Proverbs 8:13, 16:18, 29:23
To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech. Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. A man’s pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor.
Devotion
This whole week we have looked at what it means to reflect Christ’s humility in our lives. Jesus described Himself as “gentle and humble in heart.” We saw from the book of Philippians how the humility of Christ fuels in us a love that knows no end. As Christ’s followers, we are designed to reflect His character or likeness in the world. Unfortunately, the world operates under a different economy than the kingdom of God.
In this world, we exalt ourselves rather than our Creator. Therefore, pride is considered the summit of all sins. In the book of Proverbs, Solomon teaches three things about pride. First, we see that God hates pride and arrogance. Pride is to be spiritually blind to one’s own true spiritual condition before a holy God. God seeks those who will worship Him in Spirit and in truth. Pride keeps us blind to the truth and keeps us from truly worshipping God.
Second, we see that “Pride goes before destruction.” In his commentary on the book of Proverbs, J.V. McGee writes, “But where there is free choice, there is also the possibility of pride and rebellion against God.” Scripture is filled with stories of men who allowed their pride to bring them low and ultimately destroy them. Pride is a downward spiral that gains momentum if left unchecked. As believers, we have the Holy Spirit to help us recognize our sinful pride and confess and repent of our sin before it destroys us.
Lastly, we see that a “man of lowly spirit gains honor.” God humbles those who exalt themselves, and He exalts those who humble themselves. Once again, we see that God’s economy in the kingdom is very different than that of the world. This whole week we have seen that humility is one of the marks of authentic Christian community. Honoring and serving one another in the body of Christ sends a powerful message to the unbelieving world.
Questions to Ponder
How did last weekend’s message on “humility” impact how you view God, others, and yourselves? How have the devotions this week helped you understand what role humility plays in the fellowship of believers? Have you allowed pride to bring you low? How will you honor and serve those in the community of believers this week?
Spend some time in prayer meditating on what God revealed to you today.