Pride

Ramazan is in full swing now. We have a nice little drummer boy who comes down our street between 3:30 and 4:00 in the morning to let everyone know that they had better eat something before the sun comes up. Interesting little fact: People here actually gain more weight during the month of Ramazan than any other time of year. How's that for practicing self-control. I have been in a couple of conversations this past week, that really showed me how proud the people are. I try to regularly practice my Turkish with the security guards at my friends apartment. I sat down this past week and I had them explain Ramazan in their own terms. Everyone asked me if I fast. I said yes I have, but it's different from the Muslim fast. One man who joined our conversation just struck the wrong chord with me. I was explaining why we fast and how we fast and he chimes in with something like, "Oh, you have an easy religion you can fast when you want to and how you want to." I must say at first I was a little angry, but then I took a moment and realized it was this man's pride. The fact is most of the men I talk with don't go to the mosque to pray, they smoke, probably drink a little, and who knows what else. Really, for most of the year they are not practicing Muslims, but for this month they are so proud of their fasting. Is it any wonder God's plan is salvation by grace through faith so that we can't boast about it. Islam like every works base religion lifts up man and says, "Look at me I did this, this, and this, and now I'm going to Heaven." Satan has blinded people all around the world with their pride. They think that they can do something good enough to save themselves. What are we to do about it? Jesus confronted people with their pride. In John 8, the Jewish leadership told Jesus that they were Abraham's seed and were never in bondage. Jesus told them very straightly that if you sin you're a servant to sin. Jesus then went on throughout the chapter to show them how they were not honoring God with their lives. Only God's power can break people's pride but through God's Word we can create questions in their minds about how good they think they really are.