AND IT WAS GOOD

And It Was Good



God made all sorts of wild animals,

livestock, and small animals,

each able to produce offspring of the same kind.

And God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:25



This week I heard a very interesting word used in a negative way. That word is PRIDE. Proverbs 21:4 calls pride, sin. In Proverbs 8:12, Solomon refers to pride as something that is the opposite of the fear of the Lord. In fact, he says we should hate pride. Pride is defined as “an overly high opinion of oneself; exaggerated self-esteem or arrogance.”



When we first think about pride, we rightfully acknowledge its negative aspect. When it comes to leading in worship, there is no place for arrogance or flaunting ourselves. But is there a positive aspect of pride? I believe there is. In fact, it is that positive aspect that we are singing about in the Call to Worship this Sunday. “I will boast in the Lord my God, I will boast in the One who’s worthy.” Our worth, our value, our pride, comes only through the Lord Jesus Christ. If we are ever prideful, it should be in the things of God. For example, I am proud of our worship choir and orchestra. I am proud not because of what I have accomplished or what you have accomplished, but because of your humble attitude and your effort that brings glory to God. What I don’t want is for anyone to be justified in saying we are prideful because of our abilities. If we do, in fact, possess great talents and abilities, we should never forget that those talents and abilities were given to us by the Lord when He created us.



Consistent self-examination is a God-honoring exercise and it is my confession that my heart is full of humility as I approach the ministry of leading in worship. With that said, I believe it is our responsibility to bring our best each and every Sunday. God expects nothing less. This is not pride, but obedience. Let me explain: when I was young, I was told that God had given me the ability to sing. I did everything in my power to develop that gift and not waste it. That’s not pride, but simply being a good steward of what the Lord has given me. When I lead in worship, I am not doing it for show or out of pride, quite the contrary. I am humbly coming before the Lord and offering Him the best gift I can possibly give and laying it at His feet to use as He sees fit.



I pray that none of us will come to worship with a prideful spirit. May we come to worship broken before the Lord, offering to Him everything we are and everything we have. When we come to Him with that type of offering, I know that God looks at it and says, “It is good.”



In Humility,

Aaron Hodges