Pride is Destructive
Philippians 2:3,4 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. (ESV)
So, how much do you enjoy living or working with a prideful person or indeed being surrounded by several of them? It’s not a lot of fun, is it?
Without doubt, one of the most destructive of all mindsets is the one that’s rooted in pride, because for the prideful person it’s all about them. They are the centre of the universe – how they feel, what they want, what others think of them.
As a result, they’re blinded to the needs, the feelings, the capabilities, the contributions of others. They’ll walk right over the top of you to get to where they’re going. They’ll ignore you, betray you, plot against you, in order to puff themselves up in their own eyes and in the eyes of others.
That’s why God always opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble. That’s why He has this to say to you and me about our own pride:
Philippians 2:3,4 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. (ESV)
Wise counsel indeed. We must master our pride if we’re to follow the Jesus who, though He was the Son of God, humbled Himself to the point of death, even death on a cross.
But it’s also a salutary lesson about choosing the people we surround ourselves with. As someone once said, be careful who you let on your ship because some people will sink the whole ship just because they can’t be the captain.
Who are the people you’ve surrounded yourself with? Should they be on your ship at all?
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
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