Watch your life and doctrine closely and persevere in them (1 Tim 4:16)

 Enjoying Rob Harbison, Proverbs and reminded of this:

Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers...The sins of some are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them. In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not obvious cannot remain hidden forever. (1 tim 4:16, 5:24-25)

Mature believers should lead in the church, because new believers (recent converts) are prone to pride. 1 Tim 3:6 says "he may become conceited/puffed-up or he might become proud and fall under the same judgment/condemnation as/of the devil.

Amplified puts it this way and He must not be a new convert, so that he will not [behave stupidly and] become conceited [by appointment to this high office] and fall into the [same] condemnation incurred by the devil [for his arrogance and pride].

• Pride comes before a fall. Proverbs 16:18 says, Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
• Your heart grew proud of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor; so I cast you to the earth; I made you a spectacle before kings. Ezekiel 28:17
• How you have fallen from heaven, O day star, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the ground, O destroyer of nations. / You said in your heart: “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God. I will sit on the mount of assembly, in the far reaches of the north. / I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” Isaiah 14:12-15
• In the same way, Cain builds his name, Seth brings repentance to God's name (Gen 4). Jesus said, not my will but your will be done (Luke 22:42, Matthew 26:39) on earth as it is in heaven.

Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment. (Prov 9:10)

Fear and knowledge of God is the result of God's grace. Being a recipient of the God's grace humbles us and humility is the cure for pride. Peter tells us in the first letter, "Young men, in the same way, submit yourselves to your elders. And all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. (1 Peter 5:5) and then the second letter Peter gives us a progression. First, our faith is righteousness, grace and peace - increasingly seeing God's power in our lives (2 Peter 1:1-4). Then, knowledge of God with obedience leads to increasing effective faith (2 Peter 1:3-11).  Peter shows how born again faith grows up into quality faith (2 Peter 1:1-11)

Praying for my brother Joe who has moved into TCLI after a wonderful year in recovery at TC. Praying for Rolando as well.

When pride comes, disgrace follows, but with humility comes wisdom. Proverbs 11:2

Before his downfall a man’s heart is proud, but humility comes before honor. Proverbs 18:12

• So the one who thinks he is standing firm should be careful not to fall. 1 Corinthians 10:12
• For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. Matthew 23:12
• For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” Luke 14:11
• I tell you, this man, rather than the Pharisee, went home justified. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” Luke 18:14

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but think of yourself with sober judgment, according to the measure of faith God has given you. Romans 12:3

And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us. For at just the right time, while we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. (Romans 5:5-6)

I will boast in my weakness (2 Cor 12:9), I was nothing when the Lord lifted me up. 

Now since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity, so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death, that is, the devil, / and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death Heb 2:14-15

If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Galatians 6:3

...Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. 1 Corinthians 8:1