“Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall” Proverbs 16:18

Pride… is the root of almost every sin.

Why is pride so destructive?

– Pride blinds us to who we really are.

– Pride tells us we’re better than we really are; so there’s no need to repent or to change.

Do you pray, “God, I thank You that I am not like other men.” – or “God, have mercy on me, a sinner”

– Pride cuts us off from God, and also from others.

– Pride puts us above others, which makes us look down on others,
and cuts us off from them as a result; and we feel we don’t need God.

“What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8)

By Joshua Lim
Used by permission

FURTHER READING

• The Prison of Pride
• The Lie that Leads to Pride
• Help Me See Your Words as Life

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The post The Enemy Within appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord.”  Proverbs 16:2

You’re at a party and your husband or wife (or good friend) begins to tell a story about an event in which you both had participated. There is a reason for telling the story—perhaps to describe the beauty of a scene or a person whose presence made a lasting impact on your lives. “Last year when we were on our way to California…” You interrupt with, “No, that was two years ago and we were going to New York…” The story continues: “We had driven about five miles that morning and stopped at this little blue store…” “No, remember it was midday and we had gone well over fifteen miles and the store was red…

What happens to the story? To the audience? More importantly, what happens to the storyteller? First, the story has lost its purpose. Those listening have been distracted by your insistence on accuracy of detail. The storyteller begins to experience frustration, anger and perhaps even a sense of unworthiness. Anger is evident when the storyteller somewhat heatedly says, “OK, you tell the story.” Disguised anger is revealed when the storyteller says ‘sweetly,’ “Oh, honey, you always tell the story better than I do…”

In her book, Invitations from God, Adele Ahlberg Calhoun addresses this demand to be right: I often hear couples debating who is right about what happened. Each one refuses to admit that she or he might be wrong about some detail: how far they walked, how long ago it was, who was there. One of them may be a stickler for accuracy, while the other is after the big picture and not too concerned about details.

Perhaps you see yourself in this description. Do you find yourself constantly correcting people in conversation? Or maybe it’s just always adding a bit of information to the discussion you think absolutely necessary. If someone says, “I hear we’re having a snowstorm tomorrow,” must you add, “But it won’t be anything like the one two years ago”?

This sometimes happens in a Bible study. People can become so passionate about the subject under discussion that they feel they must always add their insight or knowledge. While this may add color or detail to the general theme, often those in the group less willing to ask questions or who feel they have less “knowledge” remain silent.

These words from Ahlberg struck a chord in my soul: The type of humility that admits you are wrong when you know you are wrong is confession. The humility that admits you might be wrong when you’re pretty sure you’re right is maturity.

by Marilyn Ehle
used by permission

FURTHER READING

• How Christ Modeled Humility
• Humility Toward Each Other
• Humility by Phil Ware

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The post I Demand to Be Right! appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“… and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.”  1 John 2:16

I struggle with pride.

It began in middle school when I realized I could do several things quite well. I was one of the better wrestlers, runners, and trumpet players. In university I earned grades that were better than most. As I continued to pursue education I became one of few from my high school peers who earned a master degree. When I earned a doctorate I represented a tiny minority.

Pride is contextual though. Among my professor colleagues at my university I feel average in accomplishments and brain power. Many co-workers publish more, teach better, and administer with superior grace and wisdom. But among my other friends away from campus I have to check myself against thinking I know more or am wiser or smarter.

An acquaintance today reminded me that Satan loves doling out beautiful lies such as, “You really are amazing,” “Your ideas are no doubt better!”, and “Aren’t these people lucky to have you as their friend?”  It is easy to cave to these succulent morsels that feed my ego!

And then John pulls the plug on my smugness:

the pride of life is not from God but is of this broken world.

I realize that being talented or smart or gifted is not wrong. In fact, being the best at something is good, even excellent. However striving to be number one can lead to idolatry (for it puts our status above love of God), or once on top we can gloat over people below.

Does pride get the best of you? How might you give your gifts and accomplishments to God?

