With this devotion we will begin to breakdown and dissect the essentials to the majesty of calmness. We begin where David began, with the absolute necessity of a heart that is not haughty. If we think “more highly” of ourselves “than we ought to think,” which Scripture cautions us to never do (Romans 12:3), we will sentence our souls to a perpetual state of upheaval.

The conceited soul can never be calmed because it is never content. It is always convinced that it deserves more and better than what it presently possesses. All hardships and heartaches are seen as unfair and none of God’s favors are seen as sufficient. Never grateful for God’s blessings, the conceited soul gripes and grumbles over the perceived deficiency in its present boon, as well as over every little burden it is called upon to bear. The latter is always seen as unjust and the former as less than what is deserved.

That pride should prove to be such a plague on the fallen human race is truly inexplicable, but what is even more inexplicable to me is how conceit keeps the souls of so many saints in a constant state of upheaval. What does the Christian have to be conceited about? If our sins are washed away, it is by the shed blood of Jesus. If we are right with God, it is only because we have been clothed in Christ’s perfect robe of righteousness, to which we have not contributed a single thread or stitch. If we are children of God, it is a result of our adoption by the indwelling Holy Spirit. And if we have eternal life, it is a gift given to us by a benevolent God and extended to us in the nail-scarred hand of His Son. Truly, the only thing we can take credit for is our sin, which should leave us feeling embarrassed rather than entitled. 

Every good thing we have is a gift from God. In 1 Corinthians 4:7, the Apostle Paul asked the Corinthians, “What do you have that you did not receive?” The obvious answer is, “Nothing!” As James teaches us in James 1:17, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” Every good thing in your life is a gift of God given to you by God’s grace; it has nothing to do with your goodness. You are neither deserving of it nor entitled to it.

God owes you nothing. You, on the other hand, should be grateful to God for everything. As Paul teaches in Ephesians 5:20,“Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 

The calm soul is a thankful soul. No ungrateful soul can be calmed and quieted.