Week 32: Haughty of Spirit? Watch out!

 

John Maxwell says there are two kinds of pride, good and bad. We are going to talk about the “bad pride”; the deadly sin of superiority that reeks of conceit and arrogance.

Stating that this kind of pride is one of the seven deadly sins in Roman Catholic theology, John Ruskin goes on to assert that sinful pride disposes a person to think more of oneself than one ought to, with no recognition of or appreciation for the gifts one has received from God (James 1:17). The danger of pride is that it pushes God to the margins of one’s spiritual, moral, and temporal existence, putting the prideful person at the moral centre.

When you consider that “God opposes the proud” (James 4:6), you get some idea of God looks at the sin of pride. Proverbs mentions God as saying that “I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.” Indeed, if one reads through the book of Proverbs carefully with a heart to apply for oneself its words of wisdom, it is difficult to emerge without the conviction that pride leads to disgrace, punishment and destruction. The coup de grace I believe is delivered by Proverbs 26:12

Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him.
And we have some live examples that ought to frighten us. The book of Daniel (Ch.5: 20-21) says of King Nebuchadnezzar that when his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne and stripped of his glory. He was driven from the sons of men, his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. Absolutely abhorrent, what?
The Psalmist also speaks on the subject (73:6): Therefore, pride compasseth them about as a chain says the KJV; the newer translations prefer to soften the blow with “necklace”. But “chain” gives the visual imagery of being tied down, shackled, looking down at oneself, unable to take-in the wider picture.
Paul, who can be counted upon to dispense his divine wisdom on most every subject, declares that
“For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you”.(Romans 12:3) and for good measure adds in v.16 ” Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.” And in the de rigueur wedding reading (1 Cor.13:4), he declares that “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.“
Amidst all this flagellation of pride, comes Ezra Benson’s sobering statement that “pride is a sin that can readily be seen in others but is rarely admitted in ourselves.” It is therefore important to examine ourselves (2 Cor. 13:5) to see whether we are playing the Pharisee in Jesus’s evocative parable wherein he compares himself with the Publican (Luke 18:9-14). Do you struggle with pride? Lewis recommends a simple test: the more pride you have, the more you dislike it in others!
It is good to remember that the devil became the devil through pride; pushing this point further Lewis holds that it’s the complete anti-God state of mind, a view stated by David s well in Ps.10:4. Phew!
In order to enable ourselves to overcome prideful tendency, perhaps we need to heed the advice of Paul in Phil. 2:3 where he says 3″Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves” . Let us bring Ruskin back again to motivate us to do something very difficult: “It is better to lose your pride with someone you love rather than to lose that someone you love with your useless pride.”

AI agrees.

That’s a beautiful and profound sentiment. It highlights the importance of valuing relationships over ego. Sometimes, letting go of pride can strengthen bonds and bring people closer together. Have you experienced a situation where this quote resonated with you?

Ego? Let go

 

 

 

4 thoughts on “Week 32: Haughty of Spirit? Watch out!”

  1. True that the one who has a generous amount of pride doesn’t see it in one’s self but rather sees it in others….

  2. What you send are good reminders Judah, and I value and enjoy going through them.

    Wish you a Happy Birthday and God bless.

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