It’s a tale as old as time. Mankind has grappled with the same problem throughout every season, age, and dynasty. Consult a disgruntled employee on what they think is wrong with their boss. The answer is often connected to the boss’s obsessive behavior, moral failure, or injustice.
Many marriage problems can be whittled down to one spouse prioritizing themselves over the other and the other spouse starving for attention or recognition. Have you ever watched two brothers play a game together? Healthy competition is good, but a competitive spirit typically results in hurt feelings and broken relationships.
The base of most of life’s problems is rooted in pride. We see this played out cyclically in the first eleven chapters of Genesis.
- Adam & Eve (Genesis 3)
- Cain & Abel (Genesis 4:1-16)
- The Flood (Genesis 6:1-8)
- The Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9)
God understands that the root of man’s sin is pride. That is why when He called Israel to be His people, He gave them the law. The law wasn’t designed to be an oppressive rule list. Rather, it was designed to highlight man’s pride and inability to save himself, thus herding him towards humble redemption.
“And one of them, a lawyer, asked [Jesus] a question to test him. ‘Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?’ And he said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: you shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” — Matthew 22:36-39
Pride’s greatest downfall is that it draws man away from God. When Satan tempted Eve, he didn’t begin by offering Eve to become a god. He subtly appealed to her senses. He twisted her desire for goodness, tantalized her taste for knowledge, and drew her eyes off of God. This led her focus onto satisfying her own desires rather than on what would glorify God. In that moment, she invited love for self to determine her course of action. Eve took control of her own life, severing her right relationship with God.
Eve gets a bad rap for being the first to sin, but honestly, we would have all made the same choice. If you don’t agree, continue to read the Bible or any history book. Pride is self-seeking and it destroys lives. It “goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.”
(Proverbs 16:18)
The Way Forward
“Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near;
let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
let him return to the LORD that he may have compassion on him, and to
our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” — Isaiah 55:6-7
Humility is the opposite of pride. It is learning to swallow our own self-focused ways and submit to the Lord. This is practically done through honest confession and willing obedience. God restores His children to right relationship with Himself and gives them grace (1 Peter 5:5).
When we are transformed by God’s righteousness, then we are able to be effective agents of justice. Justice is not a vigilante service. It is displayed through genuine love for others: caring for needs, doing good, and esteeming others as greater than yourself. This demonstrates right relationship with God in active, willing obedience to love our neighbor.
Self-Reflection
What does your personal relationship with pride and humility look like today? This can be a hard one to personally evaluate, so I encourage you to examine the following questions adapted from Isaiah 1:16-20. Take them before the Lord in prayer.
- Is my worship true and honest?
- Do I have any habitual sin?
- Am I learning to do what is right in God’s eyes?
- Do I have a willing and obedient spirit?
- Who do I care for first—myself or others?
- What areas am I seeking to control?
A Prayer for You Today
“Lord, you are kind and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in mercy. You reject the proud and extend grace to the humble. We all struggle with pride in our lives. It’s an ugly part of this world we cannot escape. But you, God, have promised to help us in our time of need. If we call on you, you will cleanse and restore us. I ask Lord, that you will root out any prideful way within us today. Teach us what is good. Lead us into right relationship with God and man. May our worship be true and honest, our lives honoring in your sight. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
