Key Scripture: 1 Samuel 2:2-3  There is none holy as the Lord: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God. Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.

Relevance

Within Hannah's beautifully crafted prayer to her Lord and Saviour is her Godly comeback to those who mocked her barrenness.

Following her prayer, she went on to have six children altogether, including Samuel the Prophet. Her enemies—those who despised her— initially laughed with pride. But God turned the results around. Thousands of years later, Hannah is held in high esteem, while her mockers are shamed. Shame is the promotion of fools.

Proverbs 16:18 says Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Pride and a haughty spirit are umbilically attached, and the direction of those who embrace them is down. 

What is the missing link within us that causes us to need pride? Wherever you go in the world, inside or outside the Church, you will find pride hard at work, lying, deceiving, manipulating and far worse. 

Pride resembles leaven in a loaf of dough. A small amount at the beginning develops into such a large loaf. A small amount of unchecked pride can turn an average person over time into a beast. 

God calls us to kill off and bury pride and never let it raise its ugly head again—to get it out of our system completely. However, there are those who believe they can deceive God and still retain their pride, hiding it behind the spirit of deception while working for the Lord. 

Some boast because the Lord has called them into office, and they suppose He called them because of their skills and abilities. What does the Lord's Word say? “Make your calling and election sure!" Just because we are called to a ministry doesn't mean we will be successful. All the Lord's ministries are built on humility, and from there, they require a lot of work. 

There are principles which should be manifest to everybody by virtue of a call into office, namely Sacrifice, Effort, Compassion, Patience, Suffering and Love. Our continuum should be that we don't serve God in order to draw people to ourselves. The Lord doesn't want any of us to be blind to the dangers of prosperity and growth in every aspect. His warning cry is: REMAIN IN THE DUST! 

The Lord abhors the proud from afar off. The reason is that pride can make us blind to others' needs and rob us of compassion towards the weak and the weary. It can also cause us to be unmindful of the authority of His Word, which declares that we are to sustain and confirm the knees that, through feebleness, cannot bend; and to strengthen the hearts and the hands that have become weak.

Pride can make us independent of everyone. It can make us selfish and unwilling to do anything but what we want to do. Furthermore, it can also make us uncontrollably independent in opinion and deed.

It is essential to recognise that pride doesn't acknowledge authority and often leads to haughtiness that ultimately results in a fall.

The proud, even if they do not say it openly, feel they are better than others. In a Church, the proud often think they are worth at least a few of the parishioners, if not all of them. Pride changes characters and personalities. It can cause fights over nothing, ripples in the pews, hatred towards others, and a lack of reliance upon God. There is no room for it in the Church. 

When we talk proudly, verbal arrogance is the result, and out of the mouth the heart speaks! They would be better off following the motto, “He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.”The Lord would have all followers remember the value of a soul—remember the value of that being whom God created in His own image. This revelation (the value of souls) caused the Apostle Paul to be willing to be “anathema” to win and disciple them for Jesus Christ. 

This must be our aim as well—to become nothing that they may receive everything the Lord has to offer.

The Bible speaks of pride from beginning to end, and none of it is in a positive light. It's a good idea for us to run a check against the scripture and remove any of it within us. Our spiritual lives will flourish. Praise God!

Prayer

Dear Lord, thank you that within the Trinity is not one iota of pride.  Thank you that you are such a wonderful example of the life you call us into. Help us rid ourselves of any pride, ego, or false sense of greatness. Praise you, Lord!

Photo by Timo Wagner