We all love that feeling of accomplishment. Knowing we’ve put in some hard work and can see the good results. It’s true whether it’s a big win or just a job well done. Feeling good about our achievements (and even a little pat on our own back) is totally fine in many parts of life. But, when it comes to our salvation, the Bible makes it crystal clear. There’s absolutely nothing we contribute that gives us any room for our boasting.
The Latin phrase “Sola Gratia” (Grace Alone) often captures this core truth. It means our salvation is entirely a gift of God’s amazing grace. It’s certainly not a reward for anything we’ve done.
“Before destruction a man’s heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor.“ — Proverbs 18:12
“For Pride is spiritual cancer: it eats up the very possibility of love, or contentment, or even common sense.” -Timothy Keller
Christian, when we walk in humility, we walk within the circle of God’s blessing. The world tells us that we need more power, money, fame, position, praise, more…more…more! The Bible, however, actually calls a person like that a leech. The world is a leech!
“The leech has two suckers that cry out, “More, more!” — Proverbs 30:15
You see, God’s plan is the exact opposite of the world’s way. In the world, it’s always about more of me, more of me, and more of me. By contrast, the Lord tells us something else. We find true joy in thinking not less of ourselves but thinking of ourselves LESS.
Pride is indeed competitive by its very nature. If I am a proud person, then as long as there is one person in the world more powerful, richer, or smarter than I am, that person is my rival and enemy. Pride always means division and separation. Not only between people but also between us and God.
What It Is
To be humble, however, is to recognize that you don’t always need to be correct. To be humble is to realize that you certainly don’t know everything. To be humble is to remember you can apologize when you’re wrong. To be humble is to recognize that you can finally stop pretending to be the best at everything. To be humble means you can absolutely have real friendships without having to “prove” yourself.
The point of humility is that God wants you to know Him. But pride always gets in the way of that. He wants to give you Himself. And when you know Him, you will inevitably be humble — wonderfully humble! As a matter of fact, you will feel infinite relief. The relief of finally getting rid of all the silly nonsense of your inflated ego. It has only made you restless and unhappy all your life.
For now, think about this. God is good, and He loves you. He wants what leads to your greatest joy. So, if He tells you that pride leads to destruction, by all means, we must learn to listen and obey. Therein lies true joy.
This week, consider thinking of yourself less. Consider not fighting for first place but being content to be last. Not surprisingly, this is a pathway to joy.
“This is what the Lord says: “Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the Lord.” — Jeremiah 9:23-24
Without a doubt, we live in a culture full of boasting, don’t we? There is no need to go further than our phones, computers, news feeds, billboards, television, radio (or even our mirrors) to see how prevalent boasting is.
I meet people all the time who are looking for something better. I often cringe when a new visitor at our church will “go off” about another church they’ve visited. For instance, they complain about the pastor having green teeth (or something like that). If the opportunity presents itself (and I often try to make it present itself), I recommend they talk to that pastor about the green teeth situation. They certainly need to work it out.
Let’s face it, looking down on others (and belittling them) is an easy trap to fall into. It’s like stepping in dog doo-doo without realizing it. Maybe it’s human nature to want to make ourselves look better by making others look bad. Admittedly, I catch myself doing it all the time. This behavior usually manifests itself into gossip. We think people should be all put together, like us — ha!
In Numbers 16, we read about some men who rebelled against Moses and Aaron. They were angry and envious of Moses and Aaron’s position among the congregation of Israel. Also, they assumed that Moses and Aaron were making themselves out to be more holy than the rest of Israel. Along with that, these rebels wanted to be recognized as great men, also. However, instead of humbly going to the Lord about their thoughts, they grumbled and rebelled.
“Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.” — Proverbs 11:2
“For pride is spiritual cancer: it eats up the very possibility of love, or contentment, or even common sense.” -Timothy Keller
The dictionary defines pride as “a high or inordinate opinion of one’s own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority, whether as cherished in the mind or as displayed in conduct, etc.”
Pride is thinking only of yourself all the time. It bolsters attitudes and thoughts like: you “can’t be wrong” or you “have to be the best.” Inversely, pride rears its head when you think you are “always wrong” and “not good at anything.” In either scenario, your eyes are only on yourself.
“Before destruction a man’s heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor.” — Proverbs 18:12
“For Pride is spiritual cancer: it eats up the very possibility of love, or contentment, or even common sense.” -Timothy Keller
Christian, when we walk in humility, we are within the circle of God’s blessing. The world tells us we need more power, money, fame, position, and praise. It tells us we need more of…everything!
The Bible, however, calls a person like that a leech: the world is a leech!
