Scripture
Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.
~Proverbs 16:18, NLT
Quote
Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind.
~Derek Kidner
I read the Psalms daily and David is always talking about his enemies but he is usually referring to flesh and blood enemies like Saul. My number one enemy, the one that has given me the hardest time is not flesh and blood; it is PRIDE and I’m not talking about your pride, I am talking about mine. Pride makes us hate authority and instruction; it blinds us to our own flaws and it leads us to despise and look down on others. Pride is also extremely envious. As C.S. Lewis says, “Sinful pride takes no pleasure is having something, only having more than the next person. Proud people are not really proud of being successful, or intelligent or good looking; they are proud of be richer, smarter and better looking than the folks around them. It is the comparison and the pleasure of being above the rest, the deriding and despising heart, this is the essence of pride.”
Pride not only looks down on others; it refuses to look up to God. The rich fool in Luke 12 is a prime example. Pride refuses to give God the highest place in our lives. It refuses to acknowledge our need for Jesus. Pride leads us to believe that we can be our own savior. We want to run our own lives and to earn our own self-worth. Pride is basically the refusal to let Jesus be LORD or God be God. Pride takes the “God status” for itself. Lewis Smedes said, “Pride is the grand delusion, the fantasy of all fantasies, the cosmic put on, that you can be God.” This is exactly what Satan tempted Eve to do, “Eat the fruit and become like God.” He didn’t mean God like; he meant like God. We cannot be like God. I will never be Jesus, not in a million years. Hopefully I will become Jesus like but I will never take His place. I am a creature not the Creator. I am the redeemed not the Redeemer. No matter what I do, I cannot become the Creator or the Redeemer. I am infinitely inferior to my Creator and my Savior.
I can go for days on the subject of pride but perhaps the worse thing about pride is it’s subtly and slyness. Pride is so deceitful that it can consume a person without them even being aware of its presence. Ajax the Greek warrior said, “I do hate proud men.” Someone is his audience said snidely, “Yet he loves himself, how strange.” Ajax was consumed with pride and did not know it; everyone else knew but he did not. Many of the Proverbs are generalizations but not 16:18, “Pride goes before a fall.” I assure you my friends, this is a spiritual law and my life is living proof. Pride always leads to a fall.
Another busy day at Eastern Gate headquarters: May the LORD’s work be done and some of Jacks. We have the visitation for Curly Turrentine this evening at 5:00 and the Friday Film Festival at GP at 7:00. Love the weather, not hot, not cold. James Spann says they have a drought in LA {Lower Alabama} and I was not aware of this. They have my sympathy, I do not like droughts.
God bless you, hope you have a great day and a great weekend. It would be kind of nice if each week had 8 days and we had two Fridays, but I still wouldn’t get everything done, would I?