TODAY’S SIGNATURE VERSE ••• Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall. (Proverbs 16:18 NKJV)
PRAISE & PRAYER PROMPT •••
“Pride cometh before a fall.” One of the most famous (of many) proverbs about the destructive tendencies of pride. Pride paves the path to destruction, yet it’s a heavily traveled road. No judgment. I have left plenty of footprints myself on that road….
As our world becomes ever more narcissistic and focused on me-centric, selfish ways — pride seems to be the order of the day, and the practice of humility is becoming increasingly rare.
I would argue that being humble is considered a form of weakness in an arrogant world. Yet, if we stop to think about the polar opposites of pride versus humility, we find that it’s entirely backward. There is no strength in pride because it takes no effort. It’s easy for our flesh to be prideful.
Humility, on the other hand, takes strength. It requires an intentional decision not to rush to the front of the line or shove our way to the top. Humility pauses and lets others go first. Humility recognizes the needs of others. Humility brings with it both patience and wisdom. It’s not about being a doormat, but it is about holding the door. As C.S. Lewis famously said, “Humility isn’t thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.”
So if pride leads to destruction, we know that humility leads to construction. When we are humble, God can create in us a new heart (Ezekiel 36:26). When we humbly come to Christ, He can make us new (2 Corinthians 5:17). Through humility and repentance, we are cleaned of our sins (Psalm 51:10). When we are humble, we can walk in the good works God has planned (Ephesians 2:10). The Lord makes clear in His Word that He loves humility and gives His grace to the humble (James 4:6).
When faced with the easy choice of pride versus the hard choice of humility, we can count on humility to be the better way every time.
Today, as you pray, thank Jesus for modeling humility when He came to serve rather than to be served (Matthew 20:28). Ask the Holy Spirit to give you a humble heart and to choose the humble path over the prideful.
SHARING ••• My Grace-Full Life is written by Denise Heidel. You are welcome to share anything I write, but please credit my writing and graphics accordingly. Visit www.MyGraceFullLife.com to read past blogs. Subscribe through my website to have My Grace-Full Life delivered to your email. You can unsubscribe at any time. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the NKJV translation.
