Proverbs 11:2 – Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. (NLT)

Jansen was the head of a medium-sized organization. He and I were acquaintances, but little more. He needed someone to fill a certain position in which I was skilled, and he invited me to join. From the beginning, I felt that I had made a mistake. Jansen paraded around like the sole cock in the chicken yard. He made the rules and asked no one else's opinion. Anyone who dared to buck his system was scathingly rebuked. Rarely did he speak to anyone unless he was spoken to first.

Something about Jansen just didn't seem right to me, but I simply assumed that my first-time impression was wrong. Despite his mannerisms and prideful personality, people were drawn to his charismatic temperament.

Jansen's pride, however, came home to roost. Thirteen years after coming to the organization, he was caught carrying on affairs with numerous women in and outside of the organization. He was soundly rebuked by the ruling board, who requested his resignation. Pride sliced him deeply and brought him down.

Pride will do for anyone what it did for Jansen. When we're proud, we're thinking more of ourselves than we should. While we shouldn't think less of ourselves than is healthy, we must remember that we are who we are solely because of what Jesus Christ has done. As a Christ-follower, we've been given His righteousness, but we had nothing to do with being worthy of it.

Pride repels others. Jansen may have had a winning personality, but there were just as many who avoided his organization because of his arrogance. No one enjoys hanging around with someone who thinks that they are better than others.

Pride also interferes with our dependence on God. When pride controls us, we'll think that we can handle life ourselves, forgetting that we can do all things only through Christ — not through ourselves.

Pride will eventually lead to a downfall, as it did with Jansen. What the downfall might be or how severe the consequences might be may vary, but the bringing down by God will happen.

We must not let pride slice us. We must stay humble and remember that we are who we are solely because of the grace and mercy of God.

Prayer: Father, remove pride from our lives so that we can serve You with humility — as You have served us. Amen.

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About the author:

Martin Wiles <mandmwiles@gmail.com>
Greenwood, South Carolina, USA
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