Trying to be Proud and not be Proud!

Trying to continue in this chapter on love, I have moved on, but not far.  Still in verse 4; these words describe love; "It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud."  I avoided Mr. Webster this time, and went to Google instead!

The world puts great value on being the best and being recognized as such.  There are countless books on self-promotion.  "Promote yourself, no one else will!"  The ends to these advisories are all self-seeking and self-serving.  You can google the "Most Profitable Companies", the "Best Actors & Movies", the "Highest Ranked Athletes", and the "Top Sales Results" and see results that the world applauds.  And, in the church, we should settle for nothing less than being the very best we can be for Jesus.  But the goal of that excellence is to bring Him glory, not ourselves.  When the focus shifts from Jesus to me, I am on shaky ground.  

I don't have to discount my achievements or accomplishments to avoid being proud.  I can acknowledge these with the humility that the only way I can succeed at all is through Jesus.  After all, it is His gifts to me that I use to live my life every day.  All I have and all that I could ever hope to do or achieve is a direct result of His unfailing mercy and grace poured in my life. 

If I use the words, best, most, top, and highest; let them be to make my top priority be to bring my highest praise to the most Holy God who has given His love through the best gift ever, His Son, Jesus.

When my pride is in the Lord, not myself, everything else stays in perspective.