“1 We give thanks to You, God;
we give thanks to You, for Your name is near.
People tell about Your wonderful works.
2 “When I choose a time,
I will judge fairly.
3 When the earth and all its inhabitants shake,
I am the One who steadies its pillars.” Selah
4 “I say to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,’
and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horn.
5 Do not lift up your horn against heaven
or speak arrogantly.'”
6 Exaltation does not come
from the east, the west, or the desert,
7 for God is the Judge:
He brings down one and exalts another.
8 For there is a cup in the Lords hand,
full of wine blended with spices, and He pours from it.
All the wicked of the earth will drink,
draining it to the dregs.
9 As for me, I will tell about Him forever;
I will sing praise to the God of Jacob.
10 ‘I will cut off all the horns of the wicked,
but the horns of the righteous will be lifted up.'”
Psalm 75
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Pride, born in sin, is often a platform for so many other attitudes and actions that harm us and separate us from God. Thankfully, God gives us His Word and the examples of lives contained within it to stand as a warning against these temptations. We are warned against boasting, being so proud of ourselves, which again leads to self-idolatry. We are warned against ‘tooting our own horn’ which is another form of self-aggrandizement, self-worship.
If we brag, we brag in the Lord. If we are proud, we should be proud of what God accomplishes in us, in spite of us and our sin. Keeping our focus where it belongs, keeping our ego in check, will keep us from a myriad of issues and problems. A humble heart is one that is ready to receive correction, instruction and direction. The proud heart cannot stand to hear it may be wrong, misdirected or ill informed. Prideful people respond with anger, strong words and lash out at those who threaten their worldview.
When we are humble, we choose to remain quiet about ourselves, we withdraw from contests of the ego, and we focus our attention on God, giving our best efforts to Him, being dedicated to His will and work. Things that honor God are always worth our time, and worth being seen, because God gets the glory. Private grudges and feuds, public arguments, strutting and saber-rattling are focused on self justification.
We can be loud and proud when it comes to the things that God does, we can brag on Him. We must leave our egos at the foot of the cross. The people that we share Christ with will get a better image of Him as we GoLove in His Name if they see more of Him and less of us.