HUMBLE OR PRIDEFUL?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
“For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think
of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself
with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed
to each of you. For just as each of us has one body with many members,
and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we,
though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”
(Romans 12:3-5)

MEDITATION:
Do you try to be the best, or to do your best?
The perfectionist ‘has’ to be the best.
He has to be #1.
He can’t accept himself as God does.

He is always striving to be ahead of those around him.
He constantly compares himself with those around him;
this is his measuring stick of himself.

He always wants to stand out in a crowd.
He wants to tell the funniest stories.
He wants to know everything before everyone else does.
He wants to own things that are better than what others have.

He wants to have all the answers for everything
(and doesn’t accept or compromise when others have different opinions).
He is loud, authoritative and emphatic when making his point.
In his mind, his opinion is the only one that matters.

He gravitates toward, and makes special efforts,
to get the attention and approval of those who are well known.
He enjoys dropping names and refers to those he knows by name
as his good friends, even if they are just acquaintances.

He doesn’t listen to advice very well
and seldom tries anything anyone else suggests
(if he happens to try their suggestions, he is anxious
to point out any flaws that may arise in a loud and ridiculing manner).

He often uses derogatory names for those who do not do everything the
way he thinks they should be done (words like idiot, airhead, jerk, dummy, etc.).
He has himself on a pedestal
and everyone else is below him…unless they are well known.
He is the type of person that others refer to
as ‘hard-headed’ (“you can’t tell him anything”).

He is consumed with a type of arrogant pride
and this arrogance shows its ugly head whenever anything doesn’t go
the way he wants it to go, because in his mind, his way is the only way.
He thinks more highly of himself than he does of others.

What do the scriptures tell Christians about this type of ego and pride?
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.
Rather, in humility value others above yourselves” (Philippians 2:3)

How does God feel about people
who are ‘stuck on themselves’ and have ‘arrogant pride’?
The scriptures say several times that God hates this kind of pride.
“I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech”
(Proverbs 8:13)

Look at what one scripture says about God’s perspective of prideful people.
“But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:
God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” (James 4:6)
God is in opposition to the proud; God is facing one way
and the arrogant proud person is facing in the opposite direction.

The grace of God exalts a man without inflating him,
and it humbles a man without devaluing him.
The humble person with excellence says, “I am what I am by the grace of God.”
He never forgets that God is the author of his gifts, talents and blessings;
he never tries to take ownership of what God has provided.

ACTION:
Do you value yourself by what you do, what you own, and who you know,
or by what and who you are in God’s eyes, and not man’s?
Do you detect any of your characteristics in the ones listed above?

Remember, God hates arrogant pride and He tells us in Philippians and Romans
to NOT think more highly of ourselves than we should.
Think about how you would feel if someone claimed to be just like your child,
but you knew they weren’t anything like your child.

If we are to be just like God’s Son, then we need to mimic His characteristics.
Jesus had all the qualifications to be arrogant,
yet He was humble all the way to the cross.
Remember, God has ways of humbling the proud who claim to be His children.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, forgive me for thinking too highly of myself. Remind
me that all of my blessings ultimately come from You. Thank You for
providing me with my gifts and talents. Any of my successes in life are
a result of Your gracious blessings on me. Help me to develop the attitudes
of Jesus, so that I too can be known as a humble, and not arrogant, person.
Remind me that if I am to represent Jesus, then I need to become more like
Him, and arrogant pride is not one of His traits. Teach me the joy of thinking
more highly of others than I do of myself, and to realize that I am not defined
by what I own, what I can do, or who my friends are, but I should be known
as a humble follower of Your Son, Jesus.”

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