A lawyer sued a big company for a breach of contract. In the court, he demanded a very large sum of settlement money that outraged the judge who wanted to know why the lawyer asked for so much.

He responded: “I’m doing this for one reason.” With pride and utter contempt for his colleagues, the lawyer declared: “I am, you understand, the best attorney in the world.”

At the end of the case, a friend confronted the lawyer. “Why did you brag about yourself the way you did?” With more vainglory the lawyer said: “There was nothing else I could do. After all, I was speaking under oath. I had to tell the truth.”

Obviously, this man was not aware of God’s word in Romans 12:3 that a man should not think of himself more highly than he ought to think but to think soberly. It was the same problem the daughters of Zion had during the ministry of Isaiah the prophet. “…

The daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet” (Isaiah 3:16). What judgment was waiting for them? “Therefore the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will discover their secrets” (Isaiah 3:17).

Pride is addictive attention to self and an exaggeration of a person’s self-worth. Pride leads to spiritual decline that manifests in immorality, oppression of the poor, materialism and worldliness (Isaiah 3:16-26) which attract divine judgment.

Unless the proud repents and turns to Christ for salvation who alone gives grace for humility, modesty and heaven-mindedness, he will remain rejected by God. No proud person is believer as God resists (rejects) the proud, while He gives grace to the humble.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Pride goeth before destruction.

Key verse: “Moreover the LORD saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go… the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will discover their secret parts” (Isaiah 3:16,17).