First, humility. Second, humility. Third, humility.”

Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. –

Romans 12:16

The season after the Los Angeles Lakers had won the 1980 World Championship, the team experienced a major loss. Within weeks of the season opener, Magic Johnson tore the cartilage in his knee and would be out for months. The team drew together, the fans rallied, and the Lakers were winning seventy percent of their games. As Magic healed and his return grew closer, the publicity surrounding him increased. All the attention seemed focused on the one playing who hadn’t done anything for the season. When he did come back to the court, the arena rocked with a standing ovation. Meanwhile, the players who had carried the team for months felt ignored, became jealous, resentful, angry, and envious.

They barely won the game that night and eventually the morale of the team collapsed. They turned on each other. The coach was fired. And they lost in the first round of the playoffs. Coach Pat Riley said, “Because of greed, pettiness, and resentment, we executed one of the fastest falls from grace in NBA history. It was the Disease of Me.”

God’s big idea for His Church is that Christ-followers would live in harmony with one another. It is essential for the health of the Church. Harmony requires humility. The “disease of me” is pride… the soil out of which all sins grow. When Saint Augustine was asked to list the principles of the Christian life, he answered, “First, humility. Second, humility. Third, humility.”

Pray for a spirit of humility to reenter the Church.