A popular term these days is "haters". This usually refers to someone who doesn't do what you do and disagrees with you. "Haters gunna hate," they say. What does this mean? Usually it means that whoever is speaking doesn't care what other people say.
As Christians, we are called to be the opposite of the people around us. We are called to be humble, putting others first. This is easy to quote from Sunday School, but what does it mean?
Proverbs 6:16-17
There are six things that the Lord hates,
seven that are an abomination to him:
17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
Here we have the start of a list of things that God hates. What tops the list? Something referred to as 'haughty eyes'. What does that mean? Well, haughty means proud; so haughty eyes means those who look pridefully at everyone. In more modern English we would say someone with their nose up in the air. Self conceited. Proud. Vain. God hates this pride. It is an insult to Him and goes against the name of Christ that we as Christians carry.
"But Christianity didn't start until the New Testament," you hear people say. "This doesn't really apply to us." Two responses come to mind. First off, yes, the Old Testament is inspired by God and when it tells us about God its as accurate as the New Testament. So when it says here that God hates a proud look you can be sure He still feels that way.
The second response would be to quote the New Testament on this matter.
I John 2:15-17
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
Here we hear a slightly different part of pride; greed. Greed and pride go hand in hand. As you grow comfortable with pride; greed will be sure to follow. As soon as you think you are better than people you will assume you deserve more. This is the mindset we deal with all around us. I wish I could say it was only the unGodly who acted this way. Tragically, many modern Christians have the same attitude about the world around them. They love this world, it's toys and pleasures. They think they deserve them after all their hard work.
The truth is that if we become prideful we fall in the true original sin. Lucifer, now the devil, was once a prince among the angels. Not one other angel was greater then he. Only God Himself was Lucifer's superior. Then he became prideful. Greed soon followed and Lucifer tried the first mutiny ever. He tried to overthrow God. Lucifer convinced a third of all the angels to follow him in his coup. Thus the father of lies became who he is. Pride started it, greed continued it.
That may be why it tops the list of things God hates. Almost every sin starts with pride. A humble person does not feel he has to hurt people to get on top. Pride is where we almost always begin. When greed follows we carry out our sinful plan. What can we do about this as Christians?
Conclusion
Well, the first thing to do when we find pride in our lives is to repent. Turn to God and admit your sin. Then, ask Him to fill you with His Spirit. Ask for His help in being Christ to the world around you.
A few things to practice in order to help overcome pride and self would be as follows. The next time you have a conversation with someone, instead of trying to make the conversation about you, your stuff, or important people you know, ask the other person about them. Talk to them, show them that you care about them. This is simple advice, but you will find that we love to always turn the conversation to ourselves. As you go throughout the next week, try to avoid turning the conversation in your direction. Show love and humility by caring about the other person and only talking about you, and your stuff and connections when asked. You will find that not only do you feel more peaceful (due to obedience) but you will also be someone people enjoy talking to. Jesus Himself was a popular person with most people, however, He was (and is) our perfect example of true humility. Let us follow Him.
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