The Magnetic Repel of Pride

I re-discovered some magnets today that had been tucked away behind some books on my shelf. I couldn’t of course resist the opportunity to play with them. They are heavy-duty magnets. I held one firmly in my hand and lined it up with the same pole of the other magnet, and it repelled it a few inches along the table. I repeated the test over and over, and each time it pushed the other magnet away. Then, I lined them up so the opposite poles were facing each other. Immediately, the one in my hand pulled the other one into it so that they stuck together.

It got me thinking of the following verse:

“God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5).

Pride has a way of lining up our life with God so that there is a repelling effect. “God opposes the proud.” God is repelled by pride, including the pride in us. That means when we are proud, it hinders our ability to draw closer to God. In order to deal with it, we first need to detect it.

In their book, Seeking Him, Tim Grissom and Nancy DeMoss list thirty symptoms of a proud heart. Let me share with you ten that stood out. Proud people…

1. Focus on the failures of others.

2. Have a critical fault-finding spirit, looking at everyone else’s faults with a microscope but their own with a telescope.

3. Always have to prove they are right.

4. Desire to make a name for themselves.

5. Are quick to blame others.

6. Are overly concerned with what others think, working hard to protect their own image and reputation.

7. Have a hard time saying, “I was wrong; will you please forgive me?”

8. Are always comparing themselves with others.

9. Feel confident in how much they know.

10. Don’t think they have anything to repent of.

Do any of these statements describe you?  I know there are a couple that resonate all too well with me. As we become aware of pride, it’s important that we then deal with it properly—confessing and renouncing it. This in itself is a demonstration of humility.

Humility could be compared to having a magnetic attraction affect. “God … gives grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5). Humility has a way of lining our life up so that we can draw nearer to God and experience his grace.

Humility is the opposite of pride. Humble people…

1. Don’t focus on the failures of others. Rather they celebrate the success of others.

2. Are quick to recognize their own faults, and slow to judge everyone else’s faults.

3. Admit their mistakes

4. Want to make a name not for themselves but for Jesus.

5. Take responsibility for their own failures.

6. Aren’t overly concerned with what others think of them.

7. Are able to say frequently, “I was wrong; will you please forgive me?”

8. Don’t waste their time or energy comparing themselves with others.

9. Realize how little they know.

10. Daily confess their sin to God.

John Stott once said, “At every stage of our Christian development and in every sphere of our Christian discipleship, pride is the greatest enemy and humility our greatest friend.”

Let humility be your friend today. It will draw you closer to God.