IDENTIFYING PRIDE
Memorise: And whosoever shall
exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be
exalted. Matthew 23:12
Read: Isaiah 14:12-17, Bible
in one year: 2 Samuel 1-2, proverbs 9:13-10:7
One of the most subtle and
hazardous problems of leadership is the peril of pride. The very fact that a
man has risen to a position of leadership with its attendant prominence tends
to engender secret self-congratulation and pride which if not checked, will
make such a fellow unfit for further advancement in the service of God’s
kingdom. Pride is a fundamental sin that aims at enthroning self at the
expenses of God. Pride was the sin that converted Lucifer from an anointed
cherub and guardian of the throne of God, to the devil – the leader of evil and
the most cruel and unpleasant spirit. It was this same pride that caused the
expulsion of Lucifer from Heaven. Isaiah 14:12 says,
“How art thou fallen heaven, O Lucifer, son of the
morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!”
Pride is subtle. It is a sin
whose presence its victim is least conscious of. This hydra-headed spiritual
monstrosity assumes various forms. The most abhorrent of these forms is spiritual
pride. Since pride is a subtle sin, how can you discover whether or not you
have succumbed to its flatteries? First, spiritual pride manifests itself mostly
in Christian service. To identify whether you manifest pride in your service or
not, you should endeavour to sincerely answer these question: How do you react
when another person is selected for the assignment you expected? How do you
react when another person outshines you in gifts and accomplishments? Secondly,
be honest. How do you feel when others, especially your rivals say negative
things about you? Thirdly, submit yourself to the test of criticism. This is
part of the price that must be paid daily by a leader. No leader is exempted
from criticism. It should be noted that there is nothing else that so kills the
efficiency, capability and initiative of a leader as unhelpful, destructive
criticism. It tends to hamper and undercut the efficiency of a man’s thinking
process. It chips away at his self-respect and undermines his confidence in his
ability to cope with his responsibilities. However, criticism is equally a
powerful instrument in assessing the presence of pride in a leader’s life. The
pride or humility of a leader can be clearly seen in the leader’s reaction to
criticisms. To identify the presence of pride in your life, you should ask if
criticism causes hostility and resentment in your heart, causes you to
immediately try in justify yourself and if you hasten to respond by in turn criticizing the critic.
Action Point;
To overcome the peril of
pride, you should be honest and measure yourself by the life of our Lord and
Saviour Jesus Christ who humbled Himself, even to death on the cross.
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