No Place for Pride

“A person should consider us in this way: as servants of Christ and managers of God’s mysteries. In this regard, it is expected of managers that each one be found faithful.” (1 Corinthians 4:1-2 CSB)

There really is no place for pride among the people of God. There is a great tendency toward pride, but it is unwarranted. None of us has anything that we have not received from God. Thus, there is no basis for pride.

Some would argue, “I have worked hard to get what I have and where I am. It wasn’t just given to me. I spent many years in school and countless hours of training. I think I deserve a little credit here.”

Jesus told a parable once about a wealthy farmer who had such a bumper crop one year he decided to tear down his barns and build bigger ones. He said to himself, “Man, I’ve got it made now. Time for me to sit back, relax, and take it easy.” That night the Lord said to him, “Fool! Tonight, you will die. Then, those things you’ve stored up and thought were yours, whose will they be?”

Here is a simple reality: God is in control of every breath you and I take, and we exist by His grace. Everything we have comes from His grace. Indeed, we may participate in His processes, but in reality everything we are and everything we have is derived from God.

Thus, we each have a “stewardship” from God. As believers, we are servants of Christ, and as His servants we are managers or stewards of His truth. As our Lord, He is the One who evaluates our service to Him, our stewardship, and in our evaluation there is only one thing He is looking for: have we been and are we being faithful in carrying out our stewardship? That is His evaluation of us.

We must not give pride a place to rest. Rather, in humility before God, we must seek to be faithful to Him.

Lord, Help us in this day to displace any pride that may be in us, and help us to simply be faithful to You as good stewards of Your grace. Amen.