Living His WordSample

It is difficult for a proud person to submit to authority. Pride prevents submission because the proud person thinks so highly of himself that he believes he should never have to submit to proper authority. He should never have to suffer the indignity and inconvenience of submission. The trouble with this attitude, however, is that it incurs the opposition of God. There is a reason that the expression “Pride goes before a fall,” based on Proverbs 16:18, is commonly used. It’s because it happens so often. Pride seems to be an attitude that spurs God on to active opposition to the prideful person. “But why?” you might ask. Why does God care so much about the attitude of the proud? The reason is that God is the sovereign ruler of heaven and earth. Part of His rule is effectuated through His properly designated authorities in the various social institutions He has established. The proud person challenges the chain of command. In effect, he is opposing God’s sovereign rule, and God does not sit idly by. Rather, He opposes the proud. Sooner or later there will be an accounting. Sooner or later there will be a fall. Perhaps pride is a factor in your life. Perhaps you worry that submission to authority will not work out well for you. The corrective to this concern, the Apostle Peter tells us, is to cast your cares on God, because He cares about you. The corrective is to humble yourself before God instead of fighting against Him. The reward for this turnabout in attitude is the exact opposite of what the proud receive. Instead of a fall, there is a lifting up. Instead of disfavor, there is favor. At the proper time, authority will be yours, and you will not have to struggle against God and man to get it.