A Sneaky Form Of Pride

Ruth

God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.

—1 Peter 5:5 ESV

Peter didn’t mince his words. He told it like it is. Probably because he knew so well the danger of pride. After all, he was always the first disciple to put his foot in his mouth! So when Peter, who was much older, wrote on the topic of pride and humility, he put it pretty plainly.

“God opposes the proud” (1 Peter 5:5 ESV).

God is not indifferent to our feeble attempts to steal the glory that only He deserves! He stands against it. He wants something different. Something better for us. And He promises to give grace to the humble instead. What makes pride such a serious issue to God?

For starters, it tries to elevate us above God, not just away from God. It puts us at the center. In our preoccupation with self, we are often quick to defend ourselves and puff ourselves up. But pride can also be competitive, always trying to get more or get ahead of others.

We often think of prideful people as those who love themselves. But did you know there is another sneaky form of pride? It can also show up in our hearts when we are always down on ourselves. Self-importance and self-loathing are two sides of the same prideful coin!

When we are always putting ourselves down, talking about how bad we have it, throwing pity parties, and fishing for reassurance or affirmation by making fun of ourselves, we still have us at the center.

Pride doesn’t settle our souls, but humility can. The humble heart is one fixed on loving God and loving others. Humility thinks more about others and less about self. This is, after all, how Jesus loved us.

Today ask God to take your focus off yourself. Ask Him to give you the grace you need to love others more and keep a humble heart.

Father, You alone deserve to be at the center. Teach me to focus less on myself and more on others. Create in me a heart that is neither self-important nor self-loathing. Help me move toward others in the same way You have moved toward me—in love, grace, and humility. In Jesus’ name, amen.

How does self-loathing most often show up in your life?

What is one way you can begin to “clothe yourself with humility” (1 Peter 5:5)?