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Key Bible Verse: God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth. (Matthew 5:5) Dig Deeper: Matthew 5:1-10

I've never really bumped into a famous person. You know, the kind of thing where you run into Oprah at the mall. Once, however, I did sit next to a guy on a plane who was part of the '60s rock group The Turtles. They were the group that performed the 1967 hit "So Happy Together." During our flight, we struck up a great conversation. Turtle-man told me how superstardom had really messed with his head. Apparently, being 18 years old and touring with rock celebrities was the sort of stuff that bends your ego out of shape. I guess being turned into a god overnight had side effects he hadn't reckoned on. The band entered the fast lane of pop culture, and suffered bitter fights with managers, record label people, and band members that more or less destroyed their rising star trajectory.

At the end of the flight I remember thinking that he seemed nice enough, but I realized later that we had spent hours talking almost exclusively about himself. Achieving real meekness will be difficult for this good man who has had more than 40 years of excessive attention thrust upon him.

—Scott Bessenecker in How to Inherit the Earth

My Response: If I could listen in on my own conversation, would I be doing most of the talking—and talking mostly about myself?

Thought to Apply: It is no great thing to be humble when you are brought low; but to be humble when you are praised is a great and rare attainment.—Bernard of Clairvaux(French theologian)

Adapted from How to Inherit the Earth (InterVarsity, 2009) by permission. All rights reserved by the copyright holder and/or the publisher. May not be reproduced.

Copyright © 2010 by the author or Christianity Today International/Men of Integrity magazine.
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Prayer for the Week

Father in heaven, forgive me for the times I have bought into the values that govern this world; help me to commit myself to values that are eternal.

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