Posted on June 25, 2023 Posted By: HCCCategories: journey
Heartland Community Church
THE JOURNEY
Pride and Humility
By Allison Antrim
Pride’s roots go deep in the human heart. Even the most humble person in the world can’t be 100% free of it. A popular understanding of Satan’s temptation of Eve in the Garden of Eden is that pride is what caused sin to enter the world. Thus it follows that pride is the unfortunate inheritance of every human being – and the thing we have to let go of if we want to be saved.
Pride is tricky because it doesn’t always look like bragging about how great you are – sometimes it hides itself beneath a focus on how flawed you are. It’s thinking that somehow, your ineptitude or your “badness” is too great for anyone, even God, to overcome. No matter how it shows up in your life, as Dan pointed out today, letting pride grow unchecked will lead you into foolishness, blind you from the truth, and, ultimately, pit you against God.
So it’s clear that we have to deal with pride to avoid this. But how do we get rid of the weeds of pride when they pop up? Because if you’re anything like me, while I’ve had the humility required to know I can’t save myself and I need Jesus for salvation, everyday life sometimes feels like playing a never-ending game of whack-a-mole as I try to stamp out each individual instance of pride. Sometimes I feel proud of my hard work tackling my pride and then I’m right back where I started! Is there a way to keep pride from taking root in the first place?
I was at work at the library yesterday when I noticed a coworker carrying a large stack of old newspapers. When I asked her what she was planning to do with them, she told me that she was taking them home to use in her garden because newspapers are an excellent weed barrier. I love the idea of words on a page holding back undesired growth. Maybe this is a metaphor for dealing with pride. When we read and apply God’s word to our lives, we’ll be constantly reminded of who God is, who we are, and what a great need we have for him. And over time, this will serve as a barrier to pride, allowing the good growth of humility to pop up in its place.
Where do you see pride taking root in yourself? How will you seek God’s help this week to root it out and make room for humility?
Self-diagnostic Questions
Do you budget your time, energy, and finances in a way that reflects your own selfimportance, or true humility?
Can you easily celebrate the success of others, or do you constantly bring up your own success?
When was the last time you admitted, “I can see that I was wrong”?
Are you able to ask for help, with the things you are really good at doing, or when you need care?
At bedtime, do you ever wonder what God thought of your day?
The Journey through Proverbs
What is the book of Proverbs about? Watch as our friends from the Bible Project explain its major themes and gain a deeper understanding of its place in the biblical story through these two brief videos.
Read the chapter of the day 2-3 times, and take note of what stands out to you. Ponder the words of wisdom throughout the day, and answer these questions:
What picture or instruction does God give me about building a great life?
Is there anything I notice here that runs contrary to my normal daily life?
What do I want to remember or work on . . . write it on a card or add a note to your phone to remind you.
CLICK HERE to visit The Bible Project site and explore their super simple, super informative Bible videos (and other resources). You can also download The Bible Project App HERE.
CLICK HERE to get the Read Scripture App, from our friends at The Bible Project.
CLICK HERE for more on how to use the observe-reflect-apply approach to getting the most out of your Bible reading.
The Bible App Get the free YouVersion Bible for your phone, tablet, or computer. Experience the Bible anywhere, with options to highlight, save notes, and share what you are reading with others.
The Bible App For Kids YouVersion partnered with OneHope to develop the Bible App for Kids, designing it specifically to engage children with Bible stories on an age-appropriate level. The Bible App for Kids is a free app for Android, Apple, and Kindle devices, available in over 60 languages.
Bible Gateway Provides advanced Bible searching capabilities, which allow readers to find passages in scripture based on keywords, phrases, or scripture reference.
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