Humility: True Greatness

“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” —1 Peter 5:5

A battle rages within every one of us every day. It’s the clash between our sense of stubborn self-sufficiency and God’s call to recognize that we’re really nothing without Him. It’s pride versus humility. And it’s a fight we can’t win without looking repeatedly to Christ and the cross. C. J. Mahaney raises a battle cry to daily, diligently, and deliberately weaken our greatest enemy (pride) and cultivate our greatest friend (humility). His thorough examination clarifies misconceptions, revealing the truth about why God detests pride and turns His active attention to the humble. Because pride is never passive, defeating it demands an intentional attack. The blessing that follows is God’s abundant favor.

“This is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit.”
—Isaiah 66:2, ESV

God clearly states that He is drawn to the humble. He’s also clear that He opposes the proud. These two, humility and pride, cannot coexist. Where one is fostered, the other is defeated. Which will you pursue? When you acknowledge the deception of pride and intentionally humble yourself, you become free to savor abundant mercies and unlikely graces. You will find a new life is yours—a life God richly favors. A God-glorifying life you don’t want to miss.

C. J. MAHANEY serves as the Senior Pastor for Sovereign Grace Church of Louisville, where he preaches regularly. He is author of Living the Cross-Centered Life, Christ Our Mediator, Sex, Romance, and the Glory of God: What Every Christian Husband Needs to Know, and Don't Waste Your Sports. C. J. and his wife, Carolyn, have three married daughters, one son and twelve grandchildren.