Proverbs 13:10 (AMP)
10 Through pride and presumption come nothing but strife,
But [skillful and godly] wisdom is with those who welcome [well-advised] counsel.
Where there is pride, you will always find strife and competition. We all have a race to run but what some of us do not understand is that we are all running separate races thus we do not have to compete one against the other. Pride breeds unhealthy competition and comparison because you always want to look better than you brother or sister. Pride will not allow you to lend a helping hand to another lest they become better than you.
I will never forget having a conversation with a gentleman who had been in ministry longer than I and he said to me “God taught me long ago that He can and will use me to do great things in the kingdom as long as I do not chase after recognition and fame.” Recognition and titles, don’t we all love to chase after them because they set us off as being better than the rest and many times the motive behind them is pride.
2 Corinthians 10:12 (AMP)
12 We do not have the audacity to put ourselves in the same class or compare ourselves with some who [supply testimonials to] commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they lack wisdom and behave like fools.
Jesus is our standard and he is the one we seek to please. When that becomes our focus then we will not compare ourselves one with another and be proud like the Pharisee who went up to the temple to pray full of pride showing off to God that he was better than the tax collector.
Once we recognize that apart from Christ then there is nothing good in us and that all we have we have been given by Him who called us, then we will have nothing to be proud about.
When we come to the realization that the gifts that God has given us are for the edification of the body and that it is He who gives the gifts as He pleases according to His will and purposes, then we will have nothing to be proud about.
When we finally recognize that He sets the standard and we can only attain it through Christ Jesus then we will have nothing to be proud about.
Humble yourself before the Lord and he will lift you up! Be the best you that you can be in Christ Jesus, that’s the standard!
