Proverbs 16:18-19 – “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling.  19 It is better to be humble in spirit with the lowly than to divide the spoil with the proud.”

Humility and Pride are diametrically opposite.  One is healthy, the other destructive.  One leads to fullness, the other to emptiness.   One leads to success, the other to failure.   Have you guessed which one?  If you haven’t, I will let you muse on it a bit.

When Samuel informed Saul that God was taking the kingdom away from him and giving it to someone after His heart, he said, “When you were little in your own eyes…”   The Bible does not teach unhealthy self-rejection but the proper association or comparison of who we are and on whom we are to be dependent. 

Saul went from being humble to arrogant and proud.   He transitioned from being dependent upon God and recognizing his own insufficiency to becoming self-sufficient.  He evolved into a person whose promotion produced a sense of entitlement and brought about his destruction. 

We Americans are known for being independent and proud.  That is okay as long as we never forget who we depend on and take pride in what He has done and enabled us to do, not proud and arrogant. 

• The humble seek God’s help to better others. 
• The proud envision themselves as the most important and often demand that others recognize them, praise them, and grovel at their feet. 

It is the attitude that says, “Look what I have done.”  It is the view of the heart and often the mouth that exalts the self. We sometimes forget that every gift is from God, and none of us has anything that was not the result of His grace and mercy. 

Today, as we reflect on God’s Greatness and Goodness, we should also reflect on His Blessings and be Thankful. We have what we have by the grace of God. We have All Things in Him, and without Him, we have nothing! 

My Prayer: 

“Thank You, LORD, for Your goodness to us.  I ask that You bless each of my friends and keep them safe.  I ask that You provide for whatever we need and enable us to achieve the dreams, desires, and goals You have put in our hearts and minds.  I ask that You make this day a day of rejoicing for each of us!  Amen!”

Have a great day, and remember that you are what you are by the grace of God.  If you can be better, be better with His help.  If you are successful, be thankful.  If you are struggling, remember His promise is never to leave nor forsake us! 

God bless!