Pride Leads to Disgrace

“Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.” Proverbs 11:2 NLT

‘But he gives us even more grace to stand against such evil desires. As the Scriptures say,
‘God opposes the proud but favors the humble.’” James 4:6 NLT

Pride is a word we hear and come across often today, especially at this time of year. It does have several meanings according to Websters New World Dictionary, ‘pride’ is defined as 1. a)  an unduly high opinion of oneself b) haughtiness, arrogance. 2. dignity and self-respect. 3. satisfaction in something done, owed, etc. 4. a person or thing in which pride is taken. Christians often struggle with pride. For example, is it wrong to be proud of certain accomplishments you have achieved through hard work? Are you wrong to be proud of a son or daughter who has just graduated from high school or college? And what about the successes of those we know who have reached the highest level of their profession, do we refrain from being proud of them?

The Bible has a lot to say about pride, mostly in a negative sense, but not always. Isaiah writes of legitimate pride during Jesus’ reign on earth, “But in that day, the branch of the LORD will be beautiful and glorious; the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of all who survive in Israel.” (Is.4:2 nlt) But for the most part, Scripture speaks of pride as part of our sinful fallen nature. The apostle John says, “For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.” (1Jn.2:16 nlt) When our accomplishments and achievements are viewed without God in mind as we boast in who we are and what we have done, it is the sin of pride. All sin has its roots in pride. Satan’s fall from grace as Lucifer, son of the morning, was due to his pride. (Is.14:12-15)

So, what are you proud of? Was the Lord’s hand in it? Did you do it for His glory and would He approve of it? Are you proud of someone else’s achievements for the same reasons? Is God glorified by the accomplishments of that individual you are proud of? Having pride in something or somebody must always be filtered through the God of the Bible and His words to us. Let us be obedient to His Word and live humbly before Him realizing ‘pride leads to disgrace.’