Dear God, thank you for creating me wonderfully. Help me see my skills as from you, and to not buy in to self-promotion. Help me see me how you see me. Amen.

Take Action

Drop the ‘I‘ today. In your interactions, focus on the person you’re talking to. Ask them what they think or feel, instead of jumping to share your opinions.

By Dr. Bill Strom
used by permission

FURTHER READING

?  The Lie that Leads to Pride

?  The Prison of Pride

?  Going Deeper with God

?  Making a Difference

The post I-Dolatry appeared first on Thoughts About God.

It takes a Savior who sacrificed Himself for our transgressions to show us how to act.

“With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?”  Micah 6:6

God demands a sacrifice in order to forgive us. It’s not because He is some power-hungry being that wants to see humans suffer — just the opposite. By sacrificing something, God’s people looked beyond their own selfishness and learned compassion. If they could give to God, perhaps they’d learn to give to each other as well.

But as the people turned from Him, God made it clear that sacrificing material things out of traditional duty was not His original intent. They weren’t supposed to sacrifice their crops and animals to gain a ‘get out of jail free card’ for living sinful lives. So, through the prophets God tried to make it clear that He didn’t want their things. He wanted their hearts softened so they could once again learn to think of Him and of others before themselves. Micah tells the people, “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (6:8).

Sometimes donating money out of our paycheck is an easier sacrifice. We can throw money at the project and let someone else do it. But to give up our self-centered, pride-filled, and judgmental human nature to serve God and others is a sacrifice. It is a lifestyle do-over. It takes commitment. It also takes a merciful God who can forgive us when we stumble. It takes a Savior who sacrificed Himself for our transgressions to show us how to act.

Dearest Lord, by your example teach us to be more just to others, knowing they are loved by you and are of worth in Your eyes. Let us prayerfully humble ourselves so we can be more open to serve. Instill in us a sense of compassion and mercy so we can truly love our neighbors. Help us to truly sacrifice the world’s ways for yours. Amen.

By Julie Cosgrove
Used by permission

Further Reading

• Making a Difference

•   How to Pray

•  Salvation Explained

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The post The Cost to be Merciful appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“In the pride of your heart you say, ‘I am a god; I sit on the throne of a god in the heart of the seas.’ But you are a mere mortal and not a god, though you think you are as wise as a god.” Ezekiel 28:2

By God’s Holy Spirit, the words of the Old Testament prophets reach across time and speak into our current experience. Often the prophetic oracles spoken by Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, or others, held layers of meaning, with both a current and distant fulfillment. These messages from God hold truth — principles for living a holy life in the 21st century.

In Ezekiel’s prophecy against the ruler of Tyre (Ezekiel 28:1-19), we discover powerful words about the attitude that lead to pride: “By your great skill in trading you have increased your wealth, and because of your wealth your heart has grown proud” (Ezekiel 28:5). And also: “Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor” (Ezekiel 28:17).

Pride corrupts power, great skill, wealth, beauty, and wisdom. The insidious work of pride rises from a faulty belief. When we think our knowledge, our beauty, our influence, our abilities, or our belongings come from ourselves, we believe a lie.

The Bible clearly teaches that every good thing we possess comes from God. Paul challenged the Corinthian church when they bragged that one person was better than another. “For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?” (1 Corinthians 4:7).

We fall into the trap of pride when we trust in the gift — beauty, skill, wisdom — rather than the Giver, God Almighty. Let us heed Ezekiel’s warning by humbly acknowledging that our abilities and advantages come from God.

Holy God, You are the giver of all good gifts. Everything I have and everything I am comes from you. Forgive me for thinking that I produced or earned or deserved anything I have. Keep me from pride. Amen.

Consider this — Read Proverbs 3:34, James 4:6, and 1 Peter 5:5 How does God deal with proud people?

By Suzanne Benner
Used by Permission

https://thelife.com/devotionals

Learn more about knowing Jesus at: https://thoughtsaboutgod.com/four-laws/

The post The Lie that Leads to Pride appeared first on Thoughts About God.