If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else,
Galatians 6:3,4
The first D has to do with someone who thought that they were great. That they were hot stuff. That they had their stuff all together.
They knew everything.
They knew everyone.
They’d met everyone.
They’ve read everything.
They’d experienced everything.
They knew better than anyone else.
In a word, they were Deceived. They didn’t have a clue about themselves.
They were superior in every way imaginable, and they weren’t shy about telling you and everyone else about it. They’ve been to better places. Ate at better restaurants. Experienced more and better things. They were superior in every part of life. Intellectually. Socially. Morally. Spiritually.
People that think about themselves this way really don’t want the truth. They don’t want to be tested or compared to anyone else. They stand alone. They are unique.
There’s something else about them. They don’t want to be bothered with people who aren’t like them. That don’t look like them. They walk away from people that aren’t as morally and spiritually superior as them.
And this unseen spiritual superiority rubs off onto the world that we can see. They don’t want to be around people that don’t look like them. That don’t dress well like them. That don’t like the same things as them. That don’t hate the same things as them. That don’t smell as good as them.
I’ve met people just like that. I’ve even lived with people just like that. And you know why? I was like that. I was that person. I had to be the smartest person in the room. I was a mobile version of Google on two legs. And I looked down my nose at everyone and everything that didn’t agree with me.
But it didn’t stop there. Oh no. I only associated with people that were are good as me. That lived like me. That lived like me. We are the elite. We are the best. We are the champions[1].
We are the champions, my friends
And we'll keep on fighting till the end
No time for losers
'Cause we are the champions of the World
That’s who Paul’s talking to. People who thought of themselves as champions. They were number one. They were something. More than something, they were something else. They believed that they were morally and spiritually superior to anyone and everyone.
Paul’s pointing to people who are boasting about their own moral and spiritual superiority. They stand up and shout it out for all to hear. There’s nothing shy about them or the way they feel about themselves.
They’ve got a whole bunch of pride in themselves. They’re boasting in everything about themselves. They’re jumping up and down at their superiority. They just about break their arm while patting themselves on the back. They send congratulation cards and emails to themselves, sending copies to the world. They boast and post their accomplishments on social media, liking everything they do and say.
But it doesn’t stop there. Oh no. They also look down on any Christian brother or sister who’s fallen into sin. They’re shocked. Shocked that anyone would be so weak that they’d stumble in their spiritual walk with Jesus.
Yes, they’re deceived. Their feet are firmly planted in the air. But there’s the second D word that’s more descriptive and powerful than the first.
They’re Drowning. Drowning in their own arrogance. Drowning in an over-estimation of themselves. That they can handle anything anymore. The waters of self-righteousness are crashing over them, and they can’t get up.
Eventually, they are pulled down by the undertow of their own self-deception. They run out of breath and can’t get up. They can’t get their heads up to breath.
This, by the way, is a picture of us. You and me both have said the same thing that the younger son said, demanding our share of the estate now[2]. Not willing to help others or wait till the right time. No, in arrogance we demand it right now
We’re all doomed when we deceive ourselves, thinking that we’re good enough. That we can handle it. That we’ve got this. We believe the lie that we’ve got the strength, the knowledge, the insight and wisdom to handle life and whatever it throws at us.
God’s not interested in hearing the two D words, or seeing us trying to live life on our own. No. Just the opposite. The words that God longs to hear are simple, short, and submissive.
God, be merciful and gracious to me, the specially wicked sinner that I am!’
Luke 18:13 AMP
What’s stopping you from saying those words to God right now?
[2] Luke 15:12
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