... I'm not sure I get.

Talking PRIDE here. What exactly is it?

How do you tell the difference between PRIDE and CONFIDENCE?

Or PRIDE and JUSTICE?

If I can meet a high standard, is it bad to feel good about it? Especially if I give God the credit?

I don't THINK I am prideful. At least I didn't think so. Now I am not so sure. How do you KNOW if you are? Am I?

If it is a problem I think I have, but don't really have, and decide to work on it, isn't that a waste of effort?

Is it bad to be happy with who I am intrinsically?

Or does it become bad only when I use it to put you down?

In my daily life, I deal with absolutes. Right and wrong is determined by perturbing a system and observing the results. When done properly, there IS only one "right." And when I get to that point, I will not be swayed. How can that be pride?

That surety is not there outside of the job. When does standing up for what you believe is right become pride?

Is it OK to consider behavior unacceptable and call people on it, or is THAT pride?

Is pride always having a BUT..., what about sometimes having a BUT... for sometimes there are?

Just some questions. Hard to fight a demon you don't understand.

You've got yourself an oroborus of a dilemma. It has no beginning and no end in your mind.

Give it to God. He is best qualified to tackle such demons.

NCW, from what I know of you I do not believe this describes you:

Characters traits of a proud person:



1) A proud person lives only for himself. This leads to deception.



Jeremiah 49 : 16

The terror you inspire and the pride of your heart have deceived you, you who live in the debts of the rocks, who occupy the heights of the hill.

Though you build your nest as high as the eagles, from there I will bring you down, declares the Lord.



Humility puts God and others first and reaches out to them in love.



1 John 4 : 20 - 21

"If anyone says `I love God' yet hates his brothers, he is a liar, for anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen."



And he has given us this command: `Whoever loves God must also love His brother'.



Matt 22 : 37 - 39

"Jesus replied: `Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'

This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second like it:



Love your neighbour as yourself.'



2) A proud person finds it difficult to get along with others.



Matt 22 : 39

"And the second is like it: Love your neighbour as your­self'."



3) A proud person does not want to serve others



Phil 2 : 6 - 8

The attitude of Jesus was:

"6 Who being in very nature God, did not consider equal­ity with God something to be grasped.

7 but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.



8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross!."



Gal 6 : 9 -10



"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.



Therefore as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers."



4) A proud person believes he always deserves something better in life and is ungrateful.



Phil 2 : 4

"Each of you should look not only to your own interests but also the interests of others".



Phil 4 : 11 -12



"I am not saying this because I am in need for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances."



I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.



Prov 30 : 8

"Keep falsehood and lies far from me, give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread".



Rom 1:21-22

"For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened".

Although they claimed to be wise they became fools.



5) Pride sets unreasonable standards for others.

Humility sees the worth in others.



Phil 2:2

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit but in humility consider others better than yourselves".



6) Pride is jealous when others succeed:



Gal 5:22-23 (see also Gal 5:26)

"But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control ..."





1 Cor 13:4-7



4 “Love is patient, love is kind, it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always preserves".



7) Pride has no compassion for those who mourn or are down­cast.



Prov 24:17-18

"Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles do not let you heart rejoice or the Lord will see and disap­prove and turn his wrath away from him".



8) Pride is full of self pity:

Self is the centre of attention.



Phil 2:3

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves".



9) Pride is concerned about the opinions of others about themselves and their reputation.



10) Pride takes Gods glory for himself and seeks acceptance.



Gal 5:26

"Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other".



Matt 6:1-2

"Be careful not to do your acts of righteousness before men, to be seen by them. If you do you will have no reward from your father in heaven.

So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honoured by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full".



11) Pride has a heart of stone.



Ezekiel 11:19

"I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh".



Heb 3:7-8

"So, as the Holy Spirit says: `Today if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts, as you did in the rebel­lion, during the time of testing in the desert ..."



