|
Daniel 4:37
Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble.
1 Peter 5:5-6
5 Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.
God expresses his feeling towards the proud.
God opposses the proud, God does not tolerate pride. The devil was so proud that he wanted to be God (I Sa 14:13-14). But God oppossed him and threw him out of heaven.As disciples we got to watch out from this deadly sin.
Because pride can lead us to feel :-
1. I am right
Matthew 7:3-7
3 "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?
4 How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?
5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.
6 "Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.
7 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
Numbers 16:1-2,9-11
1 Korah son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and certain Reubenites--Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth--became insolent
2 and rose up against Moses. With them were 250 Israelite men, well-known community leaders who had been appointed members of the council.
9 Isn't it enough for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the rest of the Israelite community and brought you near himself to do the work at the Lord's tabernacle and to stand before the community and minister to them?
10 He has brought you and all your fellow Levites near himself, but now you are trying to get the priesthood too.
11 It is against the LORD that you and all your followers have banded together. Who is Aaron that you should grumble against him?"
Korah rebelled against Moses. He just felt he was right and that feeling led him to be critical. Thats what pride does, It makes us feel that, we are always right and others are wrong and then it becomes critical and then rebellious.
Jesus challenges us, not to forget our own mistakes and faults.
Lets not just sit around finding faults but instead step out and help or in other words do the needful.
2. I did it
Deuteronomy 8:15
He led you through the vast and dreadful desert, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock.
Hosea 13:6
When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot me.
A lot of success and victories in our lives can make us think that our talents, our techniques, our charisma did it. Its nothing but pride.
Without God we are nothing. We need to rely on God always.
How much we pray? How much we read the Bible?
How much time we takeout for Gods work? Shows our relationship with God.
Never forget who gives us the victory, who gives us the strength etc.
3. I dont need help
2 Chronicles 26:16-21
16 But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the LORD his God, and entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense.
17 Azariah the priest with eighty other courageous priests of the LORD followed him in.
18 They confronted him and said, "It is not right for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the LORD. That is for the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who have been consecrated to burn incense. Leave the sanctuary, for you have been unfaithful; and you will not be honored by the LORD God."
19 Uzziah, who had a censer in his hand ready to burn incense, became angry. While he was raging at the priests in their presence before the incense altar in the Lord's temple, leprosy broke out on his forehead.
20 When Azariah the chief priest and all the other priests looked at him, they saw that he had leprosy on his forehead, so they hurried him out. Indeed, he himself was eager to leave, because the LORD had afflicted him.
21 King Uzziah had leprosy until the day he died. He lived in a separate house --leprous, and excluded from the temple of the LORD. Jotham his son had charge of the palace and governed the people of the land.
Uzzaih's pride led to his downfall (vs16). He was not willing to listen to the advice given by the priests. Instead he was angry and decided to do what he wanted to.
He did not seek advice or even listen to the advice given.
So he acted foolishly and paid for it. Lets always seek advice before we make decisions. Seek advice about your schedule, holidays, finance, Marriage etc. It will prevent us from being foolish.
Proverbs 11:14
For lack of guidance a nation falls, but many advisers make victory sure.
Proverbs 12:15
The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice.
4. I am fine
2 Corinthians 2:8-9
8 I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him.
9 The reason I wrote you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything.
1 Thessalonians 2:8
We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.
Paul was open about his life, his weaknesses. It is not clear to us what his weaknesses were, but most definitely was known to them. Also in Thessolonlans he says that apart from the gospel he shared about his life too. In 2 cor 1:8-9 he expresses his emotions.
2 Corinthians 1:8-9
8 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life.
9 Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.
James 5:16
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
Talks about confession to one another. Pride can stop us from being totally open about lives, our sins. But instead we put on a mask of "I am fine". Lets put aside our pride and be totally open about who we are? and what we are? really from with in.
|
