Numbers 20:11 – Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with the staff, and water gushed out. So the entire community and their livestock drank their fill. (NLT)

Getting the big head can push us away from God and others.

Henry was a close friend of my father's, but they were different. Dad was quiet and reserved; Henry was outgoing and comical. Dad held post-graduate degrees; Henry never made it out of college. Dad held no position in his state denomination while Henry had moved up in the ranks. Dad was a relatively unknown pastor; Henry was known by most and had served for many years as the parliamentarian for his denomination on the state level. But Henry never got the big head. Regardless of how important the people were that he hobnobbed with, he remained the same ol' Henry.

Moses forgot how to be humble. God chose him to lead the Israelites from Egyptian slavery to the Promised Land. He also gave him the power to perform miracles. One was striking a rock with his staff. When he did, water gushed out for the thirsty people. But on this occasion, God told him to merely speak to the rock. Moses, full of himself, hit the rock instead. God doesn't appreciate orneriness, and politely informed Moses that he had forfeited his chance to lead the captives into the Promised Land.

The Bible doesn't use the words "big head", but it does use the word "pride" — and the terms are identical. When pride infiltrates my life, life becomes about me. Initially, Moses wanted nothing to do with the assignment of freeing the captives, but as time moved on, he began to think more of himself than he should.

Pride leads me to distrust God and will also cause me to make poor decisions. No inherent power resided in Moses' staff. Trust in God made the staff work — along with anything else that God told him to use. Many of my poor decisions have been selfish and were made in a moment when I failed to let God guide me.

God has a way of shrinking my head when it gets too big. He shrunk Moses' by taking away the privilege of living in the Promised Land. He's used various methods on me as well. But He doesn't shrink my head because He's mean. He simply wants me to trust in Him instead of in myself.

When your head gets too big, let God remind you about who you are without Him.

Prayer: Father, remind us daily that we are nothing without You. Amen.

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About the author:

Martin Wiles <mandmwiles@gmail.com>
Greenwood, South Carolina, USA
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