Pride and humility

Humility is a difficult virtue. I’ve said it before and say it again . . . just when a person thinks they are humble, they have lost it.

Pride is easier to identify. James paints pride as trusting the things of this world instead of trusting God. He goes so far as to label pride ‘adultery’ and following after the devil . . .

You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. (James 4:4–10)

James is one of those black and white people who call things what they are without any fudging. However, he has a redemptive spirit too, for he gives the solution to pride. He tells those who are unfaithful to God that God is always faithful to us. He opposes our pride, but He gives more grace. If my proud heart submits to Him, I am able to resist the devil — the one who keeps yammering at me to trust myself and anything else but God.

Not only that, when I draw near to God, He is right here, ready to forgive and help me out of that pride-pit into which I have fallen.

Tozer calls truth a “glorious but hard mistress” who never bargains or compromises. This world is fallen, making the path of truth a steep and difficult climb. My way is messed up by sin and sin makes the way of God not only strange, but hard to follow.

For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. (Galatians 5:17)

The only way to win in that conflict is to submit to God. Otherwise, the flesh and the devil will overcome all good things and fill my life with yuck.

All that said, some days are more challenging than others. I can yield more easily to the God who makes life peaceful and comfortable than I can to the same God who tests me with all sorts of situations and predicaments that are tense and difficult. Nevertheless, the word is the same: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7)

^^^^^^^^

Jesus, today I feel like two things that are far from the words ‘submit’ or ‘resist’ and closer to ‘flee’ and ‘give up.’ I need grace to resist that pride that yells at me that ‘I deserve better than this,’ and more grace to submit to several challenges You place in my path, and even more grace to stand against the devil and tell him to get lost.