Suffocating Pride
I’m Joni Eareckson Tada; if you know this classic hymn, sing along…
“When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of Glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss
And pour contempt on all my pride.”
You’ve got to love that last line! Oh, God, pour contempt on all my pride. Because we may think we’re holding fast to the cross, but along comes pride and our cover is blown. In case you doubt that, hit the concordance key on your computer Bible software, and type in the word “pride” or “proud,” and just watch a zillion verses pop up; all of them detailing how the Lord detests eyes that are haughty, tongues that boast, hearts bloated by ego. Never was there a character trait more opposite of God than pride.
Now, in our best moments, we want very much to be like God, to be godly, yet what an invitation to pride that can be, right? When it comes to wanting to be like God it always requires humility. Honestly, it’s humility that opens the pathway for us to be truly like the Lord Jesus. For example, when we have wounded our friend or maybe our spouse, pride would have you ignore it; sweep it under the carpet; let it pass. But humility will have you walking up to your friend or your spouse and saying, “I am so sorry for hurting you. What you’ve observed about me is true: I am stubborn and I am very much in the wrong. Please would you forgive me?” Well, how rare those words are, right? And my goodness how hard it is to say that – and it’s hard because those words go so against our pride. But such humility will always be richly rewarded by the Lord.
An old Puritan once wrote: “Let me never forget that the heinousness of sin lies not so much in the nature of the sin committed, as in the greatness of the person sinned against.” In other words, humility won’t allow us to gaze inward to see how greatly we’ve missed the mark; no, if we want to grasp the awfulness of our sin, humility will have us gazing at the Lord Jesus, his greatness that was sinned against. When we drag ourselves to the cross, pride is suffocated! And when that happens, humility will always be the result.
Asking the Holy Spirit to roll up His sleeves and deal with pride in your heart, may involve several things; I speak from experience! It may include opening yourself to the valid criticism of others, openly confessing your faults, or inviting your spouse or close friend to point out your faults, your blind spots. Is that easy? Never! But is it rewarding? Always! As the old hymn says, “When I survey the wondrous cross, on which the Prince of Glory died, my richest gain I count but loss, and pour contempt on all my pride.” Lord Jesus, keep us on our knees today, until we get a fresh vision of your greatness, until we clearly see the cross. Amen!
And don’t forget – please remember to visit me today at joniandfriends.org.
