The pride condemned in the Bible is not to be confused with self-respect and dignity. The Bible clearly shows that we must love and respect ourselves (Matt. 22:39; Eph. 5:28).

Arrogance and too high of an opinion of oneself is a sin (Rom. 12:3). Proverbs 21:4 says, "A haughty look, a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked are sin." When Solomon listed seven things which the Lord abhors, he mentioned "a proud look" first. Some suggest that it is put first because it is at the bottom of all disobedience. Not only is pride sinful, it leads to other sins.

PRIDE LEADS TO STUBBORNNESS AND REBELLION. Nowhere is this more evident than in the example of King Saul. Saul was plainly commanded by God to go and to utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites. Saul, in his stubbornness and rebellion, spared the Amalekite king and the best of the animals for sacrifice. When Samuel rebuked him for his error, he reminded King Saul of what it was that qualified him for the crown to begin with: "When you were little in your own eyes, were you not head of the tribes of Israel? And did not the Lord anoint you king over Israel?" (1 Sam. 15:17). While Saul was humble, things went well for him. Then, the power which went along with being king went to Saul's head. Samuel showed Saul that it was pride which led him to "do evil in the sight of the Lord" (1 Sam. 15:19). How much of our own disobedience is traceable to the pride which fills our hearts?

PRIDE LEADS TO A REFUSAL TO CONFESS OUR SINS. It is not difficult to say "we all sin", or "he sinned." But we find it hard sometimes to say "I have sinned." After David had committed adultery with Bathsheba he humbly confessed his sin by saying, "I have sinned against the Lord" (2 Sam. 12:13). Confession is good for the soul, but hard on pride. Do you need to confess sin to God or to a brother whom you have wronged? Empty yourself of pride so that you may do the right thing.

PRIDE PREVENTS CONVERSION. Jesus taught, in Matthew 18:3-4, that in order to be converted one must humble himself as a little child. The problem with the Pharisee who prayed, "God, I thank You that I am not like other men - extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector...", was that he exalted himself and trusted in himself that he was righteous (Lk. 18:13). In order to be converted a person must be humble enough to admit that he is a poor, miserable, pathetic sinner.
God's kingdom is made up of people who have humble, submissive, ruleable spirits. Admit that "the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps" (Jer. 10:23). Willingly place yourself under the rule of Christ the King.

"But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18).

"As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby" (1 Peter 2:2).

"...but speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the Head - Christ" (Ephesians4;15).

What do all of the above verses have in common? tt is clear, isn't it, that they encourage Christians to grow. Are you growing? Let's think about some things which might be an indicator that you are growing up.

You are controlling your speech. "For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect ("mature" - M.P.) man, able also to bridle the whole body" (James 3:2). What does it say about us when we go around gossiping, backbiting, tying, and speaking unkind words? Isn't it saying that we have some growing up to do?

You are eating solid food. "For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age... (Hebrews 5:12-14). It's ok to be "a babe." It's not ok to stay one. Progressing to meatier teachings of the word is a sign of growth.

You are becoming less gullible. "Till we all come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect ("mature" -M.P.) man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to a fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness by which they lie in wait to deceive, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head- Christ" (Ephesians 4:13-15). We all need to get to the point where we can identify truth and error. We need to be like the Bereans (Acts 17:11) and be searchers of the scriptures. We should be serious students of the Bible and not have to be spoon-fed the word of God.

You are acting more mature. You are not petty and selfish - you are thinking of the needs of others and of their feelings. You are not easily offended and vengeful. You do not lose control and throw temper tantrums.

Are you growing up?

The seven days involved in creation in Genesis one are sometimes explained to be long periods of time, even eons. Is this reasonable? The following six arguments are set forth as reasons for accepting "day" to mean what it normally means.

