Elevate Your Day with Andi and Brian Hale

Pride and Shame - Day 5 of 5; HOW

Join us as we wrap up this 5 day study on PRIDE and SHAME!

Pride and Shame - Day 4 of 5; SPIRIT

from Pride and Shame on Youversion
What truths to do we need to take hold of in order to live a life of humility?
First and foremost, we need to take to heart the opening line of Rick Warren’s, The Purpose-Driven Life: “It’s not about you.”
This may seem a little, um . . . obvious, but so often in our culture we lose sight of this. Our lives tend to revolve around a planet of one, and anything not within that tiny orbit has a tendency to get neglected. But we can’t pin this all on our society; our flesh is wired for exactly the same thing. The flesh is concerned for only one thing – itself – and will go to great lengths to promote and indulge it.
And this is where Christ steps in and sets us free from a life of fleshly indulgence. He came not only as an example of someone who lived a godly life but to also provide us with the power to do it.

Pride and Shame - Day 3 of 5; HUMILITY

from Pride and Shame on Youversion
What is the radical solution to pride and shame?
Humility.
Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.
‭‭PROVERBS‬ ‭11:2‬ ‭NLT‬‬
If that doesn’t sound very radical . . . it really is. To be humble in this day and age is to defy all cultural norms. Our society (like most societies in history) holds up performance and public opinion as the two great defining bastions of self-worth. Those who perform get applauded and rewarded, while those who fail to do so largely get ignored.

Pride and Shame - Day 2 of 5; SHAME

from Pride and Shame on Youversion
“You should be ashamed of yourself!”
Ever heard those words before? From a teacher, a parent . . . or perhaps even yourself? Shame (and its close cousin guilt) is one of the most effective tools for emotional manipulation, and while it can have an outwardly positive effect on our behavior (at least in the short run), more often it simply reinforces the negative thought patterns that motivated us to do wrong in the first place. Shame in our minds and in our hearts can make us feel bad for what we’ve done, but it’s powerless to ensure we’ll do right the next time. In reality, it churns us more than it turns us.
And that’s the enemy’s strategy.

Pride and Shame - Day 1 of 5; PRIDE

from Pride and Shame on Youversion
The text message from my wife was troubling: “Our son got in trouble three times at school today.” This was very uncharacteristic of him (thankfully), and while part of me wanted to overlook it as an uncommon occurrence, my wife and I both knew that a consequence was needed to drive home the point that his behavior was unacceptable. When he got home from school that day, we talked about what happened and he received his consequence. My wife and I worried about how he would respond (would his behavior escalate as a result?), but he handled it like a champ. The next morning, we both talked about how proud we were of his response.
This is the good kind of pride, the kind that focuses on and recognizes the value and goodness in another person, especially someone or something we feel in some way responsible for. This is the natural pride of loving what is good and celebrating it among the people around us.
But then there is a different kind of pride – a pride that is more about self than it is about others. This pride centers around me (what I have done, what I possess, how I look – all of my “credentials”) and rather than celebrating others, it can actually work against them. Pride is often the fuel of self-promotion, self-protection, and self-praise, with self being the common denominator. This kind of pride loves to do good not for the sake of the good itself but for how it makes me look. Pride is sometimes hard to spot because it can so easily masquerade as virtue.
‭‭Haughty eyes, a proud heart, and evil actions are all sin.
‭‭PROVERBS‬ ‭21:4‬ ‭NLT
But when we allow pride to creep in (or when we throw open the front door to it), we find ourselves like the proverbial cat up the tree: enjoying the view from our high perch but unaware that there is no easy way down. Scripture clearly illustrates this: throughout the Old and New Testaments, the proud are typically referred to in the context of being brought low. God simply won’t stand for it; He will deal with it in our lives and get rid of it.
For the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has a day of reckoning. He will punish the proud and mighty and bring down everything that is exalted.
‭‭ISAIAH‬ ‭2:12‬ ‭NLT‬‬
Sometimes, however, the most painful consequence of our pride comes not from God Himself but from our own self-criticism – when pride takes a nosedive. When this happens, our self-approval turns to self-judgment, and it’s remarkable how skilled we can be at piling it upon ourselves. And we call the emotion that accompanies this, shame.
Is there an antidote to this deadly, destructive pride? Yes there is, but before we reveal it, we have to give shame a closer look and discover that pride and shame really are two sides of the same coin.
And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
‭‭JAMES‬ ‭4:6‬ ‭NLT‬‬
Prayer: Father, it is clear that You take a very dim view of pride and oppose it wherever You see it. Teach me how to let go of my pride and embrace You instead. Show me in the life of Your Son how to do this, and let me walk in His ways instead. In Jesus’ name, amen.