Wisdom on Humility and Pride

I just finished reading Humility: True Greatness by C. J. Mahaney, and it is so good that it demands a reread with more reflection. In the first several chapters, Mahaney explores the raging battle between humility and pride, God's active opposition to pride, and Jesus as the greatest example of humility and servanthood. In the third part, Our Great Pursuit, Mahaney discusses practical ways for Christians, all motivated by grace in the shadow of the cross, to mortify pride and cultivate true humility. He suggests the following practices (much abbreviated by me) as means to that end:

*Reflect on the wonder of the cross. "Every time we look at the cross Christ seems to be saying to us, 'I am here because of you. It is your sin I am bearing, your curse I am suffering, your debt I am paying, your death I am dying.' Nothing in history or in the universe cuts us down to size like the cross. All of us have inflated views of ourselves, especially in self-righteousness, until we have visited a place called Calvary. It is there, at the foot of the cross, that we shrink to our true size." (John Stott, p. 67)

*Begin your day acknowledging your dependence upon God and your need for God. "Purpose by grace that your first thought of the day will be an expression of your dependence on God, your need for God, and your confidence in God." (p. 69)

*Begin your day expressing gratefulness to God. "Thankfulness...is a soil in which pride does not easily grow. That's exactly right and we want to cultivate that soil. So from the outset of the day, I want to greet my Savior with gratitude, not grumbling." (p. 70)

*Practice the spiritual disciplines - prayer, study of God's Word, and worship. "I've found that it's possible for me to charge into my day motivated by self-sufficiency. But I've also learned that the very act of opening my Bible to read and turning my heart and mind to prayer makes a statement that I need God." (p. 72)

*Seize your commute time to memorize and meditate on Scripture. "For many of us, our commute time is wasted every day. You can either get into mental ruts during this time, or seize your commute time as a means of grace to allow Scripture to transform your thinking." (p.74)

*Cast your cares upon Him. "When we humble ourselves each morning by casting all our cares on the Lord, we will start the day free of care. The humble are genuinely care free. I've discovered how true that is about myself and my soul. Where there's worry, where there's anxiousness, pride is at the root of it. When I am experiencing anxiety, the root issue is that I'm trying to be self-sufficient. I'm acting independent of God." (p.75)

More wisdom from this book forthcoming...