“Love…is not arrogant.” – 1 Corinthians 13:4

Scripture reading: Proverbs 16:5; Philippians 2:3-8

Arrogance is another word for pride or being puffed up. The Corinthians were puffed up against each other (1 Corinthians 4:6). As we saw yesterday they had their favourite teachers and looked down on other groups who followed other teachers. They also were puffed up in knowledge and looked down on weaker Christians who lacked such knowledge. But love doesn’t puff up, it builds up (1 Corinthians 8:1). Love doesn’t pridefully look down on others. Love is humble. Humility flows out of what we said yesterday regarding the fact that all that we have is a gift from God, and the fact that we’ve been saved by God’s grace alone (1 Corinthians 1:26-31; 4:7).

An arrogant person thinks too highly of themselves. Even more, they simply think too much about themselves. Someone once said, “true humility isn’t thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.” To fight against arrogance, we must think more about Christ in the Gospel (Philippians 2:3-8). No one was as humble as our Lord, who humbled Himself in the incarnation, who humbled Himself to serve others, even washing His disciples’ feet, and who humbled Himself all the way to the cross to save us from our arrogance. How can we be arrogant and proud at the foot of the cross? As Isaac Watts so powerfully put it, “When I survey the wondrous cross, on which the Prince of glory died, my richest gain I count but loss, and pour contempt on all my pride.”

Suggestions for prayer

Confess your sins of arrogance to God. Pray that He would grant you true humility so that Christ is magnified in your life and others are blessed because of it. Remember how you’ve been blessed by the humility of Christ in your salvation.

Rev. Brian Cochran is ordained in the United Reformed Churches in North America and has served as the pastor of Redeemer Reformation Church in Regina, SK, for 14 years. This month he starts a new call to Grace URC in Torrance, CA. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com.