Surprising Ways Pride Shows Itself - The Crosswalk Devotional - September 20
Surprising Ways Pride Shows Itself
By Aaron D’Anthony Brown
Bible Reading:
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look not to his own interests, but rather to the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:3-4, CSB)
In his epistle to the church of Phillipi, Paul urges fellow believers to be “united in spirit” with one another (Philippians 2:2). He wanted everyone to be on the same page with what they believed and how they lived as Christ followers. He goes on to say that such a life is lived by esteeming others as more important than ourselves. Don’t look to what brings you the most glory; do what benefits others. We hear the same sentiment preached in church today, but how many of us live this out?
While our pastors talk about loving our neighbors, building the church up from within, and sharing the Gospel with nonbelievers, we don’t often seem to be on the same accord. Even if we do these things, our motivations are sometimes selfish. We should be prioritizing others, but really, we’re interested in ourselves.
I’ve heard believers say things like “I enjoy hearing myself talk,” or claim they don’t have time to hang out with other Christians. Then suddenly they’re dating someone, which requires a lot more time. Or perhaps the only time they show genuine interest in you is when you’re going through a hard time. Otherwise, you’re simply not important.
Naturally, we won’t be close to or have deep conversations with everyone. However, it’s important to consider whether day-to-day relationships, conversations, and actions reflect selfish conceit or humility.
Perhaps, we have such a hard time esteeming others as more important because in our minds, no one is more important than ourselves. Pride is often called one of the most deadly sins, maybe the most deadly. When we start thinking we know best, it becomes a gateway for other sins.
You might not think of yourself as prideful - I generally don’t - but if we’re being honest, we can all be a bit prideful sometimes. C.S Lewis said, “There is one vice of which no man in the world is free; which everyone in the world loathes when he sees it in someone else, and of which hardly any people, except Christians, ever imagine that they are guilty themselves” (Mere Christianity). The sooner we acknowledge this truth, the sooner we can change our thinking and get ourselves on one accord.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Most people won’t need help identifying the major ways pride affects our lives, but who says pride can’t be subtle? Here are three ways we might not even realize:
Only engaging with people who are useful.
One mistake Christians make is only engaging with people at church who are useful. This means ignoring others until they join your team or become a friend of your friend, etc. Don’t we all have some measure of importance and worth given by God? Why not be open to speaking and engaging with people as the norm?
For those who don’t, when you finally decide to interact, you risk making the encounter uncomfortable, and more than that, disingenuous.
Talking as opposed to listening.
The Bible says to be slow to speak and quick to listen, but few live this out (James 1:19). God gave us two ears and one mouth. I’ve been told there should be a ratio for how we communicate: listen twice as much as you speak.
Not making time for others.
We’re probably all guilty of using the phrase, “I haven’t had the time,” but if we took time to consider what that statement means, we’d say something else instead. Everyone is given the same amount of time within a day. Twenty-four hours. However, we all use our time differently. The issue is not having enough time, but rather priority - what’s important and what’s not. Or at the very least, what is most important. We prioritize what we value most.
Therefore, we should stop telling people we don’t have time to do that favor, read that book, or do that thing. We simply haven't made the time yet. That’s the honest answer.
And the sooner we can be more honest, the sooner we can stop pride from stifling our callings.
Further Reading:
Proverbs 11:2
Proverbs 16:18
Proverbs 29:23
Jeremiah 9:23
Join the conversation! Share how today’s devotional encouraged or challenged you in your walk with Christ.
Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/Fares Hamouche
Get in touch with him at aarondanthony.com and check out his debut short story anthology Honey Dreams on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
Check out fantastic resources on Faith, Family, and Fun at Crosswalk.com!
Listen to The Love Offering!
Encouraging you to love God, others, and yourself—one faithful step at a time.
Each week, host Rachael Adams sits down with inspiring women who are making a difference right where they are. Through honest conversations, biblical wisdom, and real-life stories, you'll be reminded that your everyday acts of love—no matter how small—matter deeply to God.
You were created to live a life of impact.
You were made to be a love offering.
