Episode 3: Pride and Preference

The Op 214 Podcast is a forward-thinking organization with veterans programs like Bunker 58 Esports and peer-to-peer support groups. The speaker, George Shafer, questions the concept of Americanism and believes it should be adapted after understanding other cultures. He emphasizes the importance of humility and preferring others over oneself. He warns against pride and arrogance, and highlights that God loves all nations and people equally. He recommends two books and encourages practicing humility with loved ones and by making friends with those who are different. Op 214 Podcast has no sponsorship yet, but I wanted to let you know about a great group of people I serve with at the American Legion. Our post is nearly 100 years old, but we're a forward-thinking organization with cutting-edge veterans programs such as Bunker 58 Esports and our bi-weekly peer-to-peer support group. Check for the American Legion in your area or come partner with us in Guthrie, Oklahoma. My name is George Shafer and I pastor Op 214. I'm a retired Army veteran with 15 years of service and I'm completing my final year in seminary with the graduation date of May 2025. Op 214 stands for Operation 214 and 214 references the Department of Defense form every veteran is issued upon discharge from military service. Pride and preference. Last time we were together, we discussed the Sabbath in relation to the Ten Commandments. We talked about aged pride, both in the military and out. Today, I'd like to discuss pride at length. Pride is an insidious figure. It comes in disguise. We can see pride quietly springing up in conversations about politics, about religion, and watch out for this one, Americanism. Americanism is defined as attachment or allegiance to the traditions, institutions, and ideals of the United States. I tell you, I'm in a season where I'm questioning Americanism as a functioning and foundational philosophy for living today. The traditions, the institutions, and ideals of the U.S. are pretty good. From a global perspective, Americans have a tremendous amount of freedom for which I'm tremendously grateful. However, I believe that true Americanism should only be adapted and proclaimed after significant education that spans past the borders of our country. The background for this concern lies in the Missio Dei, Greek for mission of God. He is the God of all nations. We are called to the Great Commission of Matthew 28, 19 through 20. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always to the end of the age. We are also called to love our neighbor as ourselves. That's in Leviticus 19.18 and Matthew 22.39. So in light of this mission, I find that it is my responsibility within the confines of humility to adapt a heart that prefers you over me. I'm going to say that again. I find that it is my responsibility within the confines of humility to adapt a heart that prefers you over me, that seeks your comfort over mine, to pursue your heart, which means I have to get to know you. I need to hear your stories of how and where you grew up and be open and receptive to your culture, your foods, and your slang terminology, to consider others in the same intimate way I consider myself as a tall order. So how does this relate to the idea of Americanism? If I have an attachment or allegiance to the traditions, institutions, and ideals of the United States, have I earned this perspective from my understanding of the world around me? Or have I engaged so deeply in what America is and has that I have arrogantly dismissed the cries of others? Americanism can be taken too far, which leaves us blind to the plight of the rest of the world. I do have a growing appreciation of my current freedoms, and I believe that is because I have studied both American history and other cultures. But the danger arises when we take Americanism across the threshold of pride, when we begin to consider that we are better than others, when we have become known more for our arrogance than for our freedoms, when we begin closing our ears to a global perspective because we are convinced of our own righteousness. Be not deceived. Yes, God is merciful, but he is not mocked. Every person from every tribe in every corner of the earth was made a Mago-de in the image of God himself. We do not serve the God of the United States. We don't serve a white God. He is not simply an American God. He is the God of Syria, Iraq, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. He is the God of all nations. And he loves the people of Australia the same as he loves the people of Connecticut. I'd love to recommend two books for you during the closing of this podcast. The first is a brutally honest review of the American way of life by a Frenchman. It is called Democracy in America by Alexi de Tocqueville. Reader be warned, it's a bitter pill to swallow. The second book is one of my favorite professors at Regent University. It's called God of All Nations by Alameyehu Maconin. In closing, I am striving to prefer others over myself. But pride can destroy that preference. As many of us former military, we tend to have a lot of pride in pursuing rank and medals and honor and prestige. And this Jesus life is not that. It is squarely being concerned with those around us. So how can we practice this? How can I ditch my pride in a safe environment and prefer someone else? First I would go to God and ask him how, no excuse me, ask him to show you how he preferred you even though he was perfect and without need. Then I would take this humility to your spouse. Prefer him or her over yourself. Try it and watch the fruit. And finally, some of the best mission field I have in my life is my children. Go and humble yourself to learn something from them. Prefer them somehow today over you. Let them beat you at Fortnite or find you during hide and seek. And then, look for someone who acts, looks, or talks different from you. Go make a friend and invest in them. Prefer them over you. Until next time, Padre out.