Give Me A Lift

“Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” Luke 4:8
Pride is a very strange attribute when you think about it. Human beings are subject to the things that are common to mankind. Those things are weakness, disease and ultimately death. There are those who are smarter, stronger and more famous, but in the end it is as the Bible says in 1Timothy 6:7, “For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.” That phrase really deflates some egos.
Where exactly does pride come from? Quoting the devil, Isaiah writes in Isaiah 14:13-14, “For you have said in your heart: I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.”
“Can you imagine this angel who was created by God now wanting to be above God? That is the essence of egotism. I am not comparing pride with the natural instinct of many to improve their situation or to climb the ladder of success in whatever field of work they have chosen. This is about getting ahead at the expense and detriment of another.
The devil said “I will exalt my throne.” He saw that there was someone who was above him and he lusted after that position rather than choosing to be content in the perfect place that God had given him. The writer of the epistle to the Hebrews said, in 13:5a “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have.” In other words, don’t look on the things or the position of others with a desire to take them.
We must be careful not to let our pride control us and make us into someone who must win every debate and is looking to be better than someone else. There is no contentment in that scenario. We may go beyond the person that seems to be ahead of us, but undoubtedly there will always be one with a little higher stature than us.
Jesus, who had every right to authority and position, chose instead to give it up for the sake of others. Rather than using His royal power, our Deliverer, “made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men, and being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” (Philippians 4:7-8) The devil said to Him that he would give Him all the kingdoms of the world if He would bow down and worship him because the final goal of all pride is to replace God as the King of our lives and worship self. Wasn’t that the trick the serpent used on Eve? He asked her, “Has God really said that?” He called into question the veracity of the Almighty and became God’s judge.
Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall. (Proverbs 16:18) Just as arrogance brought the devil down to the lowest pit, it will bring us down even as we think we are being lifted up. The way we get a lift is by trusting that God has restored us to the dignified position that He meant us to have all along, which is the privilege of being a child of the Most High God.