“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.“
(Proverbs 16:18)
Jesus said that whoever humbles himself as a child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven (Matt 18:4). In Micah 6:8 we read that God calls us to “do justly, love mercy and walk humbly with our God”. God hates pride and arrogance (Prov 6:17). We are also warned that God is opposed to the proud and will humble those who exalt themselves (1 Pet 5:5; Matt 23:12). Can you imagine what it must be like for the God of the universe to be opposed to you? Wow! That is a really scary and terrifying thought. One example of this in the Bible is the story of King Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel. The King was on the roof of his house, admiring what he had accomplished (the hanging gardens of Babylon, one of the Seven Wonders of the World). He was thinking to himself how great he was and what a splendid job he had done, and even said it out loud. God had warned him about this, but he did not heed God’s warning. So right then and there, God struck him with insanity and he lived like an animal for a while. King Saul is another good example of pride going before destruction.
King David provides a good example of living a life of humility before God. Even when God told him he would be king, he refused to take the throne by force, but rather waited for God to work things out with King Saul (1 Samuel). Jesus provides us with the ultimate picture of humility. At any time He could have shown them who He was, but He did not because it was not the Father’s plan for His life. He gave up being God, came to live among us as a man and willingly suffered and died that we might have life in His name. And beware of false humility – it is just another form of pride. Try to be truly humble as best you can. Ask God to help you in this area if you struggle. And avoid pride like the plague.
“Choose you this day whom you will serve…..but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”
Two Rivers Blog 