June is often called Pride Month. Everywhere we look, we hear messages encouraging people to celebrate themselves, express themselves, and take pride in who they are. Yet when I open my Bible, I find a very different message.
Scripture repeatedly warns us about pride.
Not because God wants to diminish us, but because pride has a way of placing ourselves where only God belongs.
Pride says, “Look at me.”
Grace says, “Look at Him.”
Pride points fingers at others.
Grace examines its own heart first.
Pride elevates our opinions.
Grace humbly submits to God’s truth.
As Christians, we are called to stand firmly on God’s Word. We are not asked to ignore sin, compromise truth, or accept everything as right. God’s standards do not change based on culture, feelings, or popular opinion. What God calls sin is still sin, and what God calls righteous is still righteous.
But there is a difference between judging according to God’s Word and judging according to our own pride.
Too often we become experts at identifying the faults of others while excusing the faults within ourselves. We speak boldly about someone else’s struggles while remaining blind to our own. We desire mercy when we fail, yet sometimes hesitate to extend that same mercy to others.
Jesus warned against this very thing.
He described a person trying to remove a speck of sawdust from someone else’s eye while a plank remained in their own. His point was not that believers should never correct one another. His point was that correction without humility becomes hypocrisy.
Before we examine someone else’s heart, we should allow God to examine ours.
Before we point out another person’s sin, we should ask God to reveal our own.
Before we speak truth to someone else, we should make sure our words are flowing from love rather than pride.
The truth is that every one of us has blind spots.
Every one of us falls short.
Every one of us depends completely on the grace of God.
None of us are saved because we were good enough. None of us are righteous because we figured everything out. We stand before God as sinners redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ.
That reality should produce humility.
When we remember how much grace God has shown us, it becomes easier to show grace to others.
Grace does not ignore truth.
Grace does not celebrate sin.
Grace does not compromise God’s standards.
But grace remembers that every person we encounter is someone Christ died for.
As followers of Jesus, perhaps what the world needs most is not more pride, but more grace.
Grace that speaks truth.
Grace that loves deeply.
Grace that remains humble.
Grace that points people to Christ instead of ourselves.
May we be people who are full of conviction but empty of arrogance. People who stand firmly on God’s Word while reflecting the mercy He has shown us. And people who seek not to glorify ourselves, but to glorify the One who saved us.
This June let’s celebrate God’s grace and watch the pride of this world fade from our hearts. Only then can we share God’s truth with those who are lost.
Reflection Questions:
1. Am I quicker to notice the sins of others or the areas where God is still working in my own life?
2. Have I been speaking truth with grace, or have I allowed pride and frustration to influence my words?
3. How can I better reflect Christ’s humility and mercy in my daily interactions with others?
Father God,
Thank You for the incredible grace You have shown me through Jesus Christ. Forgive me for the times I have allowed pride to take root in my heart. Forgive me for the moments when I have been quick to judge others while overlooking my own shortcomings.
Help me to see myself honestly and humbly before You. Teach me to stand firmly on Your truth without becoming prideful. Fill me with wisdom, compassion, and grace so that my words and actions reflect the heart of Christ.
May I never compromise Your Word, but may I also never forget how desperately I need Your mercy every day. Help me to love others as You have loved me and to point people toward You rather than myself.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.