When his heart was lifted up, and his spirit was hardened in pride, he
was deposed from his kingly throne. Daniel 5:20
When a Michigan man entered the hospital for tests, he never would have guessed what the
doctors would find. A routine chest x-ray revealed that the man's heart was on the wrong
side of his chest. Because of a rare reversed-organ condition, his heart was not where it
should be.
In Daniel 5, we read of a different kind of heart problemone that is all too common.
This chapter reminds us that pride is a spiritual condition in which the heart is in the
wrong place.
Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar, two kings of Babylon, were told that they had misplaced
hearts of arrogance and pride (vv.20,22). As a result, God judged both of them.
Nebuchadnezzar was made low until he recognized that the Most High God ruled over all
(v.21), and Belshazzar was slain (v.30).
We need to examine ourselves often to see if our heart is in the right place. Do we depend
on God daily? Do we acknowledge that all we have and are is by His mercy and grace? Do we
live as His grateful servants, yielding to His will? Only as we recognize the importance
of genuine humility and acknowledge our dependence on Him can we have a heart that's
"in the right place."
Where is your heart?
-MRDII
Lord, pride, that fearful enemy,
So quickly takes control;
I plead, this day, Your pardoning grace
To cleanse my heart and soul.
-DJD
Pride is the mother of all sins.