USA Pride
By Steve Huston
“Pride goeth before
destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” (Prov.
16:18)
There’s hardly a
person who enjoys either thinking or talking about this monster
called Pride, except, possibly, in order to take aim at oneself
or another and sling a disparaging stone at it, as though a thought
or word would drop this Goliath to the ground.
Though it would behoove
us to heed Solomon’s warning against pride, the Bible actually
commands us to not be proud: “Hear ye, and give ear; be
not proud: for the LORD hath spoken” (Jer. 13:15). More
to the point, God commands us to be the exact opposite –
Humble. One such example with promise is found in James 4:10.
“Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall
lift you up.”
To put on Christ (Rom.
13:14) and to have the mind of Christ (Phil. 2:5) is to experientially
know humility. Puritan Daniel Cawdrey elegantly exhorts: “Humility
is the robe of all the sons of God—and the distinguishing
character of a true Christian. Humility is the only way to glory.
True humility never desires to show itself because it intends
to hide, not only other virtues, but above all, itself.”
It’s hard to fathom
how the giant of pride can remain hidden in the smallest and darkest
recesses of our heart. So much to the point that the “father
of the Puritans,” William Perkins, stated, “The lesser
we discern pride in ourselves—the more it reigns in our
hearts.”
There are many lessons
we could address regarding pride in our own personal lives, but
being July, let us look at “national pride” and our
response to it as Christians. With the high likelihood of being
misunderstood and with all due respect to Lee Greenwood’s
inspiring, popular American tribute, God Bless the U.S.A. –
with lines like “And I’m proud to be an American…”
– keep in mind that it’s God’s Word, not our
feelings or what has become acceptable, that should direct our
thoughts and actions in all matters.
Keep in mind that most
of us had nothing to do with our being citizens of this great
land. It was by God’s providential hand that we were born
here; He placed us in the family we grew up in; we’ve made
choices which affect our lives here, but while we may be grateful
and even pleased that God has planted us where we are, there is
very little that we can take credit for, for which we can claim
pride.
Biblical Israel often
fell into this sinful position of national pride. The prophets
would regularly warn the people against pride in their spiritual
privilege and in being God’s “chosen people.”
In the New Testament, Jesus also warned against pride, particularly
to the pharisees. There is nothing wrong with loving one’s
country, defending one’s native land, recognizing the benefits
of living where one lives, and seeing how it benefits other nations
as well. But it should be seen through the lens of God’s
providence and His working within that country, as well as how
He has blessed it or brought it low that its people might rejoice
and/or return to Him.
Following the above verse
in Jeremiah 13, commanding a people to not be proud, we see the
preventative to pride in verse 16: “Give glory to the LORD
your God…;” this is an Old Testament idiom which means
“Confess your sins” (cf. Joshua 7:19). Therefore,
this preventative or cure for pride is: giving God glory –
recognizing His holy person and His sovereign position, praising
Him, humbly confessing our sins before Him, submitting to Him,
and humbling ourselves in obedience to His holy Word. If we truly
humble ourselves before Him, He shall lift us up. The converse
is also true; If we stand in pride or glory in ourselves (or our
land), we WILL be brought low. Instead of light, we shall receive
darkness; judgment becomes ours, rather than blessing. During
this month which encourages patriotic pride, let us learn the
lesson of humility – recognizing that all we have has come
from God’s good hand and that all we are is by God’s
good graces. May our pride be turned to pleasure in knowing the
one, true God. If we are in trouble (nationally or personally),
let us call for days of humiliation and prayer, as our forefathers
once did so long ago. Can we objectively see where we stand in
comparison to God’s righteous laws and to His holiness?
Pray for clarity and a spirit of confession.
Verses 17-18 continue:
“But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret
places for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down
with tears, because the LORD'S flock is carried away captive.
Say unto the king and to the queen, Humble yourselves, sit down:
for your principalities shall come down, even the crown of your
glory.”
Will we heed the warning
that Israel refused? Will we humble ourselves or continue in pride?
Look at it this way: As Christians, the Kingdom of God is our
native land, we are mere sojourners in America, pointing others
to Jesus Christ and to His atoning work upon the cross so that
they, also, might become holy natives, through adoption by the
King, into God’s glorious Kingdom.
“Thus saith the
Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the
mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his
riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth
and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness,
judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things
I delight, saith the Lord.” (Jer. 9:23-24)
Contact us @
sghuston@yahoo.com
(231) 245-0002
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