LOVE IS NOT PROUD

The fifth in our series on Biblical love ...

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 1 Corinthians 13:4-5

The Greek word for 'proud' has to do with an over-inflated opinion of oneself. It is one of three nefarious sins common to man ... For all that is in the world - the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life - is not of the Father but is of the world. (1 John 2:16)

Steven Cole - While the lust of the flesh and lust of the eyes refers to the desire to have what you do not have, the pride of life refers to what you do have. It is the desire to be better than others so that you can glory in yourself and your accomplishments.

Christians fight against those things; a battle that is waged every day in the heart and mind of every believer. Victory comes through surrender; not to our base instincts ... but to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; pride, arrogance, the evil way, and the perverted mouth, I hate. (Proverbs 8:13)

Pride has an insatiable hunger for man’s applause. But no matter how many accolades feed that gluttonous ego, the end thereof is a life shattered ... Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. (Proverbs 16:18)

Don't become the sole object of your love ... A man’s pride will bring him low, but the humble in spirit will retain honor. (Proverbs 29:23)

A person with godly love is not obsessed with 'the man in the mirror'.