Perils of Pride

Chuckle: A preacher said to a very dignified lady at a wedding -- "Are you a friend of the groom?" She replied, "I should say not. I'm the mother of the bride."

Good Quote: “Of all the causes which conspire to blind Man's erring judgment, and misguide the mind; What the weak head with strongest bias rules,— Is pride, the never-failing vice of fools.” --Alexander Pope

"So do we have a reason to brag about ourselves? No! And why not? It is the way of faith that stops all bragging, not the way of trying to obey the law" (Romans 3:27 NIV).

Many Christians are like the woodpecker who was pecking away on the trunk of a dead tree. Suddenly lightning struck the tree and splintered it. The woodpecker flew away unharmed. Looking back to where the dead tree had stood, the proud bird exclaimed, "Look what I did!"

Pride is undue confidence in and attention to one's own skills, position, accomplishments, or possessions. Pride is easier to recognize than to define, and easier to recognize in others than in oneself. Many biblical words describe this concept, each with its own emphasis. Some other words for pride include arrogance, presumption, conceit, self-satisfaction, boasting, and high-mindedness.

Pride in humans has been around since Adam and Eve, and It inspired their disobedience of God. It is always with us and is the basis of all sin. A common form pride is the pride of privilege. When a person is given a special position, he/she forgets that it was given and becomes proud, as if his own works had earned the victory. God knows man's heart and made many references to the perils which accompany pride. "Pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverted mouth, I hate" (Proverbs 8:13 NIV)!

I think God has so much to say about pride because, ultimately, a prideful person is saying, "I don't need God -- I can handle my life on my own." As our Creator and Sustainer, God has the perfect plan laid out before us. Our attempting to "go it alone" will only lead us down a path of disappointment and self-destruction. No one knows that better than God -- He has seen pride destroy the lives of His creations throughout history. Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall" (Proverbs 16:18 NIV).

If pride is an issue in your life, ask God to remove the focus from yourself and return to a healthy focus on Him. Leave your trappings of pride, ego and accomplishments behind - so you may stand in His presence without fear of being rebuked. Pride won't find a foothold in a heart that sees its sinful state and its need for God's grace and mercy.
When the nineteenth-century American evangelist, Asahel Nettleton, was asked what he considered the best safeguard against spiritual pride, he replied: "I know of nothing better than to keep my eye on my great sinfulness."

Love, Jerry & Dotse