The Problem of Pride
Do you struggle with pride?
Verses of the Day
‘Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.’ Proverbs 16:18
‘Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.’ Proverbs 11:2
‘Pride ends in humiliation, while humility brings honor.’ Proverbs 29:23
‘Haughtiness goes before destruction; humility precedes honor.’ Proverbs 18:12
Today’s Devotional
Earlier this year, I was given a book called Humility by Andrew Murray. Our church was asking all those in any kind of leadership role to read this book, and they gave each of us a copy. I read it and was overwhelmed by how much growth potential is see in myself in this area. Then I read the book Brokenness by Nancy Leigh DeMoss, also recommended by our church staff as a continuation of the same lessons. In a few days (or weeks), I will share some of the amazing lessons on humility and brokenness I am learning. But for now, we are going to look at the opposite.
So…today we begin looking at pride, and the Bible has quite a bit to say about it. There are many verses in the Bible that reference pride, being proud, arrogance, and haughtiness. Many of the verses we will look at might sound similar, but often there is a slightly different slant. Today, we look at four verses from the book of Proverbs that all say pretty much the same thing: pride leads to some kind of downfall.
So, what is pride?
According to the dictionary, pride is “a high or inordinate opinion of one’s own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority, whether as cherished in the mind or as displayed in bearing or conduct”.
Do you have any pet peeves? I have a friend who cannot tolerate the sound of anyone crunching ice. I think we all have certain things that irritate us. After doing a search of verses on the topic of pride, I can say with a certain level of confidence that humans having pride is a pet peeve of God’s.
Which leads me to wonder, is there any good form of pride?
Yes, I believe there is. And we will get to that (but not today). Spoiler alert, it’s not what you think.
After reading many scriptures that reference pride, it seems like it really bothers God for us to think too much of ourselves. Likewise, it seems to upset God when we think of ourselves too much. It seems especially bothersome to Him when our pride makes us haughty, which is seeing ourselves as superior to or better than any other humans.
If you are a parent, are there certain things that you repeat to your children? Why do you repeat those things? Probably because you want to make sure that your kids hear that message because it is more important than whether or not they finished their homework. Following that same logic, God is warning us against having pride because it is important to Him.
But this is a confusing message because we are taught from a very young age to be proud of ourselves, to do work in a way we are proud of, to hold ourselves with pride.
For now, as my understanding of these warnings against pride is in its infancy, I’m going to choose to take God at His word. Pride leads to a downfall. I don’t have to fully understand it, I just have to believe that God means what He says. Especially what He says repeatedly. Today I am choosing to be brave and ask God to show me where there is pride in my life.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
Where do you struggle with pride?
How have you seen pride or arrogance lead to a “fall”, whether in yourself or someone else?
Why do you think God has such a problem with you having pride?
Are you willing to ask God to show you where pride is hidden in your heart?