The Religious Nerd

I’m the most humble guy you will ever meet. I always put others first and myself second. I hate being in the spot light and love witnessing others succeed. Why?  Because I am a humble man, a really humble man.  You have a lot to learn from a guy like me. Please, oh please, pay attention to what I’m saying to you right now and with any luck you will learn to be as humble as me.

Said no humble man ever…

Pastor so and so is such a great man of God.  He always puts everyone before himself.  His wife and kids are lucky to have him.  I wish my husband was more like him. My husband is a prideful man while pastor so and so is so humble.

Said a person who doesn’t really know their pastor very well…

Most people aren’t as obnoxious as the examples provided above.  However, all men and women struggle with pride from time to time.  Any parent will tell you that the ugly behavior of putting oneself first becomes apparent in children at a very young age.  I’ve never met a child who hasn’t demonstrated selfish characteristics.  It’s human nature.

Pride is also directly responsible for many of the worlds problems, and many of your problems too.

For example:

• Countries go to war in the name of peace, but just happen to stumble across oilfields that contain billions of gallons of oil (that we just happen to desperately need).  Our society as a whole is taught to look out for our own best interest.  This usually happens at great cost to our neighbor.
• Millions of children go to bed every night without eating dinner or a safe place to live because they are dirt poor.  Meanwhile, the richest 1 percent hold 46% of the World’s wealth.  The resources are there to stop world hunger, but every man for himself, which is likely why Jesus taught on how difficult it is for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven (Matt 19:23).
• These two examples have a connection with pride.

Then of course there are the examples that are more relevant to you and I:

• The American Psychological Association claims that the divorce rate in the United States is upwards of 50%.  They go on to say that if you have already had a divorce, your chances for further divorces are substantially higher.  At the risk of offending some of my readers I will say that I am convinced that pride is a tremendous factor in divorce ( and most relationship problems).
• All other relationships, whether at work, home, school, or anywhere else, are directly affected by pride.
• Many employers encourage employees to do amazing work that sets themselves apart from their colleagues.  Many Americans are overworked and suffer from depression because of it. Further, The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that one in four Americans suffer from a diagnosable mental illness.
• Then there is social media, which I am convinced is the home base for pride.  We create accounts and make posts that market ourselves to the world and constantly engage in discourse that is self promoting (whether consciously or not).
• All of these things have a connection with pride.

The bible is not silent on this subject either.  Pride has been a problem as long as sin has been around.

In the Old Testament:

• “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom” Proverbs 11:2 ESV.

In the New Testament:

• “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,  but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross”. Philippians 2:5-8 ESV.

A substantial amount of time passed between the writing of these two texts, not to mention their intended audiences were drastically different cultural groups.  Nevertheless, pride is the subject at hand.

The ancient Hebrew culture were remarkably different than anything most modern Westerners are familiar with.  The ancient Hebrew people did not find their identity in themselves, they found their identity in their group as a whole.  Being a Levite meant something.  Being “Bob” the Levite didn’t.

Today, men labor tirelessly towards a personal existence that is gratifying.  There is nothing inherently sinful about seeking personal meaning in life.  God has created mankind in His image, and God is meaningful.  However, God goes to great lengths to communicate to man that he should not put Himself ahead of God (Exodus 20:2) or his fellow man (Matt 22:39).

You would think that with such biblical clarity on the subject that Christians in particular would seek to conform to the concept of humility, but that isn’t the case.  Christians are some of the greatest offenders when it comes to pride, especially when it comes to how we treat each other.

This doesn’t have to be the case.

Every man, woman, and child should make a conscious effort at mimicking Jesus’ character regarding humbling ourselves.

Practically speaking, we need to:

• Speak the truth in love. (Ephesians 4:15).
• Love our neighbor as ourselves. (Mark 12:31).
• Be prepared to lay down our lives for our neighbors. (John 15:13).
• Deny ourselves. (Luke 9:23).
• Be kind in all circumstances. (1 Cor 13:4).
• Know how to be brought low. (Philippians 4:12).
• And pray in all circumstances. (1 Thess 5:17).

This is a tough list to live up to, most people don’t (myself included). Humility isn’t something you can possess at whim.  The second you think you have it you lost it.  Humility is something that develops over time through action.  Inaction does not produce humility.  Thankfully, Jesus possessed all of these qualities.  Because of His sacrifice, we aren’t condemned for falling short.

My suggestions to you:

• Ditch social media which is a modern tool for self promotion.
• If you can’t ditch it, at least stop talking about how amazing your accomplishments are.
• Ask your spouse or family other how you can better serve them.
• Commit to private time with God that no one knows about.
• Be kind in how you go about talking to and treating others.
• Stop worshiping your pastors or spiritual leaders (they struggle with pride too).
• Resist societies urge to be proud of who you are as an individual.