Resources/Articles
Full of Yourself
God sends no one away empty
except those who are full of themselves.
Dwight Moody
The words in the quote above characterize what happened when the ruler heard Jesus say He should sell all He had, give it to the poor, and come follow Him. The reason he and so many go away empty is because of pride. Pride feeds on itself. It can grow in a heart without being sustained by the praise or admiration of others.
The faces of pride are: “I want it my way.” “What about me?” “I don’t have to listen to anybody.” “Who cares what you think?” “I have rights, too, you know.” “I don’t need God.”
We usually give pride a name. Proud adults are called “hardheaded,” “hard-nosed,” or “cold-hearted.” Proud children are called “stuck-up,” “snobbish,” “cocky,” “conceited,” or “too-good.” Whether you are a child or an adult, everyone should know, “when pride cometh then cometh shame; but with the lowly is wisdom” (Proverbs 11.2).
Giving in to pride is sure ruin, even though people think it is the way to happiness. Real happiness is the way of humility! Is that a surprise? The scriptures say it best in James 4.10: “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall exalt you.” The greatness of an individual is whether or not he or she can resolve to live as content and be humble servant. It is the way Jesus understood it.
As a humble servant, Jesus did not take upon Himself His “God-given” ability to say, “I will conquer the world.” He came to save man from himself. He gave up Himself (Philippians 2.6-8) to show us what being full of others means. Christ came for us to be “made full” in Him (Colossians 2.10). It is not being “full of yourself” that makes the difference. Just let God fill you with the humble likeness of His Son. That will be your fullness. This fullness means your life will be filled with all manner of good works. You will only have this life in which to accomplish this. It is time to empty yourself of you to be filled with Him.
