“Do not be wise in your own eyes” (Proverbs 3:7).
“The Lord detests all the proud of heart” (Proverbs 16:5).
“Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18).
“It is not good to eat too much honey, nor is it honorable to seek one’s own honor” (Proverbs 25:27).
“Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; someone else, and not your own lips” (Proverbs 27:2).
An arrow shot from a bow with finesse and arcing high through the sky stops to admire itself. Ah, just look, its feathers aerodynamically cutting through the wind, its tip pointed straight at its target. But suddenly the arrow drops out of the sky, bounces on the ground, and comes to rest well short of its target. A dud.
We fall short of being a good person when we honor ourselves instead of others and humble others instead of ourselves. And it happens for only one reason: we forget that we have already received the greatest honor of all when Jesus humbled himself and became obedient to death, even death on the cross.
“Do not exalt yourself in the king’s presence” (Proverbs 25:6).
“Exalt” comes from a Hebrew word that means “to adorn” or “to make something look good.”
The surprising good news is that God has already adorned us. We don’t need to make ourselves look good. It’s already done. The Bible uses that same word when it promises, “The Lord your God …has endowed you with splendor” (Isaiah 55:5).
God makes you look good! God exalts you! God puts you in a place of honor! You can feel good about your achievements but God has achieved the greatest accomplishment by forgiving your sins through the death of Jesus. You can impress others with your position of strength but God has raised you with Jesus from the dead and given you a powerful new life. You might feel discouraged when you don’t look that good but God promises that you ARE always good in his love.
You don’t need to seek a place of honor because it’s already yours!
PRAYER: I’m sorry, God, for honoring myself more than I should, sometimes more than I honor you. Like an arrow soaring through the sky and stopping to admire itself, I know it causes me to fall. Into sin. Into selfishness. Not hitting the target. Fix my sights on Jesus, and on his grace already exalting me. Amen.
TAKE IT WITH YOU: Write one of the proverbs quoted today on a sticky note. Take it with you all day. Pray about it throughout the day.
