It Is Not About “You”Tube – August 29, 2022

Read: Proverbs 25:6-7a

Do not exalt yourself in the king’s presence, and do not claim a place among his great men; it is better for him to say to you, “Come up here,” than for him to humiliate you before his nobles.
Proverbs 25:6-7a

It Is Not About “You”Tube

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

A recent study showed that one out of three children between the ages of 6 and 17 want to be a YouTuber when they grow up. When asked why, the top four responses were: creativity, to become famous, self-expression, and finally money. While it isn’t wrong to be a YouTuber, the results of this study touch on a sin that we all struggle with at times: Pride.

People who are prideful think highly of themselves and want others see how great they are. They don’t mind helping others as long as they receive praise for being so “caring.” Their joy isn’t found in being successful but in the fact that others around them see they are successful. Pride is a sin we all struggle with. Pride wants to be more important than others… even more important than God.

Our reading for today was written by King Solomon and is found in the book of the Bible called Proverbs. Proverbs are wise sayings that lead us to know and to trust God’s wisdom for living a good life. In this proverb King Solomon shows what pride looks like and says that it is much better to be humble.

A humble person doesn’t focus inwardly on themselves but outwardly on others. They don’t constantly seek praise for their greatness but look for opportunities to serve and build up others around them. In humility they understand their sinfulness and weaknesses.

When the Holy Spirit works faith in Jesus, he leads us to admit our sins of pride. He helps us to live humbly. Humility takes the attention off us and places it on Jesus, who saved us from our sins. If we try to find our worth in the things of this world, we will be sadly disappointed because they won’t last forever. Instead, we humbly listen to our King, Jesus, who calls us to be his children and his special people. We celebrate the fact that he promises to one day raise us up to a great place with him in heaven. Until then, we humbly dedicate our lives to let our light shine to give glory to God through our thoughts, words, and actions.

Closing Prayer:

Dear Jesus, thank you for all of your many blessings and for providing me with my gifts and abilities. Help me to use them to your glory and to help and serve others. Most importantly thank you for your gifts of faith and eternal life. Amen.

The questions below are to help families discuss this devotion. The questions are divided by age group as suggestions, but anyone could reflect on any of the questions as they desire.

Questions for Younger Children

• Name the top two things you are good at doing.
• Who should you thank for giving you the gifts and abilities to do those things?

Questions for Elementary Age Children

• Describe a prideful person. How do they act? Now describe a humble person. How do they act?
• Give examples of how Jesus was a model for humility.

Questions for Middle School and Above

• What do you want to be when you grow up? How does today’s devotion help guide your reasons for choosing a career?
• Write your own two-sentence proverb that highlights the importance of humility over pride.