Beautiful Word Devotional #306

Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

Galatians 5:26

To be conceited is to be smug about your abilities and accomplishments, pridefully ignoring the fact that God gave you those abilities and enabled all your accomplishments.

Paul warned the Galatians that such conceit can lead to other bad behavior that hurts other people and, inevitably, hurts us.

For instance, when we are self-centered and pleased with ourselves, we can see others as rivals and even as threats to our happiness. Often that perspective prompts us to provoke others and put them down in order to make ourselves feel better.

Conceit can also make us give in to the green monster of envy. Rather than choosing satisfaction and contentment with what God has given us, we allow ourselves to be too aware of what others have. Our joy evaporates because that person has more of something we want.

The opposite of conceit is humility, a Christlike trait that enables us to serve others, live at peace with people, and be happy with our friends’ blessings.

Lord, I’m so grateful for you and for this warning. Work in my heart and help me to choose humility over conceit today, amen.