Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Peace”
Our Bible verse for today: “The lowly will possess the land and will live in peace and prosperity.” Psalm 37:11 (NLT)
Our thought for today: “Pride robs us of our peace”
Pride is poison. I’m talking about pride in its most destructive form, like being prideful. While it’s true that there are forms of pride that are good and healthy and appropriate – such as taking pride in a job well done, or being proud of your child who made the honor roll – being “prideful” is bad. When a person is prideful they are filled with excessive pride and have an inflated sense of themselves.
And here’s the thing, prideful people are never really at peace. They’re often in conflict with others because they’re too proud to admit that they are wrong and to offer apologies. Also, many times an excessive display of pride is a false front designed to conceal an inner sense of insecurity. In those cases pride usually manifests itself in a pushy and overbearing demeanor that is actually a defensive mechanism designed to prevent people from getting too close and perhaps discovering the truth that lies beneath the arrogance.
Humility is the antithesis of pride and it is a virtue the Bible commends and calls for. Peter tells us we should be clothed in humility (1 Peter 5:5); Paul says we should show humility towards all people (Titus 3:2); Solomon writes that a humble spirit is a sure sign of godly wisdom (Proverbs 11:2); David says that God leads those with a humble heart (Psalm 25:9); and Jesus described Himself as being “gentle and humble in heart’ (Matthew 11:29).
Biblically, having a humble spirit doesn’t mean the person is weak or is a doormat for others to step on. It simply means that the individual is modest and has developed a quiet sense of inner confidence that frees them from feeling as if they need to constantly be trying to build themselves up in the eyes of others. Rather than being a puffed up peacock always spouting-off and putting on a show, the person with a healthy sense of Biblical humility is comfortable with who they are and is usually relaxed and calm.
In terms of our theme of peace, the person with a well-developed sense of Biblical humility is generally a likeable person whom others enjoy being around. Whereas the prideful person quickly becomes a bore, and then an irritant, the humble person is a joy to have around and therefore largely enjoys peace with most people. This is what David was referring to in Psalm 37:11 – the lowly (those with a healthy sense of Biblical humility) will live in peace.
It’s true, excessive pride does rob us of our peace but humility is a virtue the Lord blesses.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 