God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. James 4:6
The Beatitudes are like a progression of playground monkey rings: humility, mourning, meekness, righteousness, mercy, purity, and peace. In order to get to the next ring, you must use the momentum from the previous one. This is why it’s so important to grasp the first ring, because only humility can get us going.
Pride seeks to block you from getting on this first ring. If you give way to pride, then God will stand against you. But God will give grace to the humble. If you want God to be for you, not against you, then you must “Humble yourselves… under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you” (1 Pet. 5:6). God will lift you up to the first ring.
Humility goes against the grain of our culture of affirmation. Parents, teachers, counselors, politicians, and advertisers all conspire to tell you how great you are, and apart from a miracle of God’s grace, you will believe them. The teaching of Jesus is directly opposed to the creed that says, “Believe in yourself.” Jesus says, “Believe in God; believe also in me” (John 14:1). So, the man who believes in himself has put himself in the place of God.
The person who is far from God will often feel that he or she has the ability to face whatever comes. “I can do this. I’m up for it.” The person who walks humbly with God looks at the challenge and says, “Because [the LORD] is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken” (Psa. 16:8). Wisdom calls you to trust God and not yourself (Prov. 3:5).
The more successful you are, the harder it is to humble yourself before God. Thank God for the work of the Holy Spirit, who has come to do a double-action for us: convince us of sin and lift us up to the Savior.
Is pride blocking you from getting on the first ring? Are you ready to humble yourself under God’s mighty hand and wait for Him to lift you up?
