Proverbs
16:18 “Pride goes before destruction, a
haughty spirit before a fall.”
While I was on my mini-vacation with my son up at my
dad’s mountain house for a long weekend together, Mike (from our church’s
ministry board and member of our small group) graciously pinch-hit for me for
the first topical Bible Study on “Deadly Distractions and Destructive
Temptations”. The first issue of discussion in this six week series was on the
sin of “selfish pride and an arrogant spirit”. The purpose of this series is to
correct or turn around wrong courses in the Christian life, redirect us onto
paths of righteousness and to improve our walk with the Lord this side of
Heaven. If it’s broke in the eyes of the Lord, fix it.
Psalm
36:10-12 “Oh, continue Your loving-kindness to those who know
You, and Your righteousness to the upright in heart. Let not the foot of pride come against me, and
let not the hand of the wicked drive me away. There the workers of iniquity have fallen; they have
been cast down and are not able to rise.”
The lesson teaches that of all the sins that can
distract us from living effectively for Jesus, pride is one of the most
insidious. It twists our perspective on the good gifts of God. We are tempted
to believe that any successes or blessings come through our own efforts of
depend on our own abilities. Pride takes root in our heart and takes our focus
off of God, and life becomes all about us, our accomplishments and goals, not
His, in this world. More people tell me that pride is the root problem in our
society today, than anything else - The “I” problem. The attitude is: What “I”
want, when “I” want. “I” see it, “I” want it, and “I” get it. The secular
culture’s focus is: It’s all about “me” and getting “my” needs met in pure existentialism.
Yikes!
Proverbs
6:16-19 “These
six things the Lord hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to
Him: A proud look, A lying tongue,
Hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises
wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil, A
false witness who speaks lies,
And one who sows discord among brethren.”
When we succumb to
the temptation of pride, it takes root in our heart and eventually blossoms
into out-and out rebellion. God doesn't let pride go unnoticed. The Bible is
quite clear in its description of pride and warnings against its dangers.
Self-righteousness goes hand-in-hand with pride and Jesus taught His followers
that external behaviors matter less than what is in our hearts. Pride causes us
to emphasize “self” rather than God. Pride has become an issue today and needs
to be dealt with, because people begin to view themselves as “all-important”.
We need to know how to week out and avoid any arrogant pride that has taken
root in our lives. Focus on loving, trusting and obeying God and loving others by
the Golden Rule (Matthew 7:12 & Luke 6:31) and “do nothing out of
selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above
yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of
the others (Philippians 2:3-4), because “Pride brings a person low, but the lowly
in spirit gain honor (Proverbs
29:23), Clothe yourselves with humility toward one
another, because, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that
he may lift you up in due time” (1 Peter 5:5b-6).
There is much more on this relative and live issue to unpack, so I’ll break here and
continue from this point in the next post. May the light of God’s truth
illuminate our path and our steps on this pilgrimage journey to glory in the
kingdom of heaven.
Blessings, in Christ, Brian