…and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and gold multiply, and all that you have multiplies, then your heart becomes proud and you forget the LORD your God …
-DEUTERONOMY 8:13-14
Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD; assuredly, he will not be unpunished.
-PROVERBS 16:5
Pride is the number obstacle to human growth. Pride starts early in our lives. It’s what makes us fire God as CEO of the heart and put ourselves on that throne. Pride presents the illusion of adequacy when we are empty, ability when we are hapless and superiority when we are inferior in skill and talent.
The proud heart is disgusts the Lord. Consider a father who wants to teach his son to drive. The boy has been controlling racecars on a video game, and he proudly believes his driving skills are actually better than his dad’s. The pride is an abomination to the father because he knows it can lead to disaster for his child.
God opposes the proud heart because He loves us and knows how it can mislead us (James 4:6). He gives unmerited favor to the humble heart because it is teachable, correctable and leads to effective living.
TODAY’S FOCUS
What are some of the illusions pride has stirred in you? Ask God to make your heart humble, teachable and correctable.