Pride and humility, destruction and honor

When we think about pride, madalas ang unang pumapasok sa isip natin ay larawan ng isang arrogant person. Mayaman, may kotse, signature clothes, mapanlait, self-centered, ayaw magpa-correct, and the list could go on. At madalas pa, kapag naiisip natin ang pride, we can immediately identify a person or persons na nagtataglay nito. And ang pinakamadalas, that person is NEVER ourselves.

So when the pastor says think about a person with pride, we never think of that person to be ourselves. Or kung makonsensya man tayo ng konti, isasama natin ang sarili natin sa listahan, but we will never put ourselves on top of the list. We might even say, OK may pride din naman ako paminsan minsan, pero hindi naman kasing yabang ni <insert name of the most arrogant person here>.

But one thing ironic about humility is this, the moment we realize that we have humility, then that is the moment that we lose it.

Pero ano nga ba talaga ang meron sa pride at humility? In an attempt to discover the answer in the light of God’s Word, I did a search in Biblegateway.org about humility. And this is what I get:

Humility:

• comes before honor. (Prov. 18:12)
• gives honor, riches and life. (Prov. 22:4)
• causes God to listen to our prayers (2 Chronicles 34:27; Ps 10:17)
• stops God from sending calamity/punishment (even if we so deserve them) (1 King 21:29)
• turns away the wrath of God, reverses destruction and brings deliverance (2 Chr 12)
• is what ATTRACTS God and causes him to draw near (Ps. 34;18; 51:17)

On the other hand, Pride:

• Causes the downfall of Lucifer, the highest ranking angel who was perfect in beauty and wisdom (Isa. 14:12-15; Eze 28:11-17)
• is what repels God, and cause him to reject the person (James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5).
• which causes a desire to be praised by others, and causes lying, also brings in DEATH (Acts 4:32 -5:10)

Napakaraming stories sa Bible that talks about both pride and humility. Stories about how a proud heart brings destruction to a nation, and also stories of how humility saves a man and the next generation.

Pero isa lang ang nakita kong malinaw na moral of the story: Kung gusto mo ng punishment, kung ayaw mo ng blessings, kung gusto mo maging kaaway ng Diyos, at kung gusto mo na mamatay, be proud and remain proud. Sigurado ring pipilitin kang iligtas ng Diyos sa nakaambang pagpaparusa at destruction na ibibigay nya sa mga mapagmataas, often by events and circumstances that are supposed to humble you. Pero kung mananatili kang matigas, then alam mo na ang kahahantungan mo.

On the other side, humility ATTRACTS the very heart of God. This is what he saw in Abraham, in Joseph (after he was humbled), in David, in Solomon (during his first year or reign), in Stephen and in Jesus. And all of them, lahat sila enjoyed the lavish blessings, the anointing, and glory of the Lord. They were all lifted up, and found favor and honor in the eyes of God and man.

Ako ba? Proud ba ako? Do I have pride in me? Yes, I am a man full of pride in my heart. And God saw it, and out of his tremendous love for me, hindi nya niloob na manatili ako sa ganitong kalagayan. He humbled me, and I am still in that stage. Pero ngayon, hindi na ako nalulungkot. I may be hurting right now, because the natural man in me feels the pain of being disciplined. But I now look forward to the day that I will emerge victorious. Because cross comes before the crown, Golgotha comes before glory, and humility comes before honor.

I hope you watch with me, as we anticipate and see what God will do to this lowly life after he humbled my heart and molds me into an earthen vessel worthy of carrying his glory.

Soon…

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About the Author

Randy Jay Burgos — fondly called w3bservant– is a Christian youth leader,  motivational speaker and an IT enthusiast specializing in open-source web development solutions. His passion is to help the Body of Christ develop and equip top-caliber youth leaders, whose notable excellence in their chosen field is a powerful testimony that inspires others to live a Christ-centered life. He currently works as a trainer for a US-based consulting company in the Philippines.