1. "Yom" (the word for day) is usually literal, though not always.
2. The days in Genesis one included evening and morning.    This is a description normally associated with a 24-hour day.
3. It is also stated in Genesis that the sun was to rule the day and the moon was to rule the night. Does not the word "day" in this statement identify which day is meant?
4. The statement of Genesis 1:11 definitely shows that 24-hour days were involved.
5. The word "day" used with "first","second", etc. means a 24-hour day.
6. Adam lived part of the sixth day and all of the seventh day. If long periods of time were meant by "day" in Genesis, then Adam lived for eons, even millions of years. The very people making this point also deny Scripture's information about many of the ancient Biblical characters living for a few hundred years of life but take a position demanding a life of a million years for Adam.

It is far more reasonable to accept the usual meaning of the "day" in Genesis. Why would God need millions of years to do the work of creation? It is the desire to eliminate the miraculous from Genesis and to make of man a mere elevated animal that is behind all such efforts. How unnecessary and unreasonable! These and other matters are dealt with in an outstanding treatment of these matters in the book Creation Compromises by Bert Thompson.

There are going to be some rough spots in every marriage. This being so, every married person should learn the attitudes and methods that are necessary to carry us through those stormy times so we can have stronger, happier marriages.

One of the keys to successful marriage is good communication. In Ephesians 4:25ff. we see some things which are vital to healthy communication in the church, the home, the office, or anywhere else we may interact with others.

Husbands and wives must be honest, truthful, and open with one another. "Therefore, putting away lying, each one speak truth with his neighbor, for we are members of one another" (Eph. 4:25). Paul noted that all who are in Christ "are members of one another." While brethren in the Lord are close, married people are double close. How important, then, is it for them to honest with one another? Not only will lying get us into trouble with God (Acts 5:1-5) it will surely bring trouble to the marriage, for in the absence of honesty there is no trust.

Uncontrollable anger can kill a marriage. "Be angry and do not sin, do not let the sun go down or your wrath, nor give place to the devil" (Eph. 4:26-27). Anger can be mishandled by blowing up. This kind of behavior brings embarrassment, accomplishes no good, and hurts everyone involved. Anger can also be mishandled by clamming up. Sometimes married people harbor resentment and keep an account of the wrongs done unto them. Then, bitterness sets in, providing for a tense and miserable situation for everyone in the home. A better alternative is the right kind of communication. It is possible (whether admitted or not) for married people to control their anger and calmly discuss their problems and needs. Husband and wives - do not attack each other! Attack the problem, quietly.

Gracious speech is a chief component of healthy communication. "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers" (Eph. 4:29). Speak wholesome words to each other which build up, rather than unwholesome words which tear down - and do it consciously. It is not enough to say: "Well, I don't ever talk bad to him/her, or cut him/her down." We need to speak words which build up.

All of us could probably stand to work harder on healthy communication. With the right attitudes and approach, we will have stronger marriages.

In Revelation 2:10, the Lord promised, "Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life." Although we are to be faithful until death, this passage emphasizes that we are to be faithful, even though it might cost us our physical life.

An outstanding example of being faithful unto death was in the life, and death, of Polycarp. According to reliable history, he was burned at the stake in 155 A.D. He had been asked to say, "Caesar is Lord," but he refused. When Polycarp was brought to the stadium, the proconsul urged him, "Swear, and I will set you at liberty; reproach Christ."

Polycarp answered, "Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He never did me any injury; how then can I blaspheme my King and my Saviour?" When the proconsul again pressed him, the old man answered: "Since thou art vainly urgent that I should swear by the fortune of Caesar, and pretendest not to know who and what I am, hear me declare with boldness, I am a Christian."

Then the proconsul said, "I have wild beasts at hand, to these will I cast thee, except thou repent." Again, "I will cause thee to be consumed by fire, seeing thou despiseth the wild beasts, if thou will not repent." Polycarp replied, "Thou threatenest me with fire which burneth for an hour, after a little is extinguished; but are ignorant of the fire of the coming judgment and of eternal punishment, reserved for the ungodly."

Shortly thereafter, he was burned at the stake. In Matthew 10:28 the Lord said, "And fear not them will kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." Thus we see that physical death is not to deter us from faithful service and devotion to Him.