Dave's Diary

Daily Readings: Proverbs 3:27-35 and James 4:1-10

He mocks proud mockers, but shows favour to the humble and oppressed.

Proverbs 3:34

James appears to quote Proverbs 3:34 in James 4:6. There he renders it: ‘God opposes the proud but shows favour to the humble.“

The word translated “favour” is from the same root as the word for “grace”. Both imply undeserved love and kindness shown to another person. Both James 4 and Proverbs 3 make the same essential point: Grace/favour and pride can’t coexist. Grace only comes to those humble enough to recognise their need for grace, and therefore open enough to receive it.

Pride exalts itself above God and does not believe that it needs anything from God. Can you fathom the arrogance? If pride relates to God at all, it is only to demand that God blesses it in light of how good and deserving it is. So a proud person will never be in a position to receive grace or favour from God, because it will never desire grace from God, and would be far too proud to receive His favour.

For this reason, according to our verses for today God actively resists the proud. Let’s pause for a moment and ponder that. It occurs to me that God resists the proud out of love. God lovingly desires to pour goodness and grace into everyone’s life. But the proud will not position themselves to receive it. So, in love for them, God resists them in order to humble them … in order to bless them with grace. Even God’s resistance to them is motivated by His undeserved love for them.

On the other hand, humility submits itself to God in reverent awe, fully aware of its great need for God’s undeserved, unmerited favour and kindness. Humility knows that it is empty and barren without God. It isn’t as if our humility earns the grace of God. Humility merely positions us to receive the gift that God freely gives us.

Heavenly Father, today I choose to acknowledge my immense need of your unmerited kindness and goodness. You alone are God, and in You is everything I need. Please be gracious to me today and enable me to live in the full, overflowing abundance of life that flows from You to all who will receive it. Holy Spirit, help me to receive it. Amen.