While many people are celebrating “Pride Month,” God wants us to do the opposite and humble ourselves. What’s so bad about pride? A Hollywood actor said, “I don’t think pride is a sin. I think some idiot made that up.” Maybe that actor doesn’t know that “idiot” is God. Or perhaps he’s defining pride in the wrong way.
Let’s define what pride is NOT. Pride does not mean you can’t have healthy self-esteem. It also doesn’t mean you can’t receive recognition from others. Nor does it mean that you can’t be promoted to a higher position. God promoted Joseph, Esther, and David to higher positions, but they all served God with humility. In fact, when you humble yourself on earth, God promises to promote you to a higher position in heaven. Jesus said, “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 14:11).
What is pride? Think of pride as arrogance and selfishness. It refuses to acknowledge God as the Lord of all. Pride is self-centered, sits on its own throne, and craves the honor that only God deserves. First Peter 5:5 says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” How would you like for God to oppose everything you do? Proverbs 16:5 says, “Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord; assuredly, he will not be unpunished.” I don’t want to be punished by God, do you?
Pride and Humility both have eternal consequences. God wants us to get off our throne, lay our crown at His feet, and honor Him as the Lord of all. He wants us to understand we will ALL answer to Him on Judgment Day. One day every knee will bow to Jesus and every tongue will confess that He is Lord (Phil. 2:10-11). Yes, even Satan himself, who tried to tempt Jesus to bow His knee to him (Matt. 4:9), will bow his knee to Jesus before he is cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:10).
Andrew Murray said, “Humility is the only path to the glory of God.” We all naturally gravitate toward pride, so we must choose to pursue humility. “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time” (James 5:6). When we exalt ourselves, it’s always wrong. But when the Lord exalts us, it’s always right. And it’s always at the proper time. www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com
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