.com or call 525-8035. Articles submitted to The Advertiser may be published or distributed in print, electronic or other forms.