The Panacea for Pride

June 28, 2020

When Pastor Art challenged us to study Isaiah 66, I was unaware of the personal journey I was about to make. Verse 1-2 of the Message translation read:

“Heaven’s my throne,

    earth is my footstool.

What sort of house could you build for me?

    What holiday spot reserve for me?

I made all this! I own all this!”

    GOD’s Decree.

“But there is something I’m looking for:

    a person simple and plain,

    reverently responsive to what I say.

Verse 1 speaks to man’s pride of self--his wealth, resources, assets, homes, cars, memberships, awards and fellowships. He buys into the lie that those things make him a powerful person. God reminds him that He is the one who made this Earth; it belongs to Him; He is not only the Architect, but the Owner of the Deed. He. Is. Sovereign. 

Although written centuries ago, this sounds like it was written for today. Have we lost our wonder of the sovereignty of God?” Are we out of touch with how worldly we are?

“It is so easy to become more thick-skinned in conscience, more tolerant of evil, more hopeless of good, more careful of one’s own comfort and one’s own property, more self-satisfied in leaving high aims and great deeds to enthusiasts, and then to believe one is growing older and wiser.”

       

During a recent Bible Study, we were asked, “What sin, do you think, is the one from which every other sin originates? Many responses were given, ranging from hate, anger, lust, greed, lying and stealing to pride. What do you suppose the answer is? Pride is the sin from which every other sin originates.

In verse 2, God is looking for “a person simple and plain, reverently responsive to what I say.” God is hopeful His search will yield a person of humility...a person of faith. He is not looking for worldly people—or pride-filled people. Ouch! This is a personal journey. 

Think with me on this for a moment. As humans, we are made in the image and likeness of our Heavenly Father. It says in Genesis 1, “God saw everything He had made and said, ‘It is very good.’” Our Heavenly Father has a healthy pride—mere satisfaction for a job done well. He doesn’t say, “Hey! I completed this awesome project! I’m the #1 God!” Rather, our Heavenly Father says, “It is good!” That’s it...plain and simple.

Pride begins innocently when children are young. They aspire to do what older peers can do. They love perfecting new skills. With that perfection comes a sense of pride, or satisfaction, over a job well done. 

In the first few years of life, children are learning new activities. They come away either with some things done well, or not at all. This is when the dynamic of the “know it all” and the “bully” comes into play. Children can either become overly confident or under-confident in developmental skills. Like our Heavenly Father, a parent molds a child to the level of confidence best suited for the child’s future.

 

1 Thessalonians 5:15 teaches us what to do in situations just like that: “Be sure that no one pays back wrong from wrong, but always try to do what is good for each other and for all people.” 

A recent devotion by Max Lucado advised, “...no friendship is perfect, no marriage is perfect, no person is perfect.” To “transform a difficult situation into something beautiful,” we can develop “peace treaties of love, tolerance, and harmony.”  

I envision Lucado’s statement to be a panacea for pride. Imagine every household in our world embracing peace treaties based on God’s love! What would happen If each of us looks in the mirror daily and says, “I’m not perfect, but I’ll try to be the hands and feet of Jesus to everyone I meet today.”

I tend to think there would be far less pride and far more love and acceptance for others in our world. It inspires me to make that the measure of my calling. I hope you, also, will consider making peace treaties of love, tolerance, and harmony.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Without You we are nothing. You have made us from the clay of the Earth. You have invited us to partake in the glorious adventure of life with You, our Sovereign Lord. Forgive us for making life all about us, for being puffed up with pride. Help us to focus on being a people who are plain and simple, always listening responsively to what You say. May our days be spent in making peace treaties of love, tolerance, and harmony.

In Jesus’ Name-

Amen.

1JOY & STRENGTH, Mary Wilder Tileston, WWP, Minneapolis, MN, Juliana H. Ewing, August 3, 1990, p. 216.

2GRACE FOR THE MOMENT. Vol. I, Peace Treaties of Love, Max Lucado, June 23, p. 396

By Jan O’Neal