"Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with the staff, and water gushed out. So the entire community and their livestock drank their fill." Numbers 20:11 NLT
Getting the big head can push us away from God and others.
Henry was a close friend of my father's, but they were different. Dad was quiet
and reserved; Henry was outgoing and comical. Dad held post-graduate degrees;
Henry never made it out of college. Dad held no position in his state
denomination while Henry had moved up in the ranks. Dad was a relatively unknown
pastor. Henry was known by most and had served for many years as the
parliamentarian for his denomination on the state level. But Henry never got the
big head. Regardless of how important the people were he hobnobbed with, he
remained the same ole Henry.
Moses forgot how to be humble. God chose him to lead the Israelites from
Egyptian slavery to the Promised Land. He also gave him the power to perform
miracles. One was striking a rock with his staff. When he did, water gushed out
for the thirsty people. But on this occasion, God told him to merely speak to
the rock. Moses, full of himself, hit the rock instead. God doesn't appreciate
orneriness and politely informed Moses he had forfeited his chance to lead the
captives into the Promised Land.
The Bible doesn't use the word big head, but it does use the word pride-and
they're identical. When pride infiltrates my life, life becomes about me.
Initially, Moses wanted nothing to do with the assignment of freeing the
captives, but as time moved on he began to think more of himself than he should.
Pride leads me to distrust God and will also cause me to make poor decisions. No
inherent power resided in Moses' staff. Trust in God made the staff work-along
with anything else God told him to use. Many of my poor decisions have been
selfish and made in a moment when I failed to let God guide me.
God has a way of shrinking my head when it gets too big. He shrunk Moses' by
taking away the privilege of living in the Promised Land. He's used various
methods on me as well. But He doesn't shrink my head because He's mean. He
simply wants me to trust in Him instead of in myself.
When your head gets too big, let God remind you about who you are without Him.
Prayer: Father, remind us daily that we are nothing without You.
Martin Wiles Hodges, South Carolina, USA
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