The Single Way Out of Harmful Pride

By Grace Sweeney.

 

 

Credits: Ann's younger sister.  

 

"I will never let them go."

I'm sure that line ran through Pharaoh's mind almost constantly during chapters six through fourteen in Exodus.

Pharaoh had enslaved the people of Israel, and no matter what, he was determined to hold on to them.

The people of Israel had enriched him and built him many great buildings and palaces, showing him to be one of the richest kings around. Why would he want to give that up?

The people of Egypt saw Pharaoh to be one of their gods. Pharaoh saw himself as a god, which is why he tried so hard to resist the one true God. Throughout those chapters in Exodus, he continues to try to exalt himself against God and God continues to show him that the Lord God of Israel is stronger than any man, no matter how powerful they think they are. In the end, Pharaoh's oldest son is killed because of his stubborn pride.

His pride didn't end there, even though his son was dead. After the people of Israel left Egypt, rejoicing in their freedom, he sent all his soldiers after them. God humbled him one last time when all of Pharaoh's army was destroyed as the waters of the Red Sea covered them.

Pride can never stand against God.

Think of Saul, later called Paul, in the New Testament. He was a Pharisee of Pharisees, one of the best of the best. He had a high position and was very respected. He was one of the most determined persecutors of the Christian church. He held a lot of pride in who he was and what he did.

Do any of us have pride like that? Pride in what status our family has or pride in something we've accomplished at school? It’s far too easy to let that pride go a little too far and overtake us, making us too prideful, to a point where it's shutting other people and even God out of our self-centered life.

When Saul was traveling to Damascus one day, God shone his glory from heaven and blinded Saul, at the same time admonishing him for what he was doing to persecute the church. God told Saul to go to a Christian in the city and that person would heal him from blindness. That was certainly a humbling thing for Paul—a rich, respected Pharisee—to do.

But he did it, and then became one of the most humble, influential Christian missionaries of that time.

It's impossible to be truly humble without God's help.

Jesus was the ultimate picture of humility. He humbled himself to come down to earth as a lowly man and die a criminal's death, all for our sins. No one is more humble than Jesus, and it's only Jesus who can give us true humility in our hearts.

God is the only way through pride. His Word is the only thing that can break us out of it. He's the only one we can truly learn how to be humble from.

So—right now—ask Him for help. If there's an area in your life you've been too prideful in, tell Him that. Ask Jesus to help you to put Him first. Then ask him for help to put other people above yourself, your accomplishments, and everything else.

And He will help you in this.

"Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you." (James 4:10)

 

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