In past weeks, we have explored the meaning of humility. In short, it is the quality of seeing ourselves as God sees us. 

Today, we consider what the opposite of being humble is. The Bible tells us that it is pride. In the Scriptures, pride refers to excessive self-love or an attitude of independence from God. It is considered a sin.

As Christians, we are called to recognize that all we have – life, health, material blessings, and talents are all gifts, given to us by a loving God. They are ours to use, and pride is about how we use them and what we think of how we use them.

If anyone deserved to have pride, it was Jesus. Everything He did during His time in ministry was worth noting. His teachings, His miracles, the healings He performed, and even raising people from the dead surely gave Him the right to have an inflated sense of Himself – yet he never did. 

The Scriptures tell us that Jesus submitted Himself to the will of the Father. He taught what the Father wanted Him to teach and relied on the Father’s power to perform miracles. Although He was God, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, the Letter to the Philippians tells us that “He did not deem equality with God something to be grasped at.” He exercised true humility and avoided sinful pride.

We also are called to avoid the sin of pride. Our recognition that God is the author of all things, that He is the one who gives us the ability to do all things, will provide the help we need to stay truly humble. 

During this week, let us take time to examine our own self-love and our dependence on God to see if pride has gotten in the way of doing what God wants us to do.