Day 29 — Pride Before a Fall

“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”

— Proverbs 16:18 (BSB)

On the night Jesus was arrested, He told His disciples that they would all run away and leave Him. Peter couldn’t believe it. He puffed out his chest and said, “Even if all fall away on account of You, I never will!” (Matthew 26:33). The others might, but not me. I’m stronger than that.

Jesus looked at him and said, “Truly I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.”

Peter was sure Jesus was wrong. But a few hours later, as Jesus was on trial, people asked Peter if he was one of Jesus’ followers. And three times, Peter said, “I don’t know Him!” Then the rooster crowed. Peter remembered what Jesus had said, and he went outside and cried bitterly.

Peter fell, and it started with pride.

Pride means thinking too highly of yourself. It’s thinking you’re better than others, that you don’t need help or that you can handle everything on your own. A haughty spirit is a stuck-up attitude that looks down on other people.

Pride is sneaky. It can look like:

• Bragging about how good you are at something.
• Refusing to say sorry or admit you were wrong.
• Thinking, That would never happen to me.
• Looking down on people who aren’t as smart, fast or popular.
• Not asking for help because you don’t want to look weak.

Proverbs says pride “goes before destruction.” Just like Peter, when we think we’re too strong to fall, we stop depending on God, and that’s exactly when we fall.

But here’s the wonderful ending to Peter’s story. After Jesus rose from the dead, He came to Peter and forgave him. He even gave him an important job: “Feed My sheep” (John 21:17). Peter’s fall humbled him. He learned that he needed Jesus every moment. And humble Peter became a great leader in the church.

The cure for pride is remembering that everything good we have comes from God, and that we need Him every day.

Think about it: Where do you see pride show up in your life? Is there something you’ve been too proud to admit or ask for help with?

Try this: Do something humble today: admit you were wrong about something, ask for help, or praise someone else instead of yourself.

Dear God, forgive me for my pride. I’m not as strong as I sometimes think, and I need You every day. Keep me humble. When I fall, thank You that You forgive me and lift me up, just like You did for Peter. In Jesus’ name, Amen.