December 02, 2014
Humbly Proud
When I read a news report heading
that a sports figure was, “proud, humbled by Hall of Fame induction,” it caused
me to contemplate the coexistence of pride and humility. In the same vein, as I
interview women for a series of articles on leadership, they often say they are
humbled and honored to be interviewed. Certainly our resident New Testament tax
collectors, Zacchaeus and Matthew, experienced a similar experience when Jesus
invited Himself to their homes for a meal. I’m now wondering if I’ve been
remiss in not putting a cloak of pride and humility around salvation. “And we
know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have
been called according to his purpose. For those God
foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that
he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he
predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he
justified, he also glorified” (Ro 8:28-30 NIV).
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1 comment:
Gail;
-----It seems most people regard humility as putting one’s self under or after others, or somehow denying one's own skills and abilities or how well something's been done, etc., etc., etc. The list of the ways humility is stated as some form of kindly self-derogation could go on and on and on. The same can be said about pride from another perspective. But it is undeniably certain that abiding in the Lord is built around loving and cleaving to truth. And truth is simply the accurate representation of the way things are as the I AM intends them to be.
-----Humility is not self derogation. It is accepting the way things are. If I were President of the free world and dressed in polo shirts and tennis shoes, unshaven, always hanging around the janitorial crew, scrubbing floors and lighting up their parties because I wanted to put myself after everyone, then I would be very arrogant. For the Presidency is a position of careful service to reality within a decorum necessary to influence very important and significant people. You can’t sway world affairs with wax stripper all over your pants. So the President acting like a janitor is no less arrogant than the janitor acting like the President. Neither is occupying the true position of his being. And just occupying that position is humility. Properly relating to that occupation is pride. Although Joseph became Viceroy to Pharaoh, he was yet very humble, because he used his position to do right by God’s truth, for which he could be proud enough to so state (Gen 45:4-8.)
-----Then can one not be proud of humility? Pride is much more corruptible than humility. It is so corruptible there are hardly any right places for it. But hardly any is hardly the same as none. The heritage of Israel was the pride of Jacob (Ps 47:4,) and the fruit of the land shall be the pride and glory of Israel’s survivors (Is 4:2.) In fact, the Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob (Amos 8:7.) Paul had great pride in the Corinthians (I Cor 15:31, II Cor 7:4.) One of what it takes to be part of the Lord’s house is pride in our hope (Heb 3:6.) Paul even claimed reason to be proud of his work in Christ Jesus (Rom 15:17.) Twice he alluded to the pride the Corinthians could have in him and his retinue (II Cor 1:14 and 5:12.) Paul holds fast to the Word so that he could be proud in the day of Christ, of all times to be proud, for having not run in vain (Philip 2:16.) Pride is not an automatically disposable attitude.
-----It is completely right when both its object and your relationship to its object are completely true. I am proud to have had enough good sense to humble myself to Christ. I am proud to have been just enough humble to His direction to have been led into matrimony with the most wonderful woman I’ve ever met. And I am always beaming with pride to be at her side. I will take great pride in stepping back as Christ takes her to be His bride, and I will be proud to follow in being the same. How can one not be proud to be of the same species as the second member of the Godhead, and to share the throne of the Almighty as being such, and to judge angels, too? However it is that one could not be proud of this, the only way one could properly be proud of it is through humility.
-----Pride and humility are flip sides of the same acknowledgment of truth. Wherever either is lacking in any place truth has provided for them, there is arrogance. This life has far less room for pride than humility because hardly any room for the truth is in it. So humility rules these days in acknowledging truth's limits set upon pride.
Love you all,
Steve Corey
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