"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud." 1 Corinthians 13:4
I have been hearing a lot about "pride" this month and it's nettlesome. What are we so proud about? Self-exaltation can tempt us to boast, but what does God say when we bear a smug expression and snap our suspenders?
Pride, in whatever cloak it presents itself, coats our hearts in stiff material, making it unpliable to the point where God cannot work with us. Looking to Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, gives us a clearer mirror in which to view our own behavior.
Was Jesus proud? As the Son of the Most High, did He pompously declare His sovereignty, lording it over the sinners and publicans? "In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage, rather he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant..." (Philippians 2: 5-7)
If our sinless Savior laid aside his glorious raiment to wear humble duds, who are we to puff up in pride over our sinful conquests like we're some king of the the mountain? A prerequisite to true repentance is a humble heart. Only then, with downcast eyes, can God lift our spirits in grace so we can see the glories of eternity and experience the beauty of freedom from sin. Then, we are unfettered to help another out of bondage with the love of Christ.
"All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another because God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble." 1 Peter 5:5
"Humble yourselves before the Lord and He will lift you up." James 4:10
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