The book of Proverbs is a guide for pursuing godly wisdom in our daily lives. In this four-week study, we will read a selection of topical proverbs covering different aspects of wisdom, from how to interact with our friends, families, and neighbors, to fearing God and keeping His commands. No matter the subject, these proverbs urge us to wrestle with and reflect on our own response to them. To help you better engage with the proverbs in this reading plan, we have provided you with a short introduction and reflection questions for each day.
In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis wrote, “Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind.” The wise person understands the battle between humility and pride is always raging in our hearts. These proverbs help us understand that fight.
Reflection Questions:
What is the difference between confidence and pride? Where in your life does pride have its strongest hold?
What is the difference between self-deprecation and humility? Why do you think we employ false humility in the ways we relate to others? What do we want it to do for us?
Scripture tells us that the Holy Spirit works in the lives of believers to make us more like Jesus (Philippians 2:13). This means He is working to cultivate humility in us. Spend time thanking God for a specific time in your life where He brought you to a place of true humility.
I would say pride is someone who cannot admit defeat. They have had wins and losses, but ignore the losses; and act self-righteously. Confidence, I would say, comes from learning from your defeat.
I think the Lord uses motherhood to build humility in me. There are so many things I have no control over as a mom and this reminds me that I never had control in the first place.
EC, I can definitely relate to you. I don’t really think of myself as prideful either, but I do try to do be the perfect mom, wife, daughter,friend, and Christian. It can be so exhausting. I am learning to rely on God’s strength and know that I can never be perfect this side of heaven.
Amanda, I am in the same boat that you are with looking for a job and needing wisdom and humility. I’ll be praying for you that God will give you the wisdom and humility that you need as well as patience while in the job searching process.
Self-deprecation is self-imposed. Humility happens organically. I know God worked through my Husband recently to humble me following a financial fail of mine – his response se what not his instinctive reaction, but one far more gracious and calm. That single moment shifted my adult heart.
(1) Pride is when we choose our will over God’s will. Confidence is trusting God’s will for our lives which is forgiveness of our sins through Christ Jesus and reconciliation to God the Father. Pride has it’s strongest hold on my life right now through the acceptance of God’s forgiveness. Also through finances, sleep, entertainment, and thinking more of myself than others.
(2) Self-deprecation is being critical of ones self. Humility is a sense of unworthiness and thinking more of others than we do ourselves. I think false humility is when we compare ourselves to others and are critical of ourselves for not being more like someone else we look up to or are envious of. I think we do it to help change ourselves into what we want to be. However, hate doesn’t drive out hate, only love can do that.
(3) Thanks be to God for helping me realize I don’t deserve his forgiveness or to be in his presence. Yet his grace covers me because He loves me whether I deserve it or not.
I’ve always been told that the pride is thinking too much of yourself, self depreciation and self consciousness is thinking of yourself too much, but humility is not stopping to think of ourselves much at all.
This is an area I have struggled with my whole life. I’ve harbored pride in certain aspects of my life while also feeling incredibly self deprecating and self conscious in the name of false humility. It’s only over the past few years that I’ve begun to understand that confidence in who God made me to be can exist right alongside with humility, especially because acknowledging that I am who HE says I am means that I cannot boast because none of that is my own accomplishment.
It’s interesting self reflecting on this topic because I don’t think of myself as prideful… but as I was thinking on this, I see I am prideful in that I try to do a lot of things in my own strength. As a working mom with toddlers, one of which has special needs I constantly strive to DO everything well And DO too much and I get burnt out because I’m relying on my own strength. I see this as pridefulness in that I’m not resting and relying on the Lord nearly enough as I should.