I'm Sorry --- I Can't Be Proud of You

How many times do we hear it?

I'm so proud of you!

I'm proud of what I have accomplished!

I'm proud to be an American!

I'm proud of the stands I have taken!

I'm proud of my work!

I'm proud of my children!

But the Bible has nothing good to say about pride.

In fact, God resists the proud.

Perhaps He even gives thorns to help us resist pride.

II Corinthians 12:7

And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, 

there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, 

the messenger of Satan to buffet me, 

lest I should be exalted above measure.

Paul easily could have been lifted up in pride.

Indeed, he was a great apostle, writer, teacher of doctrine.

He even listed his titles and accomplishments and were they not impressive?

He felt that His thorn kept Him from being lifted up.

Hubby and I were reading a book the other night about the Spurgeons.

Mr. Spurgeon - "the prince of preachers" - and yet the author relayed an incident in his early preaching ministry that stuck with him the rest of his life and perhaps held his ministry back.

It made us think of Paul's verse about his thorn.

I can think of  MANY areas that I struggle with in the area of pride.

I can also think of "thorns" that help me to keep those areas of pride in check (sometimes😖)

For years, I have excused it as semantics.

I said "proud" but I meant thankful, I meant pleased, I meant ...

but I don't anymore.

All things are supposed to bring glory to God, not me.

Perhaps we should use Bible phrases ...

"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth."

 "Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake."

"But we will bless the Lord from this time forth and for evermore. Praise the Lord."

Think about it!

Would it be so bad to erase it from our vocabulary?

Do we really want to be described as proud?