THE DANGERS OF PRIDE

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk.com.

In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

My heart is not proud, Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. But I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content.

Israel, put your hope in the Lord both now and forevermore.

Psalm 131

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Pride is an emotion that seems to stop getting us in trouble. We inherently seek acceptance and success in life. Society only fuels the fire.

We want to be successful because we see others succeeding around us. We yearn and covet what others have achieved so much that we’re willing to do almost anything to get there, even if it means turning to sinful behavior. We want to be the best without counting the cost.

And once we do accomplish what we strive so hard for, we then have a tendency to look down on others who might not be as well off as we are. We see ourselves as better and pride starts to produce arrogance as we spiral down in the grip of egotism and conceit.

It’s little wonder that God’s wisdom from the Proverbs tells us these harrowing truths:

Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. Proverbs 16:18

A man’s pride brings him low but a man of lowly spirit gains honor. Proverbs 29:23

Let another praise you and not your own mouth; someone else and not your own lips. Proverbs 27:2

Haughty eyes and a proud heart, the lamp of the wicked, are sin! Proverbs 21:4

Before his downfall, a man’s heart is proud, but humility comes before honor. Proverbs 18:12

The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished. Proverbs 16:5

When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. Proverbs 11:2

Look at the words of God here. If you allow pride to take root in your life to the place where you become arrogant, then you can expect destruction, a fall, downfall, disgrace, and punishment. You are living in sin and thus detested by God for that lifestyle.

As we look at the words of the 131st Psalm, it’s little wonder why David chose to adopt a humble attitude:

My heart is not proud, Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. But I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content.

Israel, put your hope in the Lord both now and forevermore.

 

David boldly proclaims where he stands when it came to the matter of pride. His heart was not proud nor his eyes haughty. He was the mighty, God-appointed king of Israel leading and guiding the Lord’s chosen people, and yet he didn’t get caught up in his fame. No, by his own testimony we see that David did not allow himself to get overly concerned with great or wonderful matters. He didn’t allow his heart to be puffed up by his authoritative position and lofty power.

How could he avoid this?

It’s simple really. Remember, David was a man after God’s own heart.

David loved, respected, and revered his Lord. And because he understood who he was in relation to God, he conducted himself in humility. He was king of Israel and with that had authority over those the Lord gave him to lead but he never lost sight that he was subordinate to THE King, the King of all kings, the One who had preeminence and supremacy over all creation.

Friends, we need to learn from David and follow his lead. Because he conducted himself in humility, himself blessed and remembered as Israel’s greatest king. In him, we find the words of one other Proverb come alive in truth:

Humility and the fear of the Lord bring wealth and honor and life. Proverbs 22:4

Wealth and honor and life from humility.

I’m not sure about you but that sure beats the destruction, falling, downfall, disgrace, and punishment that pride will bring.

I’ll choose humility.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com