Heb 3:12-13

"See to it brothers that none of you has a sinful, unbe­lieving heart that turns away from the living God.

But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called today, so that none of you may be hardened by sins deceit­fulness."



12) Pride will not receive correction in a good spirit and trusts no one.

Prov 24:6

Matt 23:37

Prov 26:12



13) Pride will not lay down life for others.

Phil 2:7-8



14) Pride is not open and honest.

Prov 29:23



15) Pride prevents / hinders us from becoming more like Jesus.

He is the way and the truth. John 14:6



16) Pride does not accept favours from others.



17) Pride is not loyal and faithful under all circumstances and will also not commit himself to a deep friendship.

- afraid of being vulnerable.



18) Pride cannot tolerate others mistakes, and is impatient and unforgiving.

Gal 6:1

1 Cor 13:7



19) Pride says : "My way is the only way"



20) Pride says : "I know all the answers"

Prov 26:12



21) Pride is always looking for faults to reveal in others, proving at the same time that they are discontented and lacking in their own lives.

Prov 17:9

Matt 7:3-5



Humility tries to discem what the Holy Spirit is doing in a persons life and co-operates with the Holy Spirit.



22) Pride boasts over his

(a) talents and gifts.

(b) strong points.

Pr 27:2

(c) weaknesses "I drink too much".



23) Pride wants to reach the highest position, gain wealth quickly and will deal ruthlessly with anyone who gets in his way.

Prov 28:20

1 Tim 6:9

Prov 30:8



24) Pride seeks a bargain at the expense of the dealer.

Phil 2:4

Ps 10:3



25) Pride enjoys an argument - especially winning one.

Gal 5:20



26) Pride compares himself with others.



(a) finding someone with fewer talents will make him feel better.



(b) finding someone with more talents will make him feel inferior and motivate him to competitiveness.



27. Pride defends himself and wants to take revenge

Pr 24:29



and is not prepared to suffer for what is right.



Matt 26:63

Matt 26:69-75



28) Pride has a wrong attitude even if his answers are right.

Phil 2:19



29) Pride seeks authority but not responsibility.

Matt 20:21

Matt 20:26-28



30) Pride does not give.

Phil 2:4

Mtt 25:41-46



31) Pride analyses people, while humility sees what the Holy Spirit is doing and co-operates.



32) Pride criticises.

Mtt 23:11-12

Luke 6:41-42



33) Pride finds it difficult to obey God.

Ps 95:10-11

Matt 8: 5-10



34) Pride will not submit to authority and others.



35) Pride does not walk in the ways of God.

Ps 95:10-11

Matt 8: 5-10



Humility and obedience.



Pride falls into religious ritualism.

2 Tim 3:5



36) Pride is not adaptable or flexible.



Rom 12:16

"You will be known by your fruit". - Matt 7:15-20



37) Pride justifies itself by making excuses for sin or explai­ning it away.

Hey NCW. Good to see you are still pushing forward to intraspective thought and growth in God. Hope you are doing well.

My oh my, NC, how long since you posted for your own self?

Pride is a tricky one. It is valued in the modern world. Like forgiveness, this is another concept for which the English language lacks subtlety, and so attitudes we call "pride" can be seen as virtues and as sins.

Pride is the absence of humility.

How was your weekend, flat-head?

GC

I think Graycloud nailed it pretty well. I too deal in absolutes most of the time. Even in mathematics and physics, there is uncertainty at the fringes. In dealing with human behavior, there is the frailty of the human condition. We are all imperfect beings.

Pride is not being accept another persons point of view as reality. It's like the 4 blind men and the elephant. Each one has a different perception of the elephant from their perspective. It would be pride for one blind man to say only they can define the elephant.

In other simpler perceptions, absolutes are more easily justified. Pride is removed when you can put yourself in the other person's shoes. You may not agree with their perspective, but you can see what they mean.

Savvy? <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/pfft.gif" alt="" />