Every follower of Jesus should be full of pride. Of course, our pride looks different from that of the world. Our pride is in the all-powerful, all-holy, all-loving God of the universe. Pride is only a bad thing if we place it in the wrong sources. But we have Jesus. We serve the King of Kings and I’m proud of that.
I am proud to follow the only One who will never let me down, the One who is the answer to the world’s problems, and the One who saved me from the desolation I deserve. That He knows my name and would care enough to call me to Himself is awesome. There is nothing in this world I could ever achieve that could compare to that.
Human beings are full of pride, and almost all of it is misplaced. The only pride that isn’t sin is the pride we take in knowing Christ. Every other thing of which we might be proud puts the focus on something or someone other than God. It’s idolatry because only God is worthy of praise. At our core, we are corrupt and sinful. Jesus changes all that the moment we surrender our lives to Him. From that moment forward, we can no longer be proud of anything we do. Rather, we should glorify God for equipping us with the gifts and abilities to accomplish His work here on earth.
This kind of thinking takes some getting used to. Most of us live in cultures that reward the winners. We learn from a young age that those who accomplish the most seem to have the most. Not only are we by nature full of pride, but we are also selfish. We want all the spoils that accompany success. It’s hard not to envy the lifestyles of the rich and famous, especially when you struggle just to make ends meet each week. But I wouldn’t trade Jesus for all the money or power in the world. He is worth more than anything and everything else. Having His Spirit within me is all I need. Knowing Him is the greatest accomplishment I can even imagine. Our pride is not in accomplishments, success, wealth, or power. Our pride is in the Lord (Psalm 20:7).
Are you full of pride? I hope so, but only if your pride is well-placed. There is nothing any of us accomplish except for what God has gifted us to be able to do. He is Lord of all, regardless of whether we acknowledge that fact. He gives breath and ability to every person. When we make something of ourselves and are prideful about it, that’s all we’ll ever have. We won’t have Jesus because He won’t share the glory due Him with anyone. We exist because He created humanity. So we are, literally, nothing without Him. But with Him, we are everything because He is all and in all.
If you’re going to be proud of anything, be proud of the Savior who lives inside you. Don’t cheapen the blessings He’s given you by thinking you did anything on your own. It’s all about Jesus. It’s all Him. Find your pride in the One deserving of all your praise and all your worship.