Human Response 273: Pride

Deuteronomy 8:17-18 And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he share unto thy fathers, as it is this day.

In times of plenty it is tempting to take credit for our prosperity. It is my power and my hand that has gotten me this wealth. Instead, we overcome pride by remembering the Lord. It is He that gives the power to get wealth. It is sinful pride and unbelief that steals credit that belongs to God and taking credit for oneself. The Bible warns us many times about the dangers of riches. “Those who desire to be rich fall into temptation,,,Love of money is a root of all kinds of evil [1 Timothy 6:9,10].”

One of the dangers of riches is that it can feed our own pride and greed. The ultimate spiritual danger is forgetting God. It is a matter of giving or taking credit. The cure to the temptation is living a life of humble gratitude, thanking God in every circumstance, whether rich or poor. The humble, thankful spirit is the helpful response to life.

This is a hard saying: If life is good God gets the credit; if life is not well man gets the blame. Sinful man turns this around. Life changes when we are humbly thankful in all the circumstances of life.