Bible Studies
Are You Guilty of Pride
Pride, oh such a horrible disgusting word! Yet, many of us can see the signs immediately – the signs that it has taken over like a cancer and threatening to destroy those we love. We use the word so easily, when we point out issues in someone’s life. It is easy to see pride in others. Sometimes because it is loud, other times because we are looking into a mirror, and we are seeing ourselves but it is not recognizable.
I would like to define the word pride before going any further:
Webster’s Dictionary defines it as such:
1: the quality or state of being proud: as a : inordinate self-esteem : CONCEIT b : a reasonable or justifiable self-respect c : delight or elation arising from some act, possession, or relationship
2: proud or disdainful behavior or treatment : DISDAIN
Proverbs 16:18 says this:
Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
The word pride in this scripture is defined in the Hebrew is as such:
ga-own (pronounced: gaw-ohn) arrogancy, excellency, majesty, pomp, proud, swelling, haughtiness
Okay, so now that we have this information I would like to speak about two different types of people who have pride, the sinner and the Christian!
Recently I posted an article about a lady who didn’t have a coat. When she was asked, she answered truthfully and said she didn’t have one. She didn’t allow pride to get in the way of her need. What I failed to mention, this lady is not a Christian, but the lady that gave her a coat is! So now I pose the question, why was this Christian lady not approachable? Why did this lady go without a coat before this Christian noticed! Why couldn’t this lady go to this Christian woman and say, ‘do you have a coat I can borrow?’ I know that God completely ordained the situation and the giver learned a great lesson, but for sake of discussion, do we Christians expect people to approach us?
Also, what do we expect from sinners? Do we expect them to have the fruits of the spirit acting in their lives? Do we expect walls of pride to come down simply because we are in their presence? Sinners are sinners and will behave as such, and to be very honest, there have been many times that I’ve been ashamed because the sinner reflected more of the fruits than I did as a professing Christian.
Also, before we judge a book by the cover and chalk up someone’s unwillingness to ask for help, we must stop and consider where they have come from! We may see the ugly face of PRIDE, but do we know where this stems from? Do we know? We so quickly throw the word around as if diagnosing what the person’s problem is, but have we ever stopped to consider that this person may have been devastated in the past by some well-intentioned saint? This person may have grown up in a level of poverty we have never experienced? This person may not have anyone in which they can ask for assistance? This person may be working to support their family elsewhere? This person may have witnessed greed and selfishness and determined they would get through on their own without the help of others? This person may be trying to avoid going on public assistance because of the ugly sting it leaves? Remember we are talking about the person who has not accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior!
Do we as Christians when faced with these people not have a responsibility to show them the love of Christ? Or did God ordain us to point out the ugliness of pride? I don’t read anywhere in my Bible where God told us to judge another person, nor do I read anywhere where God told us to only give to those who have no pride! In fact doesn’t the Word of God tell us clearly Judge not, that ye be not judged (Matthew 7:1) and Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven (Luke 7:37).
Why then when we are dealing with sinners we surprised when there is pride? Why are we shocked by their unwillingness to ask us ‘Christians’ for help? Do we seek God for this person? Do we seek God to understand where they are and where they are coming from? Or do we just chalk them up as another prideful person struggling because they refuse to seek help!
Sinners behave like sinners and shame on us if they behave better than we do as Christians!
I have heard the arguments; homeless people could do better for themselves if they sought help and stopped begging, but come on, how can we as Christians come to this conclusion without knowing the full story behind each person (and this carries over into every person we meet).
A while back I wrote about a young lady with 2 small children who’d just been given an apartment through a homeless project. I was not told her history, but quickly assumed she was an addict, because of the program she was in. Later the director that had introduced me gave me a call (this was a God thing no doubt) in the course of the conversation I asked about the young lady, and the story unfolded. She wasn’t an addict, but she was the daughter of 2 addicts and she made the decision to move to the street, but I had wrongly assumed she was ‘just like the others.’
The message was clear – JUDGE NOT!!! So often our opinions are wrong! Sometimes we need to seek God for divine wisdom before assuming! Every face has a story and I almost guarantee you; if you look close enough at someone you will see past the pride and see the roots that has brought about the pride, and will then know how to pray, but of course this requires that we look close enough!
Which leads me to the other side of the coin, Christians who are prideful! Oh you say, that’s not possible, but let me remind you of the scripture found in II Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Let’s look at the word humble.
Webster’s dictionary defines the word as such:
Function: adjective
1: not proud or haughty: not arrogant or assertive
2: reflecting, expressing, or offered in a spirit of deference or submission
3 a: ranking low in a hierarchy or scale: INSIGNIFICANT, UNPRETENTIOUS
The Hebrew language defines the word as such:
Kana: (pronounced Kaw-Nah) to bend the knee; hence to humiliate, bring down, into subjection, subdue
Now, I would like to look again at II Chronicles 7:14, the first line reads: If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, since God is referring to HIS PEOPLE WHO ARE CALLED BY HIS NAME, then is there a chance that perhaps we as Christians might be guilty of pride? Is there an area of our lives where pride has snuck in but we call it by a different name? God was talking to US!
I would like you to look for a moment at a story where pride was prevalent in a few followers of Christ.
John 13:3-5 Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God;
He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself.
After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.
Now is this not an act of humility? Did not Christ personify the act of humbling Himself?
