Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice. ~Proverbs
13:10
What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend with the world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you think scripture says without reason that the Spirit He caused to live in us envies intensely? But He gives us more grace. That is why scripture says: “God opposed the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and He will come near to you. ~James 4:1-8
Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will. ~2 Timothy 2:22-26
Pride is a difficult barrier to overcome. If we possess it, often we’re the last to know; if it is detected in others, we find it hard to deal with. Pride protects the one that possesses it from change. It can make the one that possesses it unteachable. It can make the one that possesses it hard to work with and get along with. Why? Because pride can convince its owner that his or her way is right. There is no need to consider another point of view.
Pride protects the one who possesses it from everything that God desires for a great life in Him. Is it any wonder then that “Pride breeds quarrels?” Two hard heads butting up against each other make it impossible to make any headway. Pride breeds quarrels with God and man.
Those who see disasters and say, “there can’t be a God!” Are saying, “If I were God, I wouldn’t do that, or let that happen!” Pride keeps such thinkers from seeing other possibilities beyond their own understanding. It is a huge obstacle for one who possesses pride to not rely on their own understanding, but trust in the Lord with all their hearts. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
Pride won’t let its possessor trust in anything or anyone but themselves. “But wisdom is found in those who take advice.” In other words, pride also holds its possessor from becoming wise. Wisdom knows differently. Wisdom helps its possessor appreciate another point of view. Wisdom helps its possessor appreciate the value of getting along, hearing other perspectives and learn other ways of doing things.
Wisdom helps its possessor know that he or she doesn’t know it all. Change is coming and adaptability can usually be a good thing. Paul describes pride as a characteristic of youth. It’s one of those characteristics that we’re supposed to grow out of.
“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” God can work with a humble heart, but the proud heart often cannot be penetrated at all. This calls us to be prayerful about two things: if we have pride, that the Lord will reveal it to us and deal with us in such a way that it will be broken through and, if we are dealing with pride in others, we pray that God will give us wisdom, and we pray that God will deal with the other’s pride that keeps them from repentance.
The problem of pride was pointed out by Jesus when He talked about the self-righteous Pharisee who committed a great sin when he offered a prideful prayer, compared to the humble tax collector who went home forgiven. Pride is why Jesus warns us to remove the log in our eye first. (Matt. 7:5) Pride doesn’t announce it’s presence to its owner, but it broadcasts its presence very loudly to those around us. Pride blinds us and the only cure is humble prayer to a God who we acknowledge is greater than us. When our own heart has become humble, the rest may better fall into place.
Prayer: Break any pride in me Lord, for the poor in spirit are blessed. I do not want to be disqualified from the kingdom of heaven by pridefully thinking I'm good enough already. Oh, Lord let me rather mourn with godly sorrow my failure to obey, so that I may be comforted by your grace, mercy and forgiveness. Then I shall live in meekness and obedience so that I am fit for Your use in the Kingdom of God. In Jesus' name, amen.
Song: I Than Shall Live
What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend with the world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you think scripture says without reason that the Spirit He caused to live in us envies intensely? But He gives us more grace. That is why scripture says: “God opposed the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and He will come near to you. ~James 4:1-8
Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will. ~2 Timothy 2:22-26
Pride is a difficult barrier to overcome. If we possess it, often we’re the last to know; if it is detected in others, we find it hard to deal with. Pride protects the one that possesses it from change. It can make the one that possesses it unteachable. It can make the one that possesses it hard to work with and get along with. Why? Because pride can convince its owner that his or her way is right. There is no need to consider another point of view.
Pride protects the one who possesses it from everything that God desires for a great life in Him. Is it any wonder then that “Pride breeds quarrels?” Two hard heads butting up against each other make it impossible to make any headway. Pride breeds quarrels with God and man.
Those who see disasters and say, “there can’t be a God!” Are saying, “If I were God, I wouldn’t do that, or let that happen!” Pride keeps such thinkers from seeing other possibilities beyond their own understanding. It is a huge obstacle for one who possesses pride to not rely on their own understanding, but trust in the Lord with all their hearts. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
Pride won’t let its possessor trust in anything or anyone but themselves. “But wisdom is found in those who take advice.” In other words, pride also holds its possessor from becoming wise. Wisdom knows differently. Wisdom helps its possessor appreciate another point of view. Wisdom helps its possessor appreciate the value of getting along, hearing other perspectives and learn other ways of doing things.
Wisdom helps its possessor know that he or she doesn’t know it all. Change is coming and adaptability can usually be a good thing. Paul describes pride as a characteristic of youth. It’s one of those characteristics that we’re supposed to grow out of.
“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” God can work with a humble heart, but the proud heart often cannot be penetrated at all. This calls us to be prayerful about two things: if we have pride, that the Lord will reveal it to us and deal with us in such a way that it will be broken through and, if we are dealing with pride in others, we pray that God will give us wisdom, and we pray that God will deal with the other’s pride that keeps them from repentance.
The problem of pride was pointed out by Jesus when He talked about the self-righteous Pharisee who committed a great sin when he offered a prideful prayer, compared to the humble tax collector who went home forgiven. Pride is why Jesus warns us to remove the log in our eye first. (Matt. 7:5) Pride doesn’t announce it’s presence to its owner, but it broadcasts its presence very loudly to those around us. Pride blinds us and the only cure is humble prayer to a God who we acknowledge is greater than us. When our own heart has become humble, the rest may better fall into place.
Prayer: Break any pride in me Lord, for the poor in spirit are blessed. I do not want to be disqualified from the kingdom of heaven by pridefully thinking I'm good enough already. Oh, Lord let me rather mourn with godly sorrow my failure to obey, so that I may be comforted by your grace, mercy and forgiveness. Then I shall live in meekness and obedience so that I am fit for Your use in the Kingdom of God. In Jesus' name, amen.
Song: I Than Shall Live
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