In the parable of the two worshippers, the Pharisee glories in what he is, what he does, and what he gives. Here comes “Self” as a prominent feature of his prayer. He uses the personal pronoun “I” five times, showing his great passion for himself and presents a high opinion of his piety, full of self-praise. He does not pray for others - and honestly, he has no interest in them, other than to point out their faults. Not contented with extolling himself, he places contempt upon others, when he should have been interceding for them before God. His prayer shows that he thinks of God as being impressed with pettiness and rigorousness in the hope of securing favor with God and men. Luke 18:11, 12.

These Pharisees substituted their ideas of how life should be lived in place of what God would consider important. Their judgment was divergent and self-centered. “My money, my house, my reputation, my power, my morals” became their religion. Someone else’s money, house, or reputation was only important to them as much as it would affect their own standing. It was truly a “me” generation. Today we live in a culture that lures people into a spiritual stupor that gradually desensitizes people to true spiritual and moral values. The main cause for this “me” religion is pride of life.

The word pride in Greek is huperephanos, which signifies “to show oneself above.” It does not imply that others look up to the person, but that he or she stands on a self-created pedestal. Psychologists tell us that pride is actually a mark of inner inferiority and uncertainty, and such people compensate by over-emphasizing and flaunting the qualities they think they possess that will cause others to think well of them. A Christian must guard himself or herself strongly against becoming caught up in the stupor-inducing spirit of the times of which Paul forewarns us.

If you want to impress God, it is not the pride of life that impresses Him, but it is humility. Pride gets between us and God, and without realizing it, we actually shut Him out of our life. The Bible clearly shows that our spiritual well-being is dependent upon acknowledging, with our life, our reliance upon the revealed will of God.

Peter says that we must “be clothed with humility.” We must put on humility. In this phrase, the apostle is recalling the example of Jesus at the last Passover, when He clothed Himself as a servant and knelt down before His disciples, washing their feet as a pattern of His mind and attitude toward them. He girded himself and performed this humble act. He took no reputation upon Himself. That is the reason why the apostle Paul says,”Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5).

We are all under one or the other of two great captains. We all should be under the great captain, the Creator of all. We owe Him the allegiance of our whole being, the devotion of our affection. If our mind is given to His control, we will receive new moral power to bury the pride and self in the dust. And there will be a new birth.

“We need to be constantly filling the mind with Christ and emptying it of selfishness and sin. . . . Just as surely as you empty your mind of vanity and frivolity, the vacuum will be supplied with that which God is waiting to give you - His Holy Spirit. Then out of the good treasure of the heart you will bring forth good things, rich gems of thought, and others will catch the words and will begin to glorify God. Then you will not have the mind centered upon self. You will not be making a show of self; you will not be acting self; but your thoughts and affections will dwell upon Christ, and you will reflect upon others that which has shone upon you from the Sun of Righteousness.”1