Chapter 6: Overcome Pride, Cling to Humility

#62 Cling to Humility

Discipleship Level 2: Reaching Beyond Mediocrity

By Paul J. Bucknell

#62 Cling to Humility

Introduction

• Eliminating pride is not our chief goal but rather to walk humbly before our Lord. Learn what it means to live a humble life serving God and how to pray humility into our lives.

Our Goal: Put on Humility

If we are fighting pride, it might seem that the only task before us is to eliminate pride. This is not so. While this book largely focuses on eliminating different vices and bondages so that we can grow more like Christ (level two discipleship), ultimately we are to recognize that we are overcomers in Christ and need not be held back by sinful barriers in our lives (1 John 2:14).

Although in this chapter we have focused on “taking off” pride, we should be equally focused on diligently “putting on” humility. Once we break through the enslaving burden of 66

pride, we will be able and desirous of clinging to humility. Our goal, then, is to steadily focus on increasing our humble service of love.

I have also written the The Godly Man that more extensively speaks about 66 this life-long process of putting on humility including lots of practical advice.

Although an intense period of the war is over, we can still be hurt if we are not careful and allow pride to again infiltrate our lives. But because we have become more sensitive to pride, it should not so easily enter the gates of our minds. Besides, now we are looking here and there for ways to walk humbly before God, especially as we face different life circumstances.

Difficult Circumstances Will Come

Difficulties will come; it is not an “if” but “when.” For example, when David focused on serving God and others, someone suddenly got envious over his success. Trouble arose.

And the women sang as they played, and said, “Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands.” Then Saul became very angry, for this saying displeased him; and he said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, but to me they have ascribed thousands. Now what more can he have but the kingdom?” And Saul looked at David with suspicion from that day on (1 Samuel 18:6-8).

David had a choice to become proud over the applause but instead he chose to humbly live before the Lord. He admired how God had helped him, and he prayed for those who persecuted him. Learning to overcome pride does not mean we will not face prideful temptations. They can even intensify as they did with David, but we can recognize them for what they are, reject them, and focus on our opportunities for humble service.

Hope My Boss is Not like Him

Saul is an example of someone who didn’t overcome his pride. The story recorded in 1 Samuel is tragic. Saul went back and forth in the battle with pride and its accompanying distortions for the rest of his life. He cared more about what man thought of him than what God thought. The Bible records the many evil

things King Saul did because he wanted others to think he was better than David. Delusion set in. Wouldn’t it have been infinitely better for Saul to be glad he had such a great son-in- law? He had not learned to overcome pride and so pride controlled and destroyed him.

The Face of Humility

Where are we headed? We are looking to replace pride with humility. Below are several functional definitions and descriptions of humility.

• Humility is not humiliation, nor is it the same as living in humble conditions. Even the poor can be proud like the rich and powerful.

• Humility is the quiet acceptance of our given place in life even when it changes to something less than what we formerly had or anticipated. Examples could include losing a job because of competition or even a misunderstanding, but it could also involve a situation like Job, where all that he had worked for was stripped from him, or like Stephen, when his life was forcibly taken through persecution. We accept what God provides for our lives as being necessary to accomplish His purposes. We accept His oversight into our daily affairs and continue to look for opportunities to serve God within our circumstances.

• Humility enables us to pray for and edify those around us with a hope of them being greater than us. Because of people’s special gifting from God, they can and should do better than us in some given tasks. By recognizing their part in the body of Christ, we encourage them to excel in the work set before them.

• Humility helps us properly handle promotion, riches, power, and fame because it enables us to glorify God for

such opportunities, possessions, and skills (like Daniel) along with openly appreciating others who have contributed to our success.

• Humility helps us value the importance of our place in life. When successful, we use our influence to help others. When in a lowly place, we master the lessons being taught and care for those we would otherwise never have met up with.

• Humility provides confidence in God to timely lift us from difficult circumstances, as well as faith to trust Him for that healing, miracle, or provision.

Sample Prayer

Exchanging pride in my spirituality with humility and gentleness.

Dear Father, I can’t believe it! I was just like the Pharisees. I have been so judgmental. Thank you for fully forgiving me. I don’t deserve it. I didn’t care about those people at all. I just wanted to make myself look better in their eyes. What a horrible grip pride had on me—sin that I had chosen and delighted in! Thank you for your patience and forgiveness through Jesus Christ! But Lord, I want to replace this whole approach to life with a new one in Christ. As Ephesians 4:1-2 says, I want to “walk in a manner worth of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness.” Help me grow in these two ways:

1) Humility. Lord, you have called me to serve. This will not be easy. I have become used to being served, but now, I wholeheartedly want to serve You with a heart like Jesus. Please retrain me. For the next month I will seek out the menial tasks that no one else wants to do, and do them. I will look for these opportunities around the church, workplace, or home. I will confront my

spirit of pride with this spirit of serving. This is the way I want to start living a life of humility.

2) Gentleness. I also want to be gentle. I’ve been the opposite: mean, demanding, and unkind. Instead of taking charge of the conversation and having people notice me, I want to “come in the opposite spirit”. I am going to be a better listener with your help. Please give me grace to do this. Help me say positive (true) things about others and stimulate them to love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24). Help me every day to say three good things about others. Please change me, O Lord. While I can’t repay people for how I had earlier hurt them, I can change and be a true follower of Jesus. In Christ’s Name I pray, Amen.

Summary

We are not just stopping the way we despise others but seeking practical ways to think and live like Christ. Though challenging, this journey toward humility becomes more exciting and rewarding when we take practical steps like these. Our motivations will change and relationships improve. Jesus is living His life in us!

Points of Reflection

Why is it important to focus on humility if we want to overcome pride?

Explain King Saul’s pride problem (1 Samuel 18).

List at least four characteristics of pride.

Write a summary about your battle with pride. Include when it happens, how you have handled it, and what you have learned in battling it.

Overcoming Pride

Let’s capture the main points from this chapter in brief, pointed statements:

• Pride is quite common, enslaving both the rich and poor.

• Pride can make a holy act incredibly evil in the flash of a moment.

• Pride occurs when we remove God from our thoughts and plans.

• Comparing ourselves with others is a good indication of pride.

• We want to detect and reject pride before it becomes our own.

• We not only want to eliminate pride but enjoy walking humbly before God.

• A humble walk before the Lord is the only way to discern and complete God’s purpose for our lives.