Every man wants to be proud – proud of their accomplishments, proud of their integrity, and proud of their worldview. They also want their wife to be proud of them for these reasons. But pride is often seen as prideful in scripture because a man is told: "not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think." So, there is a fine line between righteous pride and sinful pridefulness. The key to this walk is Humbleness and a Sober Mind. The Bible provides all you need to know, but you must apply it. An understanding is useless if it is not used.
Romans 12:3 (KJV)
For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
God's Desire for Our Lives
Romans chapter twelve starts with Paul imploring Christians to "present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God." He then states that this is "your reasonable service." In other words, it is reasonable for God to expect our sober-minded worship. Then Paul goes on to say that we should not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the change of heart and life that comes from being born-again. So, we prove to God and those around us that we are good, acceptable, and perfectly aligned with the will of God. Then Paul shares the text from Romans 12:3, explaining that being born-again, good, and acceptable to God and aligning our will to God's will should not make us feel like we're better than others. On the contrary, we should deal with others in humility, kindness, and with a sober mind.
All Christians are Important
Each Christian is essential to the body of Christ (the global Church, born-again believers) because each person brings gifts, talents, knowledge, and skills to the body of Christ. No one is better than any other, and they all have a purpose respectful to God's will. Further, we can't accomplish God's will without each member of the body of Christ doing their part. Whether the person's contribution seems tiny or profound, they are essential to God's Holy will. So, sinful pride, jealousy, envy, and rejection of any person's contribution should be unacceptable. We are the Body of Christ, the Bride of Christ, the Body of Believers, also known as the Church. We are all equally important. It just doesn't always seem that way because of our diverse roles in God's Kingdom.
Humbleness and a Sober Mind
God wants us to work together for His glory and to fulfill His perfect will. So, we need to be humble. The Websters Dictionary of 1828 shares this definition. "Lowly; modest; meek; submissive; opposed to proud, haughty, arrogant, or assuming. In an evangelical sense, having a low opinion of oneself and a deep sense of unworthiness in the sight of God." Being humble means putting other people's needs before your own and God's desires over everything.
We are also to have a sober mind. The Websters Dictionary of 1828 defines sober as "Temperate in the use of spiritous liquors; habitually temperate; as a sober man. Live a sober, righteous, and godly life." Further, temperate is defined as "Moderate in the indulgence of the appetites and passions; as temperate in eating and drinking; temperate in pleasures; temperate in speech."
So, having a sober mind is living a life of moderation with an emphasis on living a righteous and godly life.
I have almost always lived a sober life but have often struggled with humility. As I continue to grow in obedience to Christ as my Savior and Lord, I will continue working to be as humble and sober-minded as I can be.