Proverbs was written to tell us what is right and what is wrong, because the wisdom in them is from God. King Solomon, considered a man of distinguished wisdom, wrote much of the book of Proverbs, and during his reign his assembly of officials and advisers became the international center for the exchange of learning. It is written that men of all nations came to hear his wisdom.

One of Solomon's sayings is, "Mockers are proud and haughty; they act with boundless arrogance". (Proverbs 21:24) What was Solomon saying? Look at the statement. Mockers are proud, self-centered and feel superior over others. They are overbearing and have no limits to their self-importance.

This can also read like this,: "Mockers thrive on their self importance by being self-centered, overbearing, and hateful people. They show domineering attitudes and use spitefulness, heckling, cruelty and sarcasm to make their victims feel inferior to themselves". What a scary outlook on a life that God created to be pleasant and enjoyable, loving and tender, considerate and selfless! God didn't create us to be mockers; he created us to be like him.

Looking at these two paths of choice ~ that of PRIDE or that of HUMILITY ~ it shouldn't be difficult to choose.

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Jesus was a servant to the world.....can you imagine being King of Kings, but yet while you lived on Earth you were a servant? He did not use his title as "Son of God" to manipulate or impress people. I just think that's amazing that he lived a life so humble and was willing to take on my sin through His death on the cross.

He lived a very plain and simple life. He did not live in a palace; he never had material goods, trained with his earthly father as a carpenter, etc.

Reflect on these verses about his humility and servant hood : Is. 53:3, John 1:11 and Philippians 2:5-11.

Try to live with the love He had for others. This will be a challenge for me, but when I focus daily on Him laying down His life for my eternal security it places everything in perspective.

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Before his downfall, a man's heart is proud, but humility comes before honor.--Proverbs 18:12
I am reminded of a topic once discussed in one of my business classes--the difference between being a manager and being a leader. Although the two words are very similar, the main distinction is humility. A manager takes the credit for everything good that happens in his company and blames everyone else when things don't work out. A leader does not let his pride get in his own way. He takes complete responsibility for the failures in his company and gives all of the credit to his employees for any success. As expected, the companies run by leaders are more successful than companies that are run by managers. Even though this example deals with a business setting, I believe it applies to our lives. Humility can make the difference between being human and being Christian. Human nature leads us to want to take credit for everything good that has happened in our lives; being a Christian means that we must give credit to God. The problem with pride is that, as the verse warns, it precedes a man's (or woman's) downfall, and it is also a way of disrespecting God.
Humility comes before honor is a common theme in Proverbs. I believe the message is that to truly praise God, to be in a relationship with God, we must be humble before Him first before we can even begin to honor Him. Think of all the times you let your pride get in the way of your relationships with your family, friends, or co-workers. Think of how much more satisfying these relationships could be if you just showed more humility, and apply that to your relationship with God. The results can be amazing.

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Start this devotional by reading "The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector" found in Luke 18:9-14.
Ponder on this sentence a moment: "For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted". Jesus was setting some rules straight with the crowd he was speaking too. Jesus, again, was turning what they thought was right upside-down. If you were only to look at the title of this parable and asked, "Who is the bad guy in this story?" most would assume the Tax Collector was. Tax Collectors were horrible thieves in that time. If you held the position of "Tax Collector" in that time, you were almost guaranteed to be a sinner; however, Jesus turned their expectations in a whole new direction. The sinner, humbled himself before the Lord, and was blessed by doing so, but the Pharisee (a man of God) exalted his actions, and was humbled.
So why was the Pharisee wrong in his actions? Well, for starters, he was boasting to God about how great he is and belittling someone instead of sharing the good news with them. One should not boast about how much better they are than their neighbor, for everyone has sinned and fallen short of God's commands. Thank God for forgiveness.
God wants all of His children back. In fact, he's so desperate to have you back that He put his only son on a cross for us, to die for our sins. Never assume that someone is less that ourselves and is less worthy to go to Heaven because people can always change and God will always give a second chance.

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