Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty? (Dan. 4:30)
Expanded Passage: Daniel 4:28-30
My grandfather loved to bring humility, or more often humiliation, to those who boasted in themselves. While at times I might have questioned his approach, the end game was always to help people have a more grounded perspective.
As Nebuchadnezzar surveyed his kingdom, he took for himself something that only belongs to God—glory. In all of Babylon’s splendor, Nebuchadnezzar could only see himself reflected. Pride has a way of elevating ourselves and diminishing the role of others. As my grandfather would say, “He grew too big for his britches.” And as my grandfather would often try to do, God acted to bring Nebuchadnezzar to a place of humility.
When pride grows tall in our lives the only appropriate response is to yell “timber,” as the axe of humility swings at its trunk. Pride ran so deep in Nebuchadnezzar that he never considered how vulnerable his self-important thinking made him. God can use our thoughts to usher us from pride to humility.
It is easy to see pride in others while being blind to our own. Like Nebuchadnezzar, our perceived strengths can be our greatest weakness. What are the things you believe define you? Are they your accomplishments? Accolades? How much time do you spend thinking of yourself? The way to avoid the fall of pride is to lower your view of self and elevate your view of God.
Lower your view of self and elevate your view of God.
Aaron Golden is a church planter in North Carolina, husband to Leneé, and father to four amazing kids. You can find Aaron most often hanging with family, smoking on his Traeger grill, and boating or paddle surfing.
© 2023 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
