January 22, 2016

The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished. Proverbs 16:5

I mentioned pride in yesterday’s writing. I would like to explore it more within today’s thoughts. These are mine of course but not as powerful as the words I heard from Vic Pentz or Bob Whitlock, two pastors who provided me instruction on how this word can lead to a personal downfall.

Webster’s New World Concise Dictionary and Thesaurus defines pride as “too high opinion of oneself’ or “satisfaction in one’s achievements.” A few synonyms are listed: self-esteem, self-love, self-gratification, self-admiration. What good do these phrases or terms mean to us as Christians?

As a student, we would get excited about a 100 on an exam. In sports, we would be ecstatic about defeating the best in competition. The business world would see an observation of being overjoyed as being the top salesman. Is the Lord please when seeing these scenes?

Yes and no He is glad for us in seeing the result but He does not want us to go overboard with our emotions. A few Chapters earlier in Proverbs, the writer writes “When pride comes then comes disgrace.” Our Lord feels less of us in these feelings. The ancient Israelites, whom we looked at earlier, were “brought low” in our Lord’s eyes. In Ezekiel, words are said of the city of Sodom, an evil and corrupt city “Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.” God is happy when we do well but He doesn’t want us to compare ourselves with others. He desires such satisfaction to be kept inside our minds and not to be declared outside for all to see. Hopefully, we will not lower ourselves to those from Ephraim when they were “laid low by wine.” Rather, let us follow Mary’s example as she sung joyfully about her baby’s birth. The Lord’s name is implied when she sings “. . . has lifted up the humble.”

Prayer: God, let us be thankful for the Good News which has been provided to us by your Son but make us mindful of the thoughts of others in our proclamation. Amen

Jeff Spang