Humility and Pride
Open Your Bible
Proverbs 11:2, Proverbs 15:33, Proverbs 16:18-19, Proverbs 27:1-2, Proverbs 29:23
BY She Reads Truth
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.
45 thoughts on "Humility and Pride"
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Beautiful.
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Really appreciate your thoughts throughout this study but especially today’s definitions and distinctions. Thank you, Paula Kline.❤️❤️❤️
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Confidence is knowing your abilities without showing arrogance. Pride is boasting about your abilities.
Not appreciating yourself or putting your self down. Humility is showing meekness even when yippy ate praised you give God the glory instead.
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Thank you, Jennifer! I’ll be praying for you as well.
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Pride most often tries to strangle my confidence through self-pity. Last night, the lion was seeking to devour my confidence in Christ by shaking me with lies about my identity. I was definitely feeling mistreated by someone very close to me and wallowing in the lie that “no one loves me.” Yet God brought me to these words as I sat at my desk and sought His comfort, tears running down my cheeks: “If you are feeling down about how someone has treated you recently, ask for God’s mercy on that person and on you. Let Him provide you with the encouragement you need right now” (The Beloved Psalms, 609). As I read, peace like a river filled my soul and I regained my confidence. There truly is “no mountain He won’t climb, coming after me.” Only He could have ministered that kind of comfort. Praying for my “enemy” is the last thing I wanted to do in my self-deprecation, but God humbled me by helping me to realize I was worshipping myself on my own high places of trouble, suffering, and responsibility (Hab. 3:19 AMP). In all of this, I realize that I employ false humility (self-deprecation and self-pity) when I fail to make a careful exploration of who I am and the work that I’ve been given by being impressed with myself or comparing myself with others. When I do this, I end up forfeiting the glorious responsibility I have to do my creative best with what God has given me (Galatians 6:4-5). Self-pity sucks time out of life, precious time, and has nothing to do with numbering our days wisely so that we might gain a heart of wisdom. There were a number of life-giving things I could have done instead of nurse my pride. Sometimes we have to learn the hard way the stark contrast between the ugliness of pride and the beauty of humility. Thank God for His grace.
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I think pride comes when we rly on our own strengths. Confidence comes from knowing I’m God’s child and what He thinks matters most.
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In my opinion, pride is self-centeredness, and at other times it is also self-reliant too when we try things in our strength, leaning on our own understanding, without resorting to the Lord’s counsel or His strength. On the other hand, confidence is a positive outlook we carry, I think more of an attitude that radiates from the goodness within. When you see a confident person, they are NOT necessarily prideful, but on the contrary they are enthusiastic, helpful and humble too (not low self esteemed).
False humility I see sometimes is a way to fish for compliments, pretending you don’t know something, and when it is your turn to come up, you nail it over the top, then everyone woo and wow. I think that is false pretense to draw attention to oneself, in the sense to maximize effect, it’s seeking vanity.
Praise God for willing us to conform to Jesus and His wonderful characters, while chipping away the things unfit. May God give us wisdom and eyes to see areas in our lives that pride is still dominant. Bless you sisters.
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Jennifer, so true that Motherhood can be the ultimate lesson in humility!
I think of pride and self-deprecation as seeking praise and affirmation from others, something to boost our own egos. Confidence and humility are acting in the way of Christ because we know its right and we want to be Gods hands and feet; its focused on others, and seeks no recognition from anyone.
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