Definition

PRIDE – placing yourself above all others.

Read Romans 15:13-21

There is a good and righteous pride. It stands in contrast to deadly pride because it is not about me but about others. In this passage, Paul is proud of Christ’s work. He looks on his own labors and sees Jesus being glorified and the Word of God being preached.

There are many ways to be prideful of our own accomplishments; and all of them are evil. But there are also things that Jesus does that we can look on and boast about because we are boasting about Jesus. This is not a license to throw a veneer of ‘Jesus’ on our own accomplishments. It is, however, a call to get close to Jesus and feel his heart and passion. Then, when his work is done, we will direct all the glory to him. This is good boasting.

All the glory is yours, Jesus. May my works be diminished; and your works exalted. May I see your work being done, and revel and dance in your praise. Give me a refined heart that sees what is YOURS and what is nothing.

Definition

PRIDE – placing yourself above all others.

Read Daniel 4:28-37

God humiliated Nebuchadnezzar – the greatest king of his age – for his pride. It is only when he realizes that all things, both good and bad, come from the immeasurable God that Nebuchadnezzar is restored.

This kind of story is all over the Bible, but Nebuchadnezzar illustrates it so well. His journey into humiliation came from his lack of humility before God. He appreciated what he had been given, but he denied the source of it.

God, you are my Creator and my Source. When I walk along the ‘walls of the city’ that I have built, help to realize that it is really your city and your labor that has made it. And if I forget, chasten me so I will remember.

Definition

PRIDE – placing yourself above all others.

Read Ezekiel 28:1-19

This unique prophecy is a lament over the fall of the ancient city of Tyre. The city was a major player in the politics of the day because of its tremendous merchant fleet and a monopoly on a special purple dye.

Pride will creep in when we have our focus on the results (in Tyre’s case, wealth) rather than on the source (God or self). We say, “I am wealthy” or “I am better than ____” without a consideration of the reason why this has happened. God blesses us with riches to provide for others; he benefits us with spiritual gifts and talents to lead others into relationship with him. Once again, we are robbing God of what he has determined for us.

God, replace my pride of my accomplishments with a longing and desire to use my blessings to be your blessing on others. Illuminate the things in my life that I have been given to give and clear the path for me to act.

Definition

PRIDE – placing yourself above all others.

Read James 4:1-10

This passage deals with both pride and envy (as stated before, there is considerable overlap between the two). Often when we envy someone, we will try to make ourselves MORE or make them LESS. We identify weaknesses or failures in others and then blow them out of proportion while minimizing our own weaknesses and failures. James identifies this plainly as a work of the Devil [v 8].

In your name, Jesus, I resist the work of the Devil in my life. I refuse to exalt myself above others, as he wants me to do; and will instead honor others and do whatever it takes to live for them.

Definition

ENVY – a dissatisfaction with what God has given to you; a hatred of the “hand you’ve been dealt.”

Note: Envy and Pride (the next sin) are very closely related. There is a great deal of overlap in the next two weeks’ meditations.

Read Galatians 5:25-6:10

This passage is a classic example of a chapter heading interrupting a thought. The idea of verse 26 is fleshed out in the first ten verses of chapter 6.

Envy will lead a man (or woman) to ‘sow to his own flesh’ [v 8]. We will plant the seeds of what God has given us in the soil of our own abilities, and the result will be corrupt and mutated.

Creator, help me to sow the good seeds of what you have blessed me with in the soil you have prepared, to bring forth a harvest of blessing and joy in your Spirit!

Definition

ENVY – a dissatisfaction with what God has given to you; a hatred of the “hand you’ve been dealt.”

Note: Envy and Pride (the next sin) are very closely related. There is a great deal of overlap in the next two weeks’ meditations.

Read Proverbs 24:1-22

When we look around and see who it is that we envy, isn’t it always those who seem to be blessed out of proportion to their work or their abilities? We see people making millions as musicians and actors and we wonder why they succeed but we do not.

In this passage, Solomon advises us to remember that even when things don’t go our way, it does not mean God is not blessing. And when others stumble, we should not rejoice, because we will probably stumble more often (even if less publicly).

God, you are SO good! Thank you for making me who I am and giving me what you have given to me. I will be content with what you have blessed me with and pursue wisdom with what I have rather than falling into envy and foolishness over what I do not.

Definition

ENVY – a dissatisfaction with what God has given to you; a hatred of the “hand you’ve been dealt.”

Note: Envy and Pride (the next sin) are very closely related. There is a great deal of overlap in the next two weeks’ meditations.

Read Matthew 6:25-34

The game of comparisons and envy is never-ending. And there is always someone with more; there is always something better. You can choose to look down on what you have or to take your focus off of it and focus on God’s mission for you.

God, I take my focus off of all the things I ‘could have’ and resolve to walk in faith, content with your provision. Take my eyes off what others have; take my eyes off what I have. Instead, turn my eyes toward your glory and honor.

Definition

ENVY – a dissatisfaction with what God has given to you; a hatred of the “hand you’ve been dealt.”

Note: Envy and Pride (the next sin) are very closely related. There is a great deal of overlap in the next two weeks’ meditations.

Read 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

One of the easiest ways to identify envy is to identify what it is not. Envy and pride [v 4] do not result from love.

Envy can sometimes be identified by a hatred for what I have been given. Pride is sometimes manifested by an obsession of what I have been given. In both cases, the thinking derives from a self-centered world view. They come from believing that I deserve the best – and if I do not see what I have as the best, then I hate it. If I do, I obsess about it. The proper perspective is contentment in what I have [Philippians 4:11].

Jesus, I confess a hatred of what I have been given. I confess that I have an unhealthy obsession with something I have not been given, and it has corrupted my thinking.

Definition

ENVY – a dissatisfaction with what God has given to you; a hatred of the “hand you’ve been dealt.”

Note: Envy and Pride (the next sin) are very closely related. There is a great deal of overlap in the next two weeks’ meditations.

Read Ecclesiastes 9:1-6

The book of Ecclesiastes is a difficult Scripture to read. It is the reflection of a man who tried every possible thing to find satisfaction in life and ultimately concludes it is all ‘vanity and striving with the wind.’ This particular passage shows how entangled love, hate, envy and pride are in most people’s lives. We can’t even tell where our actions come from.

Envy drives us to pretend – sometimes to get close to the one we envy, sometimes to destroy them. It is a confusing state of mind and extremely difficult to identify.

Jesus, I acknowledge that envy is in my life, but I confess that I cannot easily identify it or its results. As I journey here, please give me discernment to identify it in my thinking and weed it out.