“Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:”
Philippians 2:3-5 KJV
Philippians 2:3 popped up as the verse of the day on my Bible app and it just fits what I have been thinking about and studying this week and that is the subject of pride.
I posted a meme yesterday that pictures a fully armored knight who got hit with an arrow in the eye slit of his helmet. It pictured a Christian who was spiritual, they got taken out with pride.
Pride – inordinate self-esteem, a reasonable or justifiable self-respect, delight or elation arising from some act or possession or relationship.
There is a fine line between self-confidence and pride. There is a fine line between self-respect and pride. It all comes down to how you portray yourself and what you say when it comes to self-confidence and self-respect. I can be sure of my abilities, happy of my accomplishments, and thankful for my possessions without being prideful.
So how to I keep from being prideful? How do I keep from getting hit with that arrow of pride?
1. Have the mindset of humility.
We see in verse 3 above that we should esteem others better than ourselves. We shouldn’t think ourselves better than anyone else! The only difference between you and someone else are the decisions you made!
In God’s eyes, we are all sinners, we all deserve Hell! Jesus Christ loved each person so much He died and rose again for each person! He paid sin’s penalty for each person! So what makes you any better than your neighbor or the person you sit with in church.
Never think you are better than someone else, because when you do, that’s when you will fall!
2. Have the mindset of helping.
Verse 4 says to look on the things of others and not your own. When I see this, I’m sure it doesn’t mean that we need to look on other people’s things to see how much better we have it than them, but to see how we can help and be a blessing to others.
It’s hard to have a mindset of pride when you are focused on helping others. Helping others helps to keep you humble. Helping others helps keep you grateful. No matter how good you have it or how much stuff you have or how good you think you are, helping others will keep your eyes on others and not on yourself!
3. Have the mindset of holiness!
In verse 5, Paul tells us to have the mind of Christ. I Peter 1:16 states ‘be ye holy, for I am holy.’ When we have a mindset of holiness, there is no room for pride. This isn’t a mindset that says ‘I’m more holy than you, you need to get on my level.’ This is a mindset that says ‘Lord, let me grow closer to you each day and use me in whatever way you like.’
Pride will eat away at your humility, your willingness to help, and your holiness. It’s a fight to stay humble, it’s a fight to help others, it’s a fight to be holy….without letting pride creep in!
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