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Three friends — joyriding on the back roads of their town — decided to pull off a prank. They snatched 20 street signs out of the ground — including stop signs. The following day, another car sailed through an intersection without stopping-right into the path of an 8-ton truck. All three occupants died in the accident. Selfish attitudes and actions can have tragic consequences. It is why the Bible urges us to think before we act. Paul gave that advice to Christians in ancient Corinth (1 Cor. 8). They were so full of pride in their superior knowledge that they looked down their noses at their sisters and brothers, causing these believers to stumble in their faith. Like these self-centered people, we may feel superior because of our education, wealth, or ethnicity. Sadly, this often happens among those who profess to follow Jesus Christ. Here is what the Apostle Paul wrote to them: Knowledge may make us feel important, but it is love that really builds up the church. The person who loves God is the one God knows and loves. Paul argues that when we boast about our superiority, we can wound others, divide the body of Christ, and grieve the heart of God. So whenever we brag about our superior education, ethnicity, wealth, or any other supposed privilege, we really are low on God’s totem pole if — if we do not practice love.
