Nothing demonstrates the selfish pride in
our nature better than the times that we get
upset when good things happen to other people.
In Mark 3:1-6, we read a story about Jesus healing
a man who had a crippled hand. Instead of rejoicing
that the man had been healed, the Pharisees
became murderously angry at Jesus because He
pointed out the error in their hard hearted and hard
headed ways.
If we are honest, we will admit that we each
have a tendency to be hard-hearted and
hard-headed too. We do not always respond the
right way to God’s working and God’s blessing on
others. Sometimes we act skeptical, cynical, and
jealous. We would rather be seen as right, and
therefore superior, than to see something good
happen to someone in a way that we did not expect
or that we did not think was proper.
Such stubbornness grieves the heart of our
Savior. God does not always do things the way
we think they should be done. When God’s
methods contradict our traditions and preferences,
then we are the ones who are wrong. God is
never wrong. We must humble ourselves enough
to admit that we were mistaken, rejoice in what
God does, and give Him the glory for it.