1 Peter 5b-7 (KJV): …Be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
“He was a proud man.” “I’m proud of you.” “My pride wouldn’t let me ___.” Pride, the word, has morphed to mean both the positive and negative. The positive being an appropriate sense of one’s self-worth. Yet when looking at the Scriptures, pride in its truest sense – is never presented as a virtue worth having.
Don’t get me wrong. God’s Word does promote a healthy view of one’s self. I like to call it Christ-esteem. “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Which in the case of the Good Samaritan it happen to be an enemy in need. God creating us and Jesus Christ dying for us places a huge value on your life and mine. It is this fact – Christ leaving glory and dying a criminal’s death for you and me – that should make us humble.
Pride or being proud has destroyed friendships, ended marriages, led to neighborhood skirmishes and all out war. However the most deadly thing that pride can do, is to prevent Jehovah-Jireh from providing deliverance and healing. And block us from receiving His forgiveness, forgiving others, and forgiving ourselves.
Humility, on the other hand, says that God’s ways are better than mine. I will have faith in Him instead of my will, talent, or money. Humility brought God to earth and bought eternal life for us. The humility of God has given hope and salvation to us. The humility of God transforms sinners who surrender into saints that are secure in His love.
I’ve thought about this passage quite a bit. At times, it seems impossible to do. Yet the promise at the end draws me in – “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding.” Trying to pastor three churches, being a husband, and being the father of two small children gives me a lot to be anxious about on a daily basis. Do I get anxious, worried, fearful? Unfortunately, yes. Should I? No. Why not?
can comprehend. We’ll have sanity and emotional stability in the midst of uncertainty, because we’ve entrusted situations and ourselves to Christ Jesus.
