Pride, the Pathway to Destruction (April 25, 2024)         

An abomination that God hates, pride is the pathway to downfall, debacle, and destruction! Arrogant attitudes and haughty hearts can bring promising lives and lofty dreams crashing down in dismal defeat. A prime biblical example is the selfish pride that prompted God to cast Satan out of heaven. The highest of all angels and the most beautiful of God’s creations, Satan (Lucifer) demonstrated his arrogant pride and his self-exaltation in a series of “I will” statements. “I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God…I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.” (Isaiah 14:13-14) Satan seeks to puff up human pride lo to separate us from the grace and mercy that God offers all sinners who humble their hearts in repentance.

“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.” (Philippians 2:3)

Pride was surely the prelude to Satan’s fall from God’s grace, and the same egotism, misplaced self-respect, and perceived self-sufficiency can lead to our downfall too. Instead, our sovereign LORD desires that we humble ourselves before His throne, recognizing our dependency upon Him for earthly sustenance and eternal security. The greatest model of humility in human history is Jesus Christ, God incarnate who set aside His glory in heaven and came to earth in lowly meekness to serve and to save a world lost and dying in sin. “And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” (Philippians 2:8) God has promised to ultimately uplift those who walk by faith in Christlike humility.