Love Is...Not Proud

Love Is…Not Proud

Pastor Russell Henderson

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8a, NIV.

PRIDE:  to inflate, blow up, to cause to swell up

a) to puff up, make proud

b) to be puffed up, to bear one's self loftily, be proud

From World English Dictionary

1.	pleased or satisfied, as with oneself, one's possessions, achievements, etc, or with another person, his or her achievements, qualities, etc
2.	feeling honoured or gratified by or as if by some distinction
3.	having an inordinately high opinion of oneself; arrogant or haughty

Pride is one of the most destructive character traits that one could posess.  Scripturally speaking, there is nothing positive about pride.  Pride is always associated with wickedness or wicked people.   Throughout scripture pride is directly associated with words such as haughty, arrogant, and lofty.  Actually, these are probably better translations of the original term. 

King James says …love is not puffed up.  This connotes more of an action than merely a state of being.  Pride is more of a state of being, while arrogance involves action.  When Paul says love is not proud (puffed up) he is referring to someone who is purposefully trying to lift himself up above everyone and everything else.  It goes much further than boasting (which we looked at last week).  Pride has to be seen.  Pride has to be noticed.  And pride has to be the best, no matter what it takes.

No good can come from pride and arrogance.  It will always lead to destruction, and scripture gives us plenty of warnings to avoid pride at all costs.

Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.

Proverbs 16:18 NIV

The LORD detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished. - Pro 16:5 NIV

Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." - 1Pe 5:5 NIV

Now notice this passage from Ezekiel.

Consider Assyria, once a cedar in Lebanon, with beautiful branches overshadowing the forest; it towered on high, its top above the thick foliage. .. "'Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Because it towered on high, lifting its top above the thick foliage, and because it was proud of its height,  I handed it over to the ruler of the nations, for him to deal with according to its wickedness. I cast it aside,  and the most ruthless of foreign nations cut it down and left it. Its boughs fell on the mountains and in all the valleys; its branches lay broken in all the ravines of the land. All the nations of the earth came out from under its shade and left it. - Ezekiel 31:3, 10-12 NIV

Notice the key words there:  towered, lifted, height, overshadow.  God opposes pride and arrogance because it is the very nature of the rebellion in heaven.  Satan lifted himself up and decided that he was bigger and better than God. 

You said in your heart, "I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain.  I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High." - Isa 14:13-14 NIV

Rebellion is a by-product of pride.  Pride may start out seemingly innocent, but rest assured it will eventually lead to rebellion, which God will never tolerate.

So what, then, is the opposite of pride?  According to scripture the opposite of pride is humility.  If pride is trying to get higher and greater then humility is constantly striving to become lower and less.  If love is not proud, then we could say that love is humble.

Love is always considering others first.  Love is always sacrificing, and love is always giving.  What better way to show love for your heavenly Father than by becoming less so that He can become greater.  What greater way to show love for your neighbor than by putting your own needs and desires aside and going out of your way to meet their needs.

Next time you find yourself becoming puffed up, haughty, or arrogant remember that God opposes the proud, but ALWAYS gives grace to the humble.