We are prideful people. Each of us, even if we don’t want to admit it. Every sin proves our pride. Every time we sin, we had the choice not to sin. We knew what was God’s way, what was right, but we decided to do what we wanted to do anyway. In effect we are saying we know what is better for us than God does. And in that moment we have made ourselves to be God.
We have exalted our will above His. We’ve all done it, and often every day. It’s how I know we are all prideful people because I know we all sin. Before you get too down on yourself, know there is hope for our predicament. There is a cure for pride.
The cure for pride is humility. It’s something every Christ follower should possess. Humility is not optional for a disciple of Jesus. To follow Christ is to recognize how amazing He is and how amazing you are not. Nothing should humble you more quickly than gazing at the feet of Jesus. We are so unworthy of His love. We are so unworthy of Him. Yet He still gave up everything for you and me. For a moment in time, Jesus gave up being nothing but God. He became a person like us for the sole purpose of dying on our behalf. The next time you’re feeling prideful, ask yourself when was the last time you gave up being God?
Our sacrifices are pathetic in light of what Jesus sacrificed for us. He had never known an instant when the Father was not with Him. It was our sin which caused Him to cry out, “Father, why have You forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). It was our sin that resulted in His being beaten beyond recognition. Our sin that resulted in a whip tearing off His flesh, exposing His ribs and spine. Yet we complain when we don’t get our way in the most trivial matters. We dare to accuse God of not caring about our situation. We are so prideful. Can you dare to deny it?
I am convinced the cycle of our lives should be grow, serve, rest. There is never a time for pride, only for service and a retreat into His presence. This life is not about us. It’s all about Him. There’s not even the slimmest margin around those edges. It’s all God and none of us. To think otherwise is to expose our prideful selves.
If we have the proper image of God, we will be overwhelmed by all He is. We will be overwhelmed by the tiniest fraction of who He is. A glimpse of His glory will thrust us to our knees. How dare we be prideful in His presence. And therein lies the key. When we are in His presence, we cannot be prideful. It is when we allow ourselves to drift away from Him our pride begins to swell. So the cure for pride is humility, but the true antidote is simply to remain in His presence. Think always and only of Him. Focus on His beauty and His will. Do this and you need never worry about being prideful again.