It Starts Small

As we continue our journey this month in discovering God’s Love, we have looked at the source of all love is God. God is love and love is God. We have journeyed through love being patient and kind. We have also looked at love not being envious or boastful. We come to the end of 1 Corinthians 13:4 and see that love is not arrogant. 

Others translations say:

is not puffed up – KJV
is not proud – NIV
is not proud – NLT
Is not arrogant – CSB

The original Greek word used is physioō and means to inflate, blow up, to cause to swell up, to be puffed up, to bear one’s self loftily, be proud.

All who fear the Lord will hate evil.
    Therefore, I hate pride and arrogance,
    corruption and perverse speech.

Proverbs 8:13

This is something we must take very serious in our lives if we are to love others. God says I hate pride and arrogance. In God’s Word we can look at a few examples and hold them up to us as a mirror to examine our own hearts for pride and arrogance. 

King Nebuchadnezzar is the best example of ultimate pride. We learned yesterday that his boasting got him in serious trouble, but the heart of it was his pride. He loved himself so much that he took credit for everything he had done. He built his mighty nation and desired everyone worship him. Pride drove him to insanity.

The pride and arrogance of Pharoah in Exodus caused his heart to become so hard he refused to listen to God and repent. His pride brought destruction to Egypt and and as a result he lost his first born son. Pride destroys everything around us and our relationships.

A man named Korah took his position to his own self-made special status. He believed he was so important that he gathered 250 men and challenged the authority and position of Moses. He believed he could do a better job that Moses and Aaron and in effect, he was better at it all than God. All the the 250 people were swallowed up by the earth. Pride gathers up others to rebel against authority.

King Saul was an unrepented prideful leader. He refused to obey God and relied on his own strength to fight the Philistines. Saul had a heart for power and did whatever he had to do to keep it, including using witchcraft. Prideful ambition brings destruction but there is hope in repentance and transformation through God’s grace!

Queen Jezebel was the queen of pride. She manipulated people into doing her bidding. She used manipulation to intentionally hurt others. She used elaborate lies, schemes, and evil tactics to get what she wanted. She went so far as to kill a neighbor to take what was his. Do not engage in devious lifestyles. DO not devise evil plans or tactics to get something you want. 

Nebal was a surly mean and cruel man. His name literally mean fool. He belittled people and he was stingy. When King David asked for provisions, which he had plenty, he said no. Pride is a person who is stingy with what they have. IN the end he lost everything, including his wife to David. Pride causes us to loose everything and everyone. DO not ever decide that others are below you. 

Finally, the ultimate example, Satan. He is the father of all evilness, wickedness, and sin. HIs pride does not care about anyone but himself. He does not care who gets hurt as long as he gets what he wants: to steal, kill, and destroy humanity. He is the father of abuse and manipulation. Copying the behavior of Satan only in the end hurts us. 

It is easy to understand why Paul writes, love is not arrogant. There is no room for others in an “I” centered life. The only way to not be arrogant is to practice humility. Repentance and humility are the key to breaking the chains of pride in our lives.