Keep From Falling
Growing up, I often heard my mother say, “The higher you go, the harder the fall.” “Pride goes before a fall” was another one of her common sayings. She was teaching me the truth about the dangers of pride, but in this present day and age, pride is encouraged as a good thing.
Have you ever considered what the Bible has to say about pride and being proud?
The Bible says in II Timothy 3:1-4 KJV, “This know also, that in the last days, perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, …”
Are you high-minded? Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines high-minded as proud; arrogant. Romans 11:1 in the KJV instructs us, “Be not high-minded but fear.”
The opposite of pride is humility. Humility is freedom from pride and arrogance; humbleness of mind; a modest estimate of one’s own worth, according to Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary. The Bible says Jesus was humble. God never said He was proud of Jesus, although He did say He was well-pleased with him-Jesus.
Pride is never used in a positive way in Scripture. Here is a description of Levithan- the devil- found in Job 41:34 KJV, ” He maketh the deep to boil like a pot: he maketh the sea like a pot of ointment. He maketh a path to shine after him; one would think the deep to be hoary. Upon earth, there is not his like, who is made without fear. He beholdeth all high things: he is a king over all the children of pride.”
Based on what I have read in the Bible, I don’t believe pride is a good thing. I’ve yet to find one positive verse about pride but there are numerous verses about the evilness of pride. My goal is please my Lord, Jesus Chist, not act like a child of the devil! I need the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ every day to accomplish this.
The way to overcome pride is to go down. The Bible says in James 4:6 KJV – “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.” “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: ” 1 Peter 5:6 KJV.
He is able to keep you and me from falling into pride. Thanks be to God!
“Now unto him that is able to
