Pride

What is your credit score? What position did your high school football team place in your junior year? Do you carry one of those plum, black or platinum cards? On your Tivo which shows do you “thumb up” or “thumb down”? Rating life and the things that go with it are very common. We review movie ratings, restaurant ratings, purchase consumer reports on how well an item performs, let’s face it we rate everything.

Rating sin on a scale is not something God does, when it comes to sin it’s just sin. So if you run a red light; you sinned and that does not constitute any less consequences than if you cheated on your spouse for 30 years. It’s hard to imagine but in God’s eyes sin is sin. It all does the same thing, it kills us.

But if there was a root to all sin you could argue it was the sin of pride.

“For all that is in the world— the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world.” (1 John 2:16 ESV)

See pride is a principle source of division between people and God. Whereas the other deadly sins on our list of seven have a severe impact, pride takes it to the level that says, “I don’t need anything or anyone but myself!” Usually pride is the beginning of sin.

It is pride that refuses to get help, it’s pride that takes more accolades than necessary. It’s pride that thinks too much of itself and over estimates its abilities. For as much as it might help a person it pays back in hurt. Prides formula is always 1 part help, 2 parts hurt. And it’s pride that does not desire a relationship with God and says you can do this on your own. Pride states “to do life your way” and from there a multitude of problems start to take hold.

Billy White shares this story, “I recently took a 45-minute drive in an old, beat-up van with a guy I barely know. Along the way we ended up talking about Jesus and whether this man would give his life to Christ. His response to me laid out humanity's resistance to the gospel with striking clarity. He said, "My biggest problem is pride. I can't humble myself. And you wanna know the reason I can't give up my pride?" He leaned up onto the steering wheel and paused for effect. "Because it's brought me so far."

I couldn't believe my ears. I knew that his pride had brought nothing but great pain. It was all he held onto while growing up in gangs—while his father died of a drug overdose and his mother was in the mafia. I knew that this self-made man beat his wife regularly, that he was unemployed, that he had just gotten out of prison. In fact, I found out a week later that he was on his way back into prison!

In a separate conversation, his wife told me that his young daughters are terrified of him, that he is an alcoholic, and that she is planning to leave him. She even told me that the old van he was driving was going to be repossessed in a week.
Yet despite all our differences, I couldn't help but notice that in some ways, this guy and I are similar. I struggle to lay down my pride, because it's brought me so far—or so I think. What it's really brought both him and me—and you, no doubt—is pain, isolation, and ruined relationships.”

Heavenly Father, help me lay down my pride and to see where you can help me. I don’t want to live like you don’t exist or can’t help me. May I never be foolish as to not extend my hands and my life to you all my days. Instead I choose to humble myself to your ways and ask you would forgive me for all the times I left you in the dust. Jesus take full control of my life. In Jesus Name—Amen!