Many Christians place trust in themselves before they trust God. They put their opinions and experiences above God’s Word. They look to themselves instead of looking to God. As a result, they struggle to believe Him. Since they haven’t given their worries to the Lord, they have trouble receiving His care. They get weary. Pride keeps them from experiencing the benefits of God’s grace.
Our words reveal what is in our hearts (Matthew 12:34), and our words will either acquit or condemn us (Matthew 12:37). The Lord knows when we are full of conceit and pride. Yet, He is gracious (Psalms 145:8). He doesn’t treat us as we deserve (Psalm 103:10).
Pride is full of jealousy, bitterness, and anger. It doesn’t produce righteousness (James 1:20). Pride declares that the end justifies the means. But a good outcome isn’t so good when a morally bad thing is used to achieve it. God grants us time to accept His grace, repent, and humble ourselves (2 Peter 3:9). But a time will come when God will judge our pride (Hebrews 10:30).
Job discovered this truth. He lived around 2200 BC. He was a man of integrity who followed God even when no law required it. Job feared God and rejected evil. He was wealthy, but in just one day, Satan stole his wealth and took away his children. And then painful boils covered his entire body.
When Job’s friends heard of his plight, they came and grieved with him for seven days. Finally, Job opened his mouth, emitting the bitterness and anger in his heart. He cursed the day of his birth and wished for his death (Job 3). Then Job’s friends responded, not easing his pain at all.
“Bad things don’t happen to good people,” they said. “Your own sin has brought all this adversity on you.”
“If I’ve sinned,” Job responded, “show me my sin. I don’t know why this is happening. I’m innocent.”
The advice of his friends only caused Job more grief. During their back-and-forth conversation, Job began to question and doubt God. He went from “I don’t understand why this is happening to me” to “God isn’t fair to me, and there is no benefit in serving Him.”
Job 32:1 says that Job’s friends stopped answering him because Job was “righteous in his own eyes.”
When God finally spoke, He did not explain Himself or answer Job’s questions. He only addressed Job’s foolishness. In chapters 38-41, God reminded Job who he was and who He was. Was Job the creator? Did he clothe himself with excellence and glory? Did he put the prideful in his place?
Our words reveal what is in our hearts (Matthew 12:34), and our words will either acquit or condemn us (Matthew 12:37). The Lord knows when we are full of conceit and pride. Yet, He is gracious (Psalms 145:8). He doesn’t treat us as we deserve (Psalm 103:10).
Pride is full of jealousy, bitterness, and anger. It doesn’t produce righteousness (James 1:20). Pride declares that the end justifies the means. But a good outcome isn’t so good when a morally bad thing is used to achieve it. God grants us time to accept His grace, repent, and humble ourselves (2 Peter 3:9). But a time will come when God will judge our pride (Hebrews 10:30).
Job discovered this truth. He lived around 2200 BC. He was a man of integrity who followed God even when no law required it. Job feared God and rejected evil. He was wealthy, but in just one day, Satan stole his wealth and took away his children. And then painful boils covered his entire body.
When Job’s friends heard of his plight, they came and grieved with him for seven days. Finally, Job opened his mouth, emitting the bitterness and anger in his heart. He cursed the day of his birth and wished for his death (Job 3). Then Job’s friends responded, not easing his pain at all.
“Bad things don’t happen to good people,” they said. “Your own sin has brought all this adversity on you.”
“If I’ve sinned,” Job responded, “show me my sin. I don’t know why this is happening. I’m innocent.”
The advice of his friends only caused Job more grief. During their back-and-forth conversation, Job began to question and doubt God. He went from “I don’t understand why this is happening to me” to “God isn’t fair to me, and there is no benefit in serving Him.”
Job 32:1 says that Job’s friends stopped answering him because Job was “righteous in his own eyes.”
When God finally spoke, He did not explain Himself or answer Job’s questions. He only addressed Job’s foolishness. In chapters 38-41, God reminded Job who he was and who He was. Was Job the creator? Did he clothe himself with excellence and glory? Did he put the prideful in his place?
It’s God who brings the prideful low and exalts the humble (1 Peter 5:6).
Look at Job’s response:
“I take back everything I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance” (Job 42:6 NLT).
Humility and repentance are the right responses to God’s correction. Job humbled himself and repented, and God exalted him by restoring everything Satan had stolen.
Look at the responses of others in the Word to the glory of God. Each time they experienced the Lord’s glory, humility was the consequence. When Isaiah saw the Lord, he repented (Isaiah 6:5). When God spoke to Abram, he fell on his face (Genesis 17:3). When God spoke to Moses from the burning bush, Moses hid his face from God’s glory (Exodus 3:5-6). When the angel appeared to Joshua, he bowed to the ground in utter devotion (Joshua 5:14).
If we ever genuinely see the glory of God, we, too, will humble ourselves and lose all conceit and pride.
When faced with adversity, we don’t need to go from “I don’t know why this is happening to me” to “God isn’t fair, and there is no benefit in serving Him.” Pride is dependence on ourselves instead of God. It keeps us from experiencing the blessings of His grace. God exalts those with a humble heart—just as He exalted Job when he repented.
God, who once was hidden from us because of our sin, sent His Beloved Son to become our sin so we could be justified and receive His glory (Romans 8:30). For those who believe in Jesus Christ, God no longer judges and humbles us from without. He no longer judges our actions, but our hearts. And Jesus has justified and glorified us, humbling us from within.
Disgrace comes with pride, but grace and wisdom come with humility (Proverbs 11:2). God gives more grace to the humble (James 4:6) and wisdom to those who ask (James 1:5). The consequences of humility are grace and wisdom.
How can I not respond in true humility to the Lord who humbled Himself for me?
Look at Job’s response:
“I take back everything I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance” (Job 42:6 NLT).
Humility and repentance are the right responses to God’s correction. Job humbled himself and repented, and God exalted him by restoring everything Satan had stolen.
Look at the responses of others in the Word to the glory of God. Each time they experienced the Lord’s glory, humility was the consequence. When Isaiah saw the Lord, he repented (Isaiah 6:5). When God spoke to Abram, he fell on his face (Genesis 17:3). When God spoke to Moses from the burning bush, Moses hid his face from God’s glory (Exodus 3:5-6). When the angel appeared to Joshua, he bowed to the ground in utter devotion (Joshua 5:14).
If we ever genuinely see the glory of God, we, too, will humble ourselves and lose all conceit and pride.
When faced with adversity, we don’t need to go from “I don’t know why this is happening to me” to “God isn’t fair, and there is no benefit in serving Him.” Pride is dependence on ourselves instead of God. It keeps us from experiencing the blessings of His grace. God exalts those with a humble heart—just as He exalted Job when he repented.
God, who once was hidden from us because of our sin, sent His Beloved Son to become our sin so we could be justified and receive His glory (Romans 8:30). For those who believe in Jesus Christ, God no longer judges and humbles us from without. He no longer judges our actions, but our hearts. And Jesus has justified and glorified us, humbling us from within.
Disgrace comes with pride, but grace and wisdom come with humility (Proverbs 11:2). God gives more grace to the humble (James 4:6) and wisdom to those who ask (James 1:5). The consequences of humility are grace and wisdom.
How can I not respond in true humility to the Lord who humbled Himself for me?
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