"The Other Side of Pride!"

I was talking to a friend the other day and was sharing something God gave me to give them.   Before talking to them, I thought hard about what I was about to tell them.  See I believe anything God gives you to give someone else, should go through you first!  If it is a biblical truth, it affects all of us, just in different ways.  So, I was trying to understand how what I was about to share also fit me.  

What I told them was that there was an area in their life, that until surrendered to God, it would be difficult to progress in some things they have been asking God to manifest.  I also told them what area that was.  But when thinking about myself, I couldn’t figure out what my area was that needed to be yielded more.   I knew that if I was going to discover what it was, I would need someone else to tell me because I was too close to me.   So, after talking to my friend, I asked them about my area and if they could shed any light on it… they quickly obliged.  As they spoke they said one thing stood out.  “You don’t allow people to help you.  You are always trying to give people something to bless them, you always make sure you pay people quickly, and all of that is good, but you do it without receiving help when others offer it.”  Before they could finish, I simply said “PRIDE.”   

THE OTHER SIDE OF PRIDE

We often think that pride is thinking we are better than others.  We assume the only side of pride is taking praise for things we have done, thinking too highly of ourselves, or the great pleasure we receive when we think we have attained something on our own, but that is just one side of it. 

Recently my financial adviser told me not to give away another book!  When he said it I kind of smiled, knowing that I probably would because I enjoyed blessing people who had a need, especially when it was my grief book.  Many of those people ask to BUY one, they can afford it and are more than willing to, but I would override them and just give them a book.  That can turn into the other side of pride- Not allowing God to use someone else to bless you when you are blessing them.  

I was told once that I don't like being wrong.  When I heard that, I didn't understand it at first.  I knew that I didn't always think I was RIGHT, so I was baffled.  At that time my then husband helped me to understand it better.  He said it is true, I don’t like to be WRONG, but it is not that I think I am RIGHT.  I just try too hard to do right by people and that in itself can turn to wrong.  In a weird kind of way, over the years in my attempt to avoid being prideful, I had  inadvertently began to take pride in not being prideful! 

A FALSE BALANCE

I searched for a scripture to help me to understand my newfound issue better so I could overcome in that area, and most scriptures about pride were helpful, but they dealt mostly with my previous definition of pride.  Then I found Proverbs 11:1-2 and I felt it come full circle.

“A false balance is an abomination to the LORD, but a just weight is His delight. When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.”

This scripture helped me understand that God is not one sided, not in business, not in blessings.  Sometimes we're so excited about being used by God and we want so bad to be a blessing that we don't do the things that are normal when it comes to the balance of giving and receiving.  I have had experiences where people charge exorbitant amounts to speak or sing at an event, and that looks off balance, and we might call that pride.  But that is just one side of it, if we are not charging much at all for things, that is still a false balance and it can be motivated by the other pride. Many Christian business owners don’t charge people enough for it to be a mutual blessing- (others charge too much just because they don't want to be taken advantage of). When we don't charge enough, our balance is off and the business owner struggles to be blessed- because they were so busy trying to be a blessing.  Their testimony is not balanced, and it does not glorify God when their business closes. Don’t get me wrong…  Scriptures tell us it is “More blessed to GIVE than to RECEIVE”.  We will teach, preach and proclaim that every day, but only being found GIVING is a false balance because God still expects us to receive. 

EXAMPLE:  God GAVE His best to us, if the principal of giving was the only thing that was counted as a blessing, then He received that blessing.  But God gave with expectation that we would RECEIVE that gift.  Is receiving it viewed as wrong or not a blessing?  NO, the gift was given with the intent to  be received as well, and it so blessed us that we are now a part of that BLESSING.   

Avoid falling into the subtle trap of the enemy.  Pride will have you off balance and that pride can lead to disgrace.  Humility can be seen in allowing God to bless you through a just balance.   There must be a balance in our Giving and Receiving.  Strive to be a blessing to people but be willing also to receive a blessing from the people you bless! 

#foreverchanged