Humble Yourselves Before God!

Pride? We all deal with it in one way or another. Everyone wants to know that they are doing a good job, or that they look nice, and so forth. I know that I find myself sometimes thinking that I've done a good job or look at me. I think that if we are honest with ourselves, we all have a pride issue to deal with everyday. Some times it might be more noticeable than at other times, but it is there just the same.

What we should be saying is thank you God for giving me the ability to do this or that. How many times have you made something just to get rid of it because it didn't meet your expectation? I know that I have, and I'm pretty sure you have too. It's just natural to want praise for what we do. I feel that it is alright to want credit as long as we don't become prideful. When we become prideful, then we have a tendency to think we are better than others.

Websters Dictinary Defines pride as:
[Pride]-1. The quality or state of being proud. 2. A resonable or justifiable self respect. 3. A delight or elation arising from some act or possession.
[Prideful]- 1.Haughty 2.Elated
[Proud] 1; Feeling or showing pride. 2. Having or displaying excessive self-estem. 3. much pleased.

[Synonym For Being Proud ]
Disdainful-showing scorn for inferiors.
Arrogant-implies a claiming oneself more consideration or importance than is warranted.
Haughty-suggest a consciousness of superior birth or position.
Lordly-implies pomposity or an arrogant display of power.
Insolent-implies contemptuous haughtiness.
Supercilious-implies a cool, patronizing haughtiness.
Vainglorious-means aware of one's excellence or superiorty.

Unfortunately we have acted and known people who act just like those synonyms. They could be someone who is rich monetarily, or nice looking, or a sport figure, or a movie star, or some one in a position of authority, and the list goes on. But what does God tell us about being proud or prideful?

Proverbs;15:25(The Lord will tear down the house of the proud, But He will establish the boundry of the widow.)
Proverbs;16:5(Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord; Assuredly, he will not go unpunished.)
Proverbs;21:4(Haughty eyes and a proud heart, The lamp of the wicked, is sin.)
Proverbs;21:24("Proud", "Haughty", "Scoffer", are his names, Who act with insolent pride.)

[God Universal Reign]
In the last days we are told that God will do away with a proud look from man.
Isaiah;2:11-12(The proud look of man will be abased And the loftiness of man will be humbled, And the Lord alone will be exalted in that day. For the Lord of host will have a day of reckoning Against everyone who is proud and lofty And against everyone who is lifted up, That he may be abased.)
We are also told in Isaiah of the woes of the wicked.
Isaiah;5:21(Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes And clever in their own sight!) When God says "WOE TO YOU", I don't want Him talking to me. We are instructed so many times not to become proud.

Luke;1:51-52(He has done mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart. He has brought down rulers from their thrones, And has exalted those who were humble.)

We are told that God is apposed to the proud.
James;4:6(But he gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, "GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE".)
1Peter;5:5(You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.)
So we are told that God opposes pride, but gives grace to humble people, so what type of person should we be?

In the book of Romans, Paul tells us how we should conduct our lives.
Romans;12:3(For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has alloted to each a measure of faith.) Some times it is easy to think that we are important, but we need to stay humble in our lives.

So we are to humble ourselves, and not walk around with a proud heart. We need to realize that all that we do and all that we have is from God. Any talent or gift that we have, is something that God has given to us. So why should we be proud of what has been given to us. It's not anything that we have done. Our looks, our job, our income, our home, our friends, our parents, or who we know, or all that we are, all is from God. We are nothing in this world. Created by dust, here for a while, then back to dust. Nothing for us to boast about. Everything that we are can be taken away from us in second of time. If you don't believe that, then take a look at what happened to Job. He lost everything that he had. So it can happen to any of us.

We just need to stay focused on Jesus, the author of our salvation. We are not to show partiality to anyone. We are to treat others the same way we want them to treat us.
Luke;6:31(Treat others the same way you want them to treat you.)
We need to let God exalt us.
1Peter;5:6(Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time.)
I pray that we won't let pride enter into our lives and cause us to fall. We all need to stay humble in our daily walk. We know that the world is watching us and looking for anything that they can accuse us of doing. In other words, we need to walk the talk, and give the world no reason to slander us. The next time that pride wants in, remember what God says about pride.

God Bless You!