Xanthe Galanis

But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favour to the humble.” James 4:6

There’s a story about the famous boxer Muhammad Ali that goes like this: One day, when Ali was in his prime, he was about to take off on an airplane flight when the flight attendant reminded him to fasten his seat belt. He replied brashly, "Superman don't need no seat belt." The attendant retorted, "Superman don't need no airplane, either." Ali fastened his belt.

Muhammad Ali is known for a lot of thing, humility doesn’t seem to be one of them. But, you may argue, he’s one of the best heavyweights the sport has ever seen, surely he earned himself some pride? Today’s passage from James turns this attitude on its head. He reveals the root of worldliness; it’s an issue of pride, while godliness comes through humility.

Thankfully for us, God gives more grace. Think about that for just a moment.  God doesn’t just give us grace - he gives MORE grace. He gives us grace, and then he adds more. And once he’s added more, he adds some more!  How much grace does a man or woman need? Simple - MORE!

By quoting Proverbs 3:34, James shows us how we receive this abundant, on-going grace of God. His grace is for the humble, not the proud. This makes perfect sense because grace is God’s undeserved, unearned favour. Grace finds its motivation and reason in the giver, not the receiver. Only the humble can receive it because they’re not looking to themselves for reasons why they ought to be loved and blessed. Humility means recognising that God owes us nothing and simply asks for favour on the basis of God’s goodness and that he might be glorified. Pride is the opposite. Pride is thinking that God owes us something. It’s seeking favour because we think we deserve it.

C.S. Lewis called pride a “spiritual cancer” that devours love and contentment. When we focus on God’s amazing grace, there’s no room left for pride.

Prayer: Father, please forgive my arrogant heart; help me to recognize prideful thoughts and actions in my life. Thank you for your grace. Amen