There is a vice of which no man, woman, boy or girl in the world is free of.
We can see it in someone else, but not in ourselves. I have heard people
admit their faults, but I have never heard anyone accuse themselves of pride.
It is the complete anti-God state-of-mind, where Christ is not its head. The
Webster's Dictionary says: Pride, the state or quality of being proud; and unrea-
sonable opinion of one's own superiority over others; inordinate self-esteem.
It is pride which has been chief cause of misery in nations and families
since the world began. Pride always brings division, between husbands
and wives, parents and children, friends, you and God, and inner conflicts.
In Jesus as your personal Saviour, you come up against someone who is
in every respect superior to you and your problems. As long as you are proud
you cannot know God's ways, or his peace. A proud man or woman is always
looking down on things and people, and of course, as long as you are looking
down, you cannot receive your blessings from above.
Pride is a spiritual cancer. It eats up love, contentment, common sense,
and our relationships. The church is to be a place that is born again in Christ,
reflecting God's passion, love, righteousness, justice and mercy. When we
are a Holy Church, we make an impact on a hurting world.
No matter how desperate the circumstances, you will find the main thing to
deal with is pride. God loves us, but hates this trait in us, Proverbs 30:12. A
proud look is one of the six deadly sins, Proverbs 6:16-17. Pride also brings
shame and contention. In remembering what the Holy Bible says to us, we
would lessen a lot of the trouble we bring our lives if we would only follow God's
instructions. Pride is self-deception and God resists the proud and gives
grace to the humble. Pride says, "You owe me, your respect must be earned,
or its someone else's fault." Respect is not earned, it is something that as
Christians we should have for one another.
When pride comes, then we judge each other and feel love should be
earned, when in fact, God's love is a free gift. Charity (love) suffereth long
and is kind, charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked,
thinketh no evil; I Corinthians 13:4.
Pride will degrade people, use language that is unfit, hurt people and not
care. A person who is not at peace with themselves cannot be at peace
with those around them, and the only way to be at peace with oneself is to be
at peace with God. This is why a person who does not respect others cannot
respect themselves, and will not as long as pride is there separating them
from God's love.
Pride builds walls to keep people out. Love builds bridges to harmony,
peace, and salvation in Christ.
Churches and the Christian life are not be private social clubs. We are to
go into all the world teaching and preaching Christ and his Gospel. Pride
preaches self-righteousness and keeps us from Christ and his saving grace
and love.
As Ephesians 4:31-32 says; Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and
clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even
as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
