Dave's Diary

Daily Readings: Luke 14:1-14 and James 4:1-10

“¹¹ For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

– Luke 14:11

In a dining room full of people bursting with religious pride, Jesus bravely told a parable warning against pride and calling for humility. Quite likely His story about people jostling for positions of importance at a table was being played out in that very room. This was an in-your-face rebuke. It is a stark warning of the seriousness with which Jesus takes the dangers of pride.

Jesus takes pride so very seriously because, in its highest expression, prideful self-exaltation is idolatrous in that it moves one inexorably towards taking the place at the table that belongs only to the Lord. To a lesser degree, pride is idolatrous because it denigrates the image of God in others. Pride sets “self” up as an idol.

Jesus’ parable essentially teaches us that when we decide we are more important and push ourselves forward, God Himself actively opposes us and sends us back down to the cheap seats.

Jesus warns us that we have a choice to make. Either we humble ourselves by our own free will, placing God in His rightful position as absolute Lord, and honouring our fellow image-bearers for the way they reflect God’s presence in the world; or, God will do it for us. And when that happens, the prideful person is not so much humbled as humiliated – a horrifying fate for the proud!

“¹⁰ Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” – James 4:10

Holy Spirit, help me this day to humble myself in every situation. Help me to imitate Jesus by bringing myself lower in order to be in a position to lift others up. Then, as You lift me up, may those others even be lifted up too. Amen.