6 Do not exalt yourself in the king’s presence,
and do not claim a place among his great men;
7 it is better for him to say to you, “Come up here,”
than for him to humiliate you before his nobles.
and do not claim a place among his great men;
7 it is better for him to say to you, “Come up here,”
than for him to humiliate you before his nobles.
"Strutting like a peacock...." Yep, that's pride.
Acting super meek and humble, and patting yourself on the back for being such an awesome part of God's kingdom..... Yep, that is pride, too.
If we come before our Christian brothers and sisters (or if we come before God in our prayer and study life) with an attitude of "Wow, you guys are so fortunate to have me on the team!" then it won't be long before our Father does something to get our attention. Like the king in the verses above, there may be a need to "take us down a peg" so that we do not fall prey to the sins that come right after the sin of pridefulness.
But by the same token, if we are showing false modesty and humbleness, and letting everyone use us for a doormat, and then taking satisfaction in how humble and religious we are, aren't we showing pride, then, too? I think so!
If we have pride in Self, whether it is arrogantly, loudly voiced, or quietly marked off and kept score of in our hearts, we are in opposition to our Father's wishes for us. One commentary that I read questioned: "what will God have to do, to get us to quit kissing the mirror?" I chuckled, but then the truth sank in.....
Here is what Paul told us in Romans 12:3:
I'd be interested to know what you think, today!
Acting super meek and humble, and patting yourself on the back for being such an awesome part of God's kingdom..... Yep, that is pride, too.
If we come before our Christian brothers and sisters (or if we come before God in our prayer and study life) with an attitude of "Wow, you guys are so fortunate to have me on the team!" then it won't be long before our Father does something to get our attention. Like the king in the verses above, there may be a need to "take us down a peg" so that we do not fall prey to the sins that come right after the sin of pridefulness.
But by the same token, if we are showing false modesty and humbleness, and letting everyone use us for a doormat, and then taking satisfaction in how humble and religious we are, aren't we showing pride, then, too? I think so!
If we have pride in Self, whether it is arrogantly, loudly voiced, or quietly marked off and kept score of in our hearts, we are in opposition to our Father's wishes for us. One commentary that I read questioned: "what will God have to do, to get us to quit kissing the mirror?" I chuckled, but then the truth sank in.....
Here is what Paul told us in Romans 12:3:
3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.This is what I take away from this verse . . . I shouldn't think too highly of myself, but I should not think too lowly, either. I am God's own creation. He values me (and you) -- enough to send His son to die and rise again, to pay for our sins. Accept that value as a core truth --- but give the glory to Him, for the good and positive things you are able to do, with His assistance!
I'd be interested to know what you think, today!
Wooo weee! This is a toughy. I guess you kinda have to walk in the middle of the road here. Making sure you realize your worth to God's kingdom, but not getting too big for your britches. You have a place in it, and a job to do, but you aren't any better or any more important than any of the other workers. We are all the body of Christ.
ReplyDeleteI do think however, if your heart is right, you have no trouble walking in the middle. Eh?