Proverbs 16:19 (CB)

Better to be lowly in spirit along with the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud. 

GOD HATES THE PROUD. There are practical reasons that pride leads to destruction. The Lord loves the oppressed—the widow, the fatherless, and those without power. But why? Within one being of the triune God there are three persons loving and glorifying one another through eternity (John 17:1–6), an “other-orientation” of love. Therefore, if you are scrambling for glory and recognition for yourself rather than giving it and serving others, you are going against the truth of the character of our Lord. The servant life of Jesus Christ is a revelation of the nature of God, the very heart of things. You are also on a collision course with God’s future, because the Bible says that, eventually, God is going to lift up the humble and put down the proud. If God wants us to identify with the oppressed by being lowly in spirit, why should we hate it so much when we don’t get recognized and treated as we feel we deserve? Do you take it hard when you are snubbed or ignored?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I still covet glory and honor, but I know I should serve without thought of getting credit. So hard! Make your selfless love for me so palpable and affecting that I don’t care what others think. Amen.