It is very clear pride was not an issue with Jesus! Imagine with me, if you will, if it had gone something like this:
Jesus: Now listen here, I am the Son of God (a Christian) and all of you have pride so I need you to wash my feet as an act of humility. I need you to step down off your high horse and lower yourself and prove that you have no pride and cannot live without me.
Can you just imagine if Jesus had approached the disciples in this fashion?
Through this lesson the Christ followers were enlightened! Jesus displayed an act of humility. He was not arrogant or haughty. He did not remind them, as He humbled Himself, how much they needed Him. He knew the story behind each one, and He understood the level of pride in each one, and still he knelt down and washed their feet, which by the way, in that day, was the job of a servant!
With this said, is it possible that if we recognize someone with pride in their life, rather than pointing out the obvious, that we should humble ourselves as Christians and wash their feet? Rather than diagnosing the problem, we should be as Jesus and become servants?
You see, Jesus knew what was getting ready to happen, it was no surprise to Him that Peter would pipe up with the following statements:
Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet?
Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.
Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. (vs. 6-8)
How did Jesus break down the walls of pride? He humbled Himself as an example and foot washing was just the beginning! This was a lesson in, not only that we must be cleansed by Jesus, but as we become more and more like Him, we are to humble ourselves before those who display what we diagnose as pride! There may be a great lesson learned when we take on a servants heart…we may find that the person we assumed was consumed with pride needed someone to reach out to them!
Which leads me to the question, why do we assume if someone doesn’t approach us when they are in need that they have pride? If you go back and read John 13 you will not find that disciples came to Jesus and said Master please wash our feet! Peter didn’t get it until Jesus spoke clearly to Him that a servant’s heart and attitude was necessary!
It was the act of humility that opened the eyes of Peter! It was in the act of Jesus washing their feet that they were finally able to see they were in need! Thus if we are to show the world Jesus, should we not reflect His example, rather than chalking them off as prideful? Many do not know they are in need of a Savior. Many have not yet come to the full understanding that we must humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, yet it was the act of washing their feet that Jesus pointed this out! It was His humble (by the way humble is an adjective) actions that they were able to see the full benefit of the cross!
Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.
Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all.
For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean. (vs. 9-11)
It is His presence that defines our weaknesses! It is His sacrifice that reveals our inability to be self-sufficient.
So, as Christians / follower’s of Christ what is our responsibility? We must be fine tuned to the voice of God. We must remain humble at His feet and it is in this act that we will be able to face a world full of pride! Jesus could have said, you know boys, you are in desperate need of a savior, but before I go to the cross and give you anything you must let down your pride and admit that you are needful – He could have put it that way, but He didn’t! He knew pride was an issue, but how He handled it was with a servant’s heart! HE LED BY EXAMPLE, HE WASHED THEIR FEET!
So, you may be wondering what all of this is about. I am bothered by my own attitude, where ‘pride’ so easily takes a hold. Honesty is the best policy, and I will tell you from my heart, it has been very difficult for me to ask for help when I have needed it! I’ve walked a long road of supporting myself, and went through a great trial of thinking I could do it on my own, only to be shown (through much prayer) that ‘pride’ was keeping me for seeking help.
I have had to humble myself more than once and ask for help from those around me, and very grateful that they have been there but before this change in attitude I was guilty of thinking why should I tell them I need help, if they can’t see the obvious, I’m not telling them. The Lord has really shown me this bad attitude in my life, and there comes a time when we have to reach out!
On the other hand, I want to be a Christian that is approachable! I want to rid the attitude of pride that creeps in when I expect people to seek me out for help.
Let’s look again at the definition of pride:
1: the quality or state of being proud: as a : inordinate self-esteem : CONCEIT b : a reasonable or justifiable self-respect c : delight or elation arising from some act, possession, or relationship
2: proud or disdainful behavior or treatment : DISDAIN
Do I treat those around me as if I’ve arrived and if they are in need they must bow to me and request it? Do I expect people to tell me when they are cold, and if they don’t, I simply say well when they get rid of their pride they will seek me out for a coat? What is my attitude towards those that have less than me? Do I wash the feet of those around me?
Have you ever sought help and were made to feel less than a human being? Have you ever sought help and then it was lorded over you? Have you ever sought help then was reminded over and over as to what they did for you, not only you but everyone around you knows what was done for you? Has this ever happened?
Brothers and sisters, we must recognize that we all fall short and we all are in need of a Savior! We must recognize that the coat we have on our back is a blessing from God and if you have more than one coat then you are doubly blessed! We must follow the instruction of II Chronicles 7:14 and humble ourselves under the mighty hand of GOD! With this in mind we must expect for people to humble themselves at the feet of Jesus, not our feet! When we expect people to come to us for the good news of the Gospel and fall at our feet we are missing something!
My point is this haughtiness is not pretty! Pride is ugly! It is distasteful in non-believers but it is a sickening thing in a Christ follower! We must examine ourselves and look closely at what it is we see in everyone we meet. Do we see Pride before we see a broken heart? Do we see pride before we see hurt and confusion?
Jesus knew the disciples would not understand His washing their feet. He knew there was pride that needed to come down, but He combated the pride with an act of humility, showing them that it is through humbling ourselves as servants, that we are able to receive what we need. When we have a humble spirit all haughtiness disappears and perhaps then we as Christ followers will be capable of leading others to the foot of the Cross!
© Jounda LaMance December 12, 2006
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You are so correct! Amen and Amen. Well written!
Randy