When I Survey

Blog – “When I Survey” June 11, 2011

“God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ the Messiah, through Whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Gal.6:14).

Our grandson, Sean, is a surveyor. His work takes on-hands training, education and skill. It is an exact skill with no margin for error. If his instruments or his mathematics are even a degree off it could be disastrous in the end results. His team has to take the entire picture into consideration and their computations must be in complete agreement in order to come to the correct resolution to be successful in the final outcome.

When I survey my spiritual landscape I do not use mathematical computations but a close and honest analysis of my heart’s condition. My spiritual topography usually has mountains, valleys, rocks, pits and some smooth plains. As I survey, one of the biggest problems I see in my life is pride.

We have all heard the Proverb which says, “Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Prov.16:18-19). Pride is the most destructive force in our life. God hates the sin of pride (Prov.8:13), and it is what brought Lucifer, the beautiful angel of light, down to his irretrievable fall. Pride is the "flesh" in control and on display (Gal. 6:7,8). It is exerting an independent spirit – independent from a need of anyone’s, even God’s help. Pride is an attitude of “I know best; I am the best and I know all the answers.”

Pride is the inward thoughts of the heart, haughtiness is the outward attitude and actions Psalm 10:4). The end results of both prideful thoughts and prideful actions are falling into certain destructive ways in our life that will bring us to our knees. In our fallen and broken state we come to know that we can do nothing and are nothing without God’s intervention and help in our situation.

None of my character strengths, natural abilities and gifts are of my own doing but all come from the hand of God. It is my prideful heart that would cause us to boast. Only “in the Cross” can I be what God has planned me to be. Only trusting in the work of Jesus’ death on the cross can I overcome my failures, be delivered from sin and walk in God’s wisdom. Nothing comes from me, but everything from God.

When I Survey
Isaac Watts

When I survey the wondrous cross, on which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss, and pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast, save in the death of Christ, my Lord.
All the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice them to His blood.

See, from His head, His hands, His feet, sorrow and love flow mingled down;
Did ever such love and sorrow meet, or thorns compose so rich a crown?