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"Dear pastor, I've watched
one of your videos
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where you taught the importance
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of remaining humble
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while living the Christian life.
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The problem I encounter
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is that when I understand
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that everything I have is from Christ
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and for Christ,
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when I accomplish something at my job
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which demonstrates my skills, for example,
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I kind of gain self-confidence,
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which is partially relying on myself.
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Can this lead to pride?
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Or how much relying on God is enough?
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Because certainly, there is an effort
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that we have to put in
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during our jobs,
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and should we even have self-confidence
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in some situations?"
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You kind of get the feeling.
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You have a guy that's asking himself this:
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Is it right for me to feel self-confidence
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or to have my self-confidence -
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even that word: self-confidence.
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"The problem I encounter
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is that when I understand
that everything I have
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is from Christ and for Christ,
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when accomplishing something at my job,
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which demonstrates my skills,
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I find that I basically am
becoming self-confident,
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which is partially relying on yourself."
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Now again, just because people
say things in these letters
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doesn't mean that I accept what they say.
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For one thing, self-confidence
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is not partially relying on yourself.
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It's fully relying on yourself.
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That's what self-confidence is.
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The second thing I would say is this:
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He says "the problem I encounter
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is that when I understand
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that everything I have is from Christ..."
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He still goes on to have
this self-confidence,
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which I would say means
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he doesn't really understand
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that everything is from Christ.
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You can say, "I understand it,"
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but then the next thing you say shows
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that you don't understand it.
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And I would say this,
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that let's just think
about Scripture here.
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Because there are numerous verses.
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Let me throw it to you guys.
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What are some Scriptures
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that basically indicate to us
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that it's not of us, it's of the Lord,
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no matter what we do?
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(from the room) Philippians 4:13.
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Tim: Which says?
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(from the room) I can do all things
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through Christ who empowers me,
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strengthens me.
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Tim: Right. I can do all things
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through Christ who strengthens me.
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And what's implied there? The opposite,
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which, by the way, Jesus says in John 15.
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"Without Me, you can do nothing."
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Does that mean I can
do absolutely nothing?
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Look, the reality is, without the Lord,
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you can't do anything.
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John the Baptist said something in John 3.
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Anybody remember that one?
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Kevin, can you quote that?
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(unintelligible)
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Tim: Say it again.
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Kevin: A man can only receive
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what is given him from heaven.
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Tim: "A person cannot
receive even one thing
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unless it's given him from heaven."
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I would say this,
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what jumped out at me as
I'm thinking about this
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is a text found in Romans 1.
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Let's turn there to that.
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Romans 1.
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We know, if we're familiar with Romans
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that Romans 1:18 begins to show us
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the terrible plight of fallen man.
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Somebody begin reading in 1:18.
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(from the room)
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"For the wrath of God is
revealed from heaven
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against all ungodliness and
unrighteousness of men
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who suppress the truth
in unrighteousness."
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Tim: So they're unrighteous.
They're ungodly.
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They suppress the truth that
can be known about God.
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Keep reading.
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(from the room)
"Because what may be known of God
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is manifest in them;
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for God has shown it to them."
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Tim: All men have no excuse.
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(incomplete thought)
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There is more revelation in this world
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than just our Bibles.
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There is natural revelation.
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God has revealed Himself.
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Romans 1 says that God can be known -
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certain aspects of God;
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certain aspects of His
attributes and His power
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can be known by the
things that are created.
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But keep reading.
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(from the room)
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"For since the creation of the world,
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His invisible attributes are clearly seen
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being understood by
the things that are made,
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even His eternal power and Godhead
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so that they are without excuse."
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Tim: Right. We see enough
of God in the creation
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so that every man is without excuse.
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Now keep reading.
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(from the room)
"Because although they knew God,
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they did not glorify Him as God
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nor were thankful, but became futile..."
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Tim: Okay, stop right there.
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You see what happens?
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They recognize that there's a God.
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This guy recognizes there's a God.
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But then they don't give glory to God.
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And they don't give Him thanks.
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What's amazing is we're hearing
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the reasons as to why the wrath of God
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is being displayed and poured out.
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Why?
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Because men seek to suppress God,
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and they don't give Him thanks.
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You know what happened to Nebuchednezzar
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when he said, "Oh, great Babylon,
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look what I've done!"
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God doesn't take kindly to that.
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God's wrath is displayed because men
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don't attribute what they have to God.
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Listen, the Apostle Paul says this:
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I outran all the other disciples.
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Do you know what?
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If you do well at work,
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you don't ignore that,
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but you don't look at yourself
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and take credit for it.
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What Paul said is that
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I am a better apostle than all the rest,
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but it wasn't me,
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it was the grace of God at work in me.
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And he says to the Corinthians,
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he says why do you boast
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as if what you have, you didn't receive?
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You see, that's the thing.
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On the one hand, we don't want to ignore
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what we do well.
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Why?
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Because then, you're not
giving God due honor.
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Look, every good gift,
every perfect gift is from God.
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It comes down from above,
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from the Father of lights.
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He gives.
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You don't have a single thing.
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Remember Moses?
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He said, "Lord, I cannot speak for You.
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I am not eloquent."
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You remember what God said to him?
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God said to him,
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"Moses, I make the mouth."
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What does He say after that?
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Something about seeing,
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and what does He say?
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Kevin, you got that one down?
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Kevin: Not word for word,
but that's basically it.
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Tim: Right, but that's the reality.
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Do you know what?
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If you do well with math
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or you do well in computer science
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or you do well in whatever this guy does,
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the thing isn't to sit there and say,
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oh, great Babylon, look what I've done.
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Oh, great computer science program!
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Look what I did!
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Now look,
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what you want to feel
is confidence in the Lord.
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I'm confident that God has
made me good in this,
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and He helps me when I do it.
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And He has a way of keeping on
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reminding us
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because we have a tendency
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to self-confidence.
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It's like that natural man,
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you can say: "Oh, we're new men!"
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Yeah, we're new men.
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We carry about the flesh.
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And there is still a tendency for us
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to love independence.
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One of the great idols
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that God has to break in every one of us
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is self-sufficiency when He saves us.
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But you can be good at something,
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like Paul was good at being an apostle.
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You can even say,
"I'm the best" if it's true.
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See, you don't want to deny that
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because that's what God's doing.
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We want to declare God's works.
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But you don't want to do
it in a way that's proud.
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Proud means you're lifting yourself up.
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You want to do it in a way
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that you recognize:
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I am what I am by the grace of God.
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So, anything anybody
want to add to that one?