To know me is to encounter my love of history. I enjoy articles on discoveries in archaeology. I am captivated by first-hand accounts of life way back when. I am a sucker for any YouTube video about battles and battlefields. My Audible app usually has a few biographies loaded—a cadre of long-gone mentors, speaking across time to share wisdom and to warn against folly.
It is good to read old and new things; content with a today timestamp and words locked onto pages in brittle, old-smelling books.
Let’s spend a few minutes with a Christian leader from history. His name is John Taylor of Ashbourne (1711-1788). His life in England ended just before George Washington became President on our side of the pond.
John penned thoughts on pride and humility which strongly relate to our modern discipleship. I am painfully familiar with the battle against pride. In my early years of ministry, I indulged insecure ambition—attempting to dress it up as passion and drive. I wanted people to view me as a capable leader. I hoped to bypass formative positions as an intern and staff associate to prove my value swiftly. Sadly, I neglected to grow the child of God in me and ended up searching for value in the opinions of men rather than in Christ and his calling.
Here are four paragraphs on the subject from JT paired with a few pastoral thoughts and questions from yours truly.
JT: “He that overvalues himself will undervalue others, and he that undervalues others will oppress them. Pride has been able to harden the heart against compassion, and stop the ears against the cries of misery. It makes masters cruel and imperious, and magistrates insolent and partial. It produces contempt and injuries, and dissolves the bond of society. Nor is this species of pride more hurtful to the world than destructive to itself. The oppressor unites heaven and earth against him.”
KD: Confidence, drive, and forward motion can serve noble purposes. But they can also combine into the persona of an arrogant locomotive—barreling ahead, crashing through whatever dares to get in its way. Is your confidence under godly self-control? Has pride convinced you that you are better than others? Skim through the transcript of your inner monologue. Do you find thoughts of contempt for a coworker or an extended family member? How often does Christ-like compassion feature in your view of others? Jesus says to love your enemies (Matthew 5:43-44). He would also lead us to avoid making new ones—through overvaluing ourselves and undervaluing others.
—–
JT: “He that sets too high a value upon his own merits will, of course, think them ill-rewarded with his present condition. He will endeavour to exalt his fortune and his rank above others, in proportion as his deserts are superior to theirs. Once fired with these notions, he will attempt to increase his fortune and enlarge his sphere; and how few there are that prosecute such attempts with innocence, a very transient observation will sufficiently inform us. To pride, therefore, must be ascribed most of the fraud, injustice, violence, and extortion, by which wealth is frequently acquired.”
KD: One way we judge the viability of leftovers is by the smell test. We cautiously bring the container close for a telling whiff. Let’s pop open the lid of your heart today. Can you pass the smell test for pride? Are you grateful for and content with what you have? Has pride made you so self-focused that achievements or acknowledgments rarely satisfy? Do you frequently feel unappreciated, undervalued, and unnoticed? Has pride converted you to the belief that you deserve more than others? Are you scheming to get ahead even if it means climbing over or sabotaging competitors? I have been guilty of pushing to get noticed, even on the heels of recognition. At some point, alarms in my heart moved me to address pride’s hold. I was at the center, and shifts were made in thinking and reacting to make Jesus the center more often. Jesus cautions that all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but those who humble themselves will receive honor (Luke 14:11).
—–
JT: Another concomitant of pride is envy, or the desire of debasing others. A proud man is uneasy and dissatisfied, while any of those applauses are bestowed on another, which he is desirous of himself.
KD: Ask God to trim away the part of you that envies and resents others. Does their success trigger a plan to outdo or surpass them—to grab back the spotlight? The Bible says a godly life includes intentionally putting on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience (Colossians 3:12). Train yourself to celebrate when others win.
—–
JT: “Another consequence of immoderate self-esteem is an insatiable desire of propagating in others the favourable opinion he entertains of himself. He therefore tortures his invention for means to make himself conspicuous, and to draw the eyes of the world upon him.”
KD: John Taylor could not have imagined smartphones, social media, and the prideful pressure some feel to get noticed. Yet his century knew this truth in common with our own—our pride loves to “draw the eyes of the world.” Please do not attach your value to people liking, commenting, or sharing what you’ve posted. Dear one, you are enough without the applause of men.
The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “ ‘In the pride of your heart you say, “I am a god; I sit on the throne of a god in the heart of the seas.” But you are a mere mortal and not a god, though you think you are as wise as a god.
Ezekiel 28:1-2 NIV
Be on your guard against pride. It will lie to you, sabotage you, and separate you from those who would love and support you. And it will work to make an idol of—you. Pride wants to compete with God for glory.
Some of what equips us for godliness comes as cozy reminders that we are fully loved, swimmers in a sea of grace. And that is what we are. Do not despise the less cozy questions you prefer not to ask of your soul. Identifying traces of pride and walking with the Spirit to deal with them pays marvelous benefits in every century.
Humility, with an accurate view of self, is just one of the ways Jesus invites you to enjoy him and to live more free.
Add a Comment