Are You Proud or Confident?

Are you proud or confident?

We live in a time when a great deal of emphasis is placed on what we do and what we accomplish. Social media is often a platform where we can praise ourselves!  Proverbs 27:2 says, “Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips.” To gain a job or promotion, we necessarily share qualifications of our personal achievement, education, and experience. Viewed in the right perspective, these things are good. It’s when they produce pride that they lose their value from a Godly perspective. We’re to work with all of our might in whatever we do, but the presence of pride indicates confidence in self rather than in Christ who enables us.

Pride is an enemy of God and the cause of the fall of Satan and man. God desires humble hearts as demonstrated by the story of a convicted prisoner. Napoleon allowed a Russian prince to pardon one convict in a French prison. The man talked with the prisoners, and each professed innocence claiming that they were unjustly punished. However, one man sorrowfully confessed his guilt and acknowledged that he deserved his punishment. To this man, the prince said, “I have brought you a pardon in the name of the emperor.” Isn’t this the way we receive salvation? We acknowledge our guilt and we humbly accept the punishment taken by our Savior.  It’s how we should live our lives. We have nothing to be proud of in and of ourselves. All glory goes to the Lord, who loved us and gave himself for us.

Perhaps pride has led you into staggering credit card debt. I highly recommend Christian Credit Counselors. They can create a debt management plan specifically for you. For more information call the Crown Helpline at 800-722-1976 or visit online at crown.org/ccc.