It takes a lot of effort to be humble when we are on top, in power and in control, when everything goes smoothly in our favor or when we are the center of attention.  Self-importance, selfish-ambition and vain conceit are more often, the driving forces behind our action. Egotism is the greatest weakness of mankind. 

Humility has always been inculcated in our culture. It is, however in accepting and emulating the life of Jesus that give us the power to contain this undesirable behavior, a natural tendency in human nature. We have learned that there are some people who are overwhelmed by their so-called success that they think they are unstoppable.

We often hear the saying: "He who exalts himself shall be humbled; he who humbles himself shall be exalted."  History teaches us that those who are in this frame of mind and those who have challenged the authority and wisdom of God did not go unpunished. His fury descended upon them like thunder in the dark. Let us contemplate and learn from the incidents listed below. 

Here are some men and women who because of too much ego, had ridiculed God and suffered the consequences:

John Lennon: Some years ago, during his interview with an American Magazine, he said: "Christianity will end, it will disappear. I do not have to argue about that. I am certain. Jesus was Ok, but His subjects were too simple. Today (1966), we are more famous than Him."  Lennon, after saying that the Beatles were more famous than Jesus Christ, was shot six times.

Tancredo Neves (President of Brazil): During the presidential campaign, he said  that if he got 500 votes from his party, not even God would remove him from the presidency. Sure he got the votes, but he got sick a day before being made president, then he died.

Cazuza (Bi-sexual Brazilian composer, singer and poet): During a show in Canecco(Rio de Janeiro), while smoking his cigarette, he puffed out some smoke into the air and said: "God, that's for you." He died at the age of 32 of AIDS in a horrible manner.

The man who built Titanic: After the construction of Titanic, a reporter asked him how safe the Titanic would be. With an ironic tone he said: "Not even God can sink it."  The result: We all know what happened to the Titanic.

Marilyn Monroe: She was visited by Billy Graham during a presentation of a show. He is a preacher and evangelist and the Spirit of God had sent him to preach to her. After hearing what the preacher had to say, she said: "I don't need your Jesus."  A week later, she was found dead in her apartment.

Bon Scott (The ex-vocalist of the AC/DC): On one of his 1979 songs he sang:" Don't stop me, I'm going down all the way, wow the highway to Hell."  On the 19th of February 1980, Bon Scott was found dead, he had been choked by his vomit.

Campinas in 2005: In Campinas, Brazil ,a group of friends, drunk, went to pick up a friend. The mother accompanied her to the car and was so worried about the drunkenness of her friends and she said to the daughter, while holding her hand, who was already seated in the car: "My daughter, go with God and  may He protect you."  She responded: "Only if He (God) travels in the trunk, cause inside here it's already full."  

Hours later, news came by that they had been involved in a fatal accident, everyone had died, the car could not be recognized what type of car it had been, but surprisingly, the trunk was intact. The police said there was no way the trunk could have remained intact. To their surprise: inside the trunk was a crate of eggs, none was broken.

When someone sings his own praises, he always gets the tune too high. Humility does not mean thinking less of yourself than of other people, nor does it mean having a low opinion of your own gifts. It means freedom from thinking about yourself at all. 

By Tim Pedrosa