So, we pickup where we left off the other day.
Why does God hate pride so passionately?
Here's why:
"Pride is when sinful human beings aspire to the status and position of God and refuse to acknowledge their dependence upon Him. Charles Bridges once noted how pride lifts up one's heart against God and 'contends for supremacy' with Him. That's a keenly insightful and biblical definition of pride's essence: contending for supremacy with God, and lifting up our hearts against Him. For purposes of personal confession, I began adopting this definition of pride a few years ago after I came to realize that, to some degree, I'd grown unaffected by pride in my life. Though I was still confessing pride, I knew I wasn't sufficiently convicted of it. So rather than just confessing to God that 'I was proud in that situation' and appealing for His forgiveness, I learned to say instead, 'Lord, in that moment, with that attitude and that action, I was contending for supremacy with You. That's what it was all about. Forgive me.' And rather than confessing to another person, 'that statement was prideful on my part; will you please forgive me?' I began saying, 'what I just did was contending for supremacy with God,' and only then asking for the person's forgiveness. This practice increased a weight of conviction in my heart about the seriousness of this sin. Pride takes innumerable forms but has only one end: self-glorification. That's the motive and ultimate purpose of pride - to rob God of legitimate glory and to pursue self-glorification, contending for supremacy with Him. The proud person seeks to glorify himself and not God, thereby attempting in effect to deprive God of something only He is worthy to receive. No wonder God opposes pride. No wonder He hates pride. Let that truth sink into your thinking."
2 comments:
Thank-you for those thoughts. My own Pastor has said that probably every sin stems from pride. Surely, Christian parents must have a monumental challenge with raising children, these days, to not be prideful, when the world praises children for everything, not wanting them to be "psychologically damaged" by failure. And if that's not bad enough....we need to look at ourselves in the mirror each day and see if we can see what God sees.
Totally agree. Even John, the Baptist, said of Jesus, “He must increase… and I must decrease.” This is so foreign to our hearts. We, as Christ followers, struggle daily … and, of course, the Devil knows our weaknesses and proclivities. We must walk humbly, closely yoked up with Him… in His joys and in the sufferings He endured. James 4:7 “ Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Ephesians 6:10-18 “ 10 ¶ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.
14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.
16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;
17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,
18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,
19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel,
20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.” Philippians 1:21 “ For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
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