"I'm So Proud I'm Humble"

The sports commentator interviews the winning captain. The team captain's answer? "We did it with humility and teamwork." A news anchor interviews an author, who says, "I'm just a humble woman telling my story." The successful businessperson brags about his humble beginnings. We hear it all the time. We're proud of our humility.

It would be funny if it weren't true. People are proud of being humble. My grandfather used to label it "false humility."

Pride is one of the sins—first on the list—of things God hates. These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren (Proverbs 6:16-19). Why do you think that is?

Pride was the devil's sin. Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God …. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness (Ezekiel 28:13a, 15, 17a).

Pride was the sin of Adam and Eve. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat (Genesis 3:4-6). Eve was fooled into believing the serpent more than she believed God. She wanted to be wise like a god, so she partook. Adam followed her. Sadly, they condemed all of mankind to be born with a sin nature. Lest we judge them harshly (in our own pride), we should be mindful that every human being would have done the same thing. We would have sinned, too.

Pride is our sin. Because of our innate sin nature, it's something everyone has to battle. Jesus said, For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man (Mark 7:21-23).

Have you ever looked at someone else with disdain? I'm better than she is, you think with satisfaction. That's pride.

You notice another woman's wearing an outfit that shows a great lack of fashion sense. Didn't she look in the mirror? You glance down at your own stylish little dress and jacket and smile. That's pride.

Someone says something extremely dumb—like the blond jokes people tell. You think to yourself, My, that person's stupid. That's pride.

God hates pride—and we're all guilty of it. We might not be boastful and outwardly manifesting our pride. It might only be in our thought life. But it's still there. Where does it come from? For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world (1 John 2:16). "The world" means the world system, and in the Bible, the world isn't a good thing. If anything's not of God, it's not good, either. An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin (Proverbs 21:4).

Jesus set the example of selflessness—even though He is God and has every right to be treated as God. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:5-11).

Let this mind be in you.

Jesus said, Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls (Matthew 11:29).

How is this even possible? It must be, because God asks us to do it. As we grow in Him, God will give us the grace that enables us to be less prideful. But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble (James 4:6).

Being humble is actually being honest. God is everything, and we are sinners, saved by the unmerited favor of God, through faith in Jesus' payment on the cross for our sins. We don't deserve anything good, yet the Lord is merciful. An accurate picture of self and God will help us be more humble. Consider these verses.

• For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself (Galatians 6:3).
• For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith (Romans 12:3).
• But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth (2 Corinthians 10:17-18).

Because God hates pride, one of the qualifications for a pastor is that he is a mature Christian: Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil (1 Timothy 3:6). We've all seen the television preachers who've fallen because of this sin of pride coupled with greed. God wants pastors to be humble servant leaders. They're to love people, teach them Bible truths, and be willing to be on the same level as their people.

Being humble has its reward. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted (Matthew 23:12).

No one is immune from proud thoughts. We would do well to recognize them and replace them immediately. We need to get the right perspective on God and on others. It is possible!

Let this mind be in you.