Strife And Pride
Where there is strife, there is pride . . .
Proverbs 13:10
A wise old Dutch minister, once said in a sermon, “Boastfulness and thinking you are always right, have their roots in the sin of pride.” Unfortunately, experience tells us that people like this seldom change; their pride gets in the way, and they cannot bring themselves to admit that they alone are responsible for their failures. In Proverbs 13:10, the Bible says, “Where there is strife, there is pride, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.”
But notice, I did not say they can never change, because sometimes they do, with God’s help. I think, for example, of King Nebuchadnezzar in the Old Testament. As the ruler of the Babylonian Empire, he was the most powerful person in the world. When some of Daniel’s friends refused Nebuchadnezzar’s command to worship a mammoth golden idol he had built, he had them thrown into a fiery furnace (although God protected them). Daniel warned him to repent of his evil ways and turn to God, but he refused (see Daniel 4:27-30).
In time, however, Nebuchadnezzar lost his sanity, and also his throne. In his distress, he humbly turned to God, and God delivered him and restored his power. His life was changed, and he issued a decree declaring that “I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven. … And those who walk in pride he is able to humble” (Daniel 4:37).
Today, if you know you are too proud, swallow your pride, open your heart, and ask God to help you show more humility.
Bible Reading
Daniel 4:34-37.
Prayer
Father God, axemen my heart, and if I am too proud, help me to change. In Jesus sake I pray. Amen.
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