Thoughts on Romans 12; "Do Not be Haughty"

 

Jesus said, in His sermon on the mount, "“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." And we are told that, "For though the LORD is high, he regards the lowly, but the haughty he knows from afar." (Psalm 138:6)

Once again, we are given an example in the Lord as to how we are to think and act. Christ Himself "regards" ("to look upon or think of with a particular feeling", "to think highly of; esteem.", "to take into account; consider.") those who are lowly among His children. The thought here is that He shows Himself close and personal and close to those who are humble, while those who are filled with pride are only known from afar. This is clear when we realize that the gift of salvation can only be excepted when we come to a point where we realize that we are not enough, that we will never be perfect, fulfilled, or complete, of our own work. 

The word "associate" means to "unite". We are to unite with the lowly. We are not just to accept them, but we are to become like them. And once again, we must come to realize that the command is not something we can fake and fool others that we have accomplished. Even if we look like we are humble to those around us, we could simply be "being humble" outwardly as a form of pride inwardly. But Psalm 139 tells us, "You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether."

Man may look on the outward appearance, but God sees the heart.

Pride may be the very hardest thing for us to fight against. I heard somewhere that humility is interesting in the fact that, "as soon as you realize you have it, you lose it!"

It is encouraging, though, to realize that the Lord is not finished with us yet. Though we are full of our own pride and desires, he is constantly changing His own to be a clearer and more beautiful image of Himself.