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Pride goes"); document.writeln("before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.¹

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Basketball"); document.writeln("coach Pat Riley in his book The Winner Within tells about the 1980 World"); document.writeln("Champions Los Angeles Lakers. They won the NBA Championship that year, and they"); document.writeln("were recognized as the best basketball team in the world.

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They began"); document.writeln("their 1980-1981 season considered likely to win back-to-back championships, but"); document.writeln("within weeks of the season opener, Magic Johnson tore a cartilage in his knee,"); document.writeln("and needed a three-month recuperation period. The team and the fans rallied,"); document.writeln("and the remaining players played their hearts out. They were determined to make"); document.writeln("it through that period without losing their rankings. They were winning seventy"); document.writeln("percent of their games when the time began to draw near for Magic Johnson to"); document.writeln("return to action.

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As his return"); document.writeln("grew closer, the publicity surrounding him increased. The public address"); document.writeln("announcer would always say, \'��Do not forget to mark your calendars for February"); document.writeln("27th. Magic Johnson returns to the lineup of your World Champion Los Angeles"); document.writeln("Lakers!\'�� During that announcement, the other players would say, \'��We are winning"); document.writeln("now. What is so great about February 27th?\'��

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As the day"); document.writeln("approached, fewer and fewer things were written or said about the players who"); document.writeln("were putting out so much effort. All the media attention was focused on the one"); document.writeln("player who had not been doing a thing. Finally, the 27th came and every one of the"); document.writeln("17,500 ticket holders was handed a button that said the magic is back! At"); document.writeln("the mention of the name Magic Johnson, the arena rocked with a standing"); document.writeln("ovation.

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Meanwhile, the"); document.writeln("other players who had carried the team for three months were seething with"); document.writeln("jealousy, resentment, and anger. They were so resentful that they barely won"); document.writeln("the game that night against a bottom-of-the-bucket team, and eventually the"); document.writeln("morale of the entire team collapsed. The players turned on each other. The"); document.writeln("coach was fired. And they eventually lost their opening game of the playoffs,"); document.writeln("having the most disastrous record ever.

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Riley said, Because"); document.writeln("of greed, pettiness, and resentment, we executed one of the fastest falls from"); document.writeln("grace in NBA history.²

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The sin of"); document.writeln("pride is not just found in sports teams and secular organizations, but it is"); document.writeln("often found in the Church! Pride has divided congregations and hindered the"); document.writeln("growth of Christians. How amazing would it be if the church acted as the body"); document.writeln("of Christ? Everyone doing their part and working together for the Kingdom of God."); document.writeln("Imagine how many people would come to know Christ because of the unity they saw"); document.writeln("in the church being one. In the eyes of God, we are all equal. He has given us all"); document.writeln("different gifts, and they are all needed in the work of the church.

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Suggested"); document.writeln("prayer: Dear God, forgive me for allowing pride to enter my thoughts and"); document.writeln("influence my actions. Please remove anything in me that is hindering your work."); document.writeln("Make me usable. I want to bring YOU glory in all I say and do. In the name of"); document.writeln("Jesus I pray, amen.

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1. "); document.writeln("Proverbs 16:18 (NIV).

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2. "); document.writeln("www.sermoncentral.com

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Today\'��s"); document.writeln("Encounter was written by: Crystal B.

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