There was a young man who was given an opportunity to speak in church. He put great care into preparing his sermon and nearly ran up the steps to the pulpit when it was time to preach. His eagerness and confidence shone from his face until he began to stammer, unable to read his own notes. Finally, in shame, he slowly walked down the steps, head hung low. After the service, he asked his pastor, “What happened? What did I do wrong?”

The wise pastor replied, “If you had gone up the way you came down, you would have come down the way you went up.”

If we are being transformed by Christ every day, and He is equipping us by giving us spiritual gifts, there is a tendency for us to get puffed up, to become proud, or lose any humility that we have. When we feel self-important, it really messes us up and stunts our growth in Christ. We are unhappy when we feel like we deserve or are owed certain things.

If you start your thinking with the realization that someone else deserves the credit for what you have, then you are saying that “this wasn’t me.” That is the very first place to start.

It is true that God has all knowledge and understanding and that He knows the past, present, and future. We also know that He is the giver of grace; therefore, we are the recipients of His grace. There is no pride in humbly accepting His grace. Keep this in the forefront of your mind continually. If you don’t, there will be a tendency to let pride creep in and destroy you.