By David ReayMonday 24 Jun 2013LifeWords DevotionalsFaithReading Time: 0 minutes
Transcript:
Read Psalm 131:1
My heart is not proud,LORD,
my eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters
or things too wonderful for me. (NIV)
One of the famous Greek legends is that of Icarus. His father made him wings of wax and feathers enabling him to fly. In doing so he warned his son not to fly too close to the sun as its heat would melt the wax and thus destroy his wings and capacity for flight. Sure enough,Icarus got carried away with his ability to fly and flew too close to the sun. The wax melted,the wings failed,and he came crashing down to earth.
This can serve as a parable for those today who are highly ambitious. They want to get to the top and in doing so may destroy themselves and others along the way. In reaching for more power or wealth or popularity they overreach and stumble and fall. This can be true in church life where leaders can get carried away by their own desire for power. It can also be true for any of us who are preoccupied with personal ambition.
The Psalmist,probably King David,reminds us that humility is a necessary element of true greatness. His great ambition is to rest and trust in his God,as the Psalm goes on to say. There is nothing wrong in ‘getting ahead’ in life,but if this becomes our obsession we may find ourselves flying too close to the sun. Many apparently mighty people have fallen in this way.
Flying too high may mean crash landings.
Blessings
David Reay