Billy Graham: Pride in One's Success Is Not Wrong but Dangerous
Instead of giving oneself all the credit, Christians need to thank God for their personal accomplishments, the Rev. Billy Graham says.
The 97-year-old evangelical leader, known for his international Christian crusades, wrote in a May 2 column for the Kansas City Star that although taking pride in your work is not morally wrong, it is dangerous to indulge in a "self-centered, egotistical" kind of self accolade.
This type of pride is dangerous because it separates us from others, as well as God, Graham contends.
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One reason why this type of pride is unhealthy is because "it makes us think we are better than other people, and this cuts us off from them and makes us insensitive to their needs," the preacher writes.
On a more serious level, this type of pride is dangerous because it also distances us from God, as he is the source of all our accomplishments.
"God gave us our gifts and our abilities; he also gave us the opportunity to use them. But when we take credit for what we've achieved, we cut God out of the picture," the preacher writes, referencing Psalm 10:4 which reads: "In his pride the wicked man does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God."
To avoid falling into the trap of pride, Christians need to humble themselves before God and form a close relationship with Him to protect themselves from such sins.
Graham has differentiated between the good kind of pride and the sinful kind of pride before, writing in December 2015 that there exists a type of pride that isn't boastful or self-centered, but there is also a version of pride condemned by the Bible.
"Sinful pride is self-centered and boastful, and makes us take credit for everything we are and everything we do. Instead of realizing that we are dependent on God, in our pride we ignore God and believe we can get along without Him," Graham previously wrote, as reported by The Christian Post.
"The tragedy is that pride blinds us to our faults. More than that, pride blinds us to our need for God. Instead, we become self-confident and independent, and we see no reason to humble ourselves before God or seek His wisdom and help," Graham continues, adding that "pride is a dead-end road, and eventually it catches up with us."
Pride does, however, have the potential to be a good thing, Graham contends, if it is used in a non-selfish way that ultimately glorifies God.
In his writings, the evangelical leader points to numerous Bible verses that speak on the benefits of a healthy kind of pride that involves admiring one's own hardwork and accomplishments, including Ecclesiastes 3:22 (NKJV), which reads: "Nothing is better than that a man should rejoice in his own works."
Graham also points to 2 Timothy 2:15, which references "a worker who does not need to be ashamed" of his effort.
