Matthew 5:3

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

The humble acknowledges that Yahweh is the Almighty God and has sovereignty. He believes that God is the source and maintainer of all life. His heart is fixed on Yahweh, and his mouth utters constant praise and exultation for Him (Job 38:1-42:17; Daniel 4:28-37; Revelation 4:11).

For the proud, most everything revolves around himself because he views life through the lens of self. His thoughts, and most often his conversation, primarily focus on self.

The humble is thankful knowing everything he has and hopes for are based upon God’s grace and mercy. He strongly believes he deserves nothing. The life he has now and the hope for the coming Kingdom are and will be available because Yahweh is merciful, gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth (Exodus 34:6; Ephesians 2:7-10). He thanks God and others often (Ephesians 4:19 and 20; Colossians 3:17; 1 