“Though the LORD is great, he cares for the humble, but he keeps his distance from the proud.” Psalm 138:6 NLT
Summer days and nights bring much enjoyment with longer daylight hours and warmer temperatures. Along with the joy comes the need to protect one shelf from the sun’s rays and the nasty bugs that are as much a part of summer as relaxing at your favorite picnic spot. Protection comes from the variety of items on the market today from sunscreen to bug repellents. These work to keep away dangerous rays from the sun and annoying pests of summer for a better experience of the warmer season.
I never thought of pride being a synonym for repellent, but David says in Psalm 138 that the Lord ‘keeps his distance from the proud.’ Pride acts as a repellent by keeping itself at arm’s length from all who are around it. Prideful individuals who constantly boast of their accomplishments turn off everyone in the sound of their voice. People grow tired and weary of hearing the repeated claims of their achievements. Their pride is repelling and driving them away.
We can all call to mind someone who would fit into that category of boastful pride, but where would we place ourselves on the same scale? We may tend to overlook a little boasting now and then thinking I deserve it (I did an excellent job). And maybe so, but where should our boasting be? Paul gives us some good advice. “Therefore, as the Scriptures say, ‘If you want to boast, boast only about the LORD.’” (1Cor.1:31 nlt) The Lord is the one who enables to achieve anything so let us boast in Him and not repel ourselves to others and especially to the Lord God.
