T – Take pride in a job well done
Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel,
Philippians 1:27
Philippians is a letter written by the Apostle Paul to the people of Phillipi as an encouragement to them. Again, this letter was written while Paul was in prison. Most believe it was during his house arrest in Rome. Phillipi was named after Alexander the Great’s father, King Phillip II of Macedona. The city prided itself for being a Roman colony and having Roman Citizenship. Most citizens of Phillipi were retired military.
The acrostic for this “T” is “Taking pride in a job well done.” Pride is usually a sin because we become boastful and believe we accomplished everything on our own. This catch phrase and this Bible verse don’t seem to match, but let’s look closer.
Pride is defined as “a high or inordinate opinion of one's own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority, whether as cherished in the mind or as displayed in bearing, conduct, etc.” Pride appears to be very self serving.
What does the Bible say about pride? In the NIV version of the Bible, pride is used in eight (8) passages of the Scripture in the Old Testament whereas it is used five (5) times in the New Testament. Let’s see those passages in the NKJV of the Bible.
Proverbs 8:13 The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way. And the perverse mouth I hate.
Proverbs 11:2 When pride comes, then comes shame; But with the humble is wisdom.
Proverbs 13:10 By pride comes nothing but strife, But with the well-advised is wisdom.
Proverbs 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.
Proverbs 29:23 A man’s pride will bring him low, But the humble in spirit will retain honor.
Isaiah 25:11 And He will spread out His hands in their midst As a swimmer reaches out to swim, And He will bring down their pride Together with the trickery of their hands.
Daniel 4:37 And those who walk in pride He is able to put down.
Amos 8:7 The LORD has sworn by the pride of Jacob: “ Surely I will never forget any of their works.”
2 Corinthians 5:12 For we do not commend ourselves again to you, but give you opportunity to boast on our behalf, that you may have an answer for those who boast in appearance and not in heart.
2 Corinthians 7:4 Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my boasting on your behalf. I am filled with comfort. I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation.
2 Corinthians 8:24 Therefore show to them, and[a] before the churches, the proof of your love and of our boasting on your behalf.
Galatians 6:4 But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.
James 1:9 Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation
Reading through the Old Testament verses, pride definitely has a bad connotation. Pride is evil, arrogant, shameful, causes strife, precedes destruction, and will bring you low. But at Amos, pride shifted as never to forget your works. Throughout the New Testament, while the NIV uses pride, the NKJV uses boasting which is to “talk with excessive pride and self-satisfaction about one's achievements, possessions, or abilities.” As if in the New Testament, pride is boasting of the good work of the Gospel.
Hebrew Words for “pride” used in Old Testament
Ge'ah – pride
Zadown - pride, insolence, presumptuousness, arrogance
Ga'own - exaltation, majesty, pride, majesty, exaltation, excellence
Ga`avah - pride, majesty, a rising up
Greek Words for “pride” used in the New Testament
Kauchēmatos - boasting, focusing on the results of exulting/boasting. This boasting (exulting) is always positive when it is in the Lord, and always negative when based on self
Kauchesis - boasting, which can either be in the "achievements" of self (negatively) or about God's grace (positively)
Pride is always positive when talking about God’s grace or God’s works. Pride is negative when you boast about yourself. With all this in mind, let’s compare the acrostic and Philippians 1:27 and see if they match. “Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ.” This stresses the need for us to model our lives after Christ so that the Gospel can be spread. As for taking pride in your work, in as much as it spreads the Gospel. So, take pride in a job well done that is for Christ, if your conduct is not of Christ – do not take pride in what you have accomplished. Let’s take a look at Galatians 6:4. Actually, let’s look at Galatians 6: 1-4 in the NIV.
Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else,
I believe in Galatians we find the matching passage for “Taking Pride in a job well done.” Clearly, we are instructed to test our own actions against what God would have us do. If we are in God’s will, we can take pride in our work.
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