“Lord, my heart is not proud; my eyes are not haughty. I don’t concern myself with matters too great or too awesome for me to grasp. Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself, like a weaned child who no longer cries for its mother’s milk. Yes, like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, put your hope in the Lord––now and always.” —Psalm 131:1-3 NLT
Haughty is Naughty
where there is
“Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, ‘I will take revenge; I will pay them back,’ says the Lord. Instead, ‘If your enemies are hungry feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.’” —Romans 12:19-20 NLT
“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” —James 4:6 NLT
“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” —1 Peter 5:5 NLT
“The Lord detests the proud; they will surely be punished.” —Proverbs 16:5 NLT
“Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves.” —Romans 12:3 NLT
“So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time He will lift you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you.” —1 Peter 5:6-7 NLT
“About that time Hezekiah became deathly ill, and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to visit him. He gave the king this message: ‘This is what the Lord says: Set your affairs in order, for you are going to die. You will not recover from this illness.’
When Hezekiah heard this, he turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, ‘Remember, O Lord, how I have always been faithful to You and have served You single-mindedly, always doing what pleases you.’ Then he broke down and wept bitterly.” —2 Kings 20:1-3 NLT
“Hezekiah did not respond appropriately to the kindness shown him, and he became proud. So the Lord’s anger came against him and against Judah and Jerusalem.
Hezekiah humbled himself and repented of his pride, as did the people of Jeruslame. SO the Lord’s anger did not fall on them during Hezekiah’s lifetime.” —2 Chronicles 32:25-26 NLT
“If we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” —1 John 1:9 NLT
Discussion Questions
Have you ever found yourself in the awkward position of wanting two things, but having one meant you couldn’t have the other? What were those two things and why couldn’t you have them both?
Continuing from the question above, why did you ultimately choose what you did, and what do you think this reveals about what you value?
Read James 4:6, 1 Peter 5:5, and Proverbs 16:5. Based on these texts and your own understanding, why is it impossible to have both pride AND peace?
When it comes to choosing between pride and peace, which do you typically choose? What do you think that reveals about what you value?
Read 1 Peter 5:6-7. Why is humility the key to tranquility?
The three steps of ridding ourselves of pride in our lives are exemplified in the story of King Hezekiah. What were the three steps?
Why is it so difficult to recognize pride in ourselves, yet so easy to see it in others?
What situation or relationship might you currently be experiencing an absence of peace? How might pride be the cause, and waht can you do to bring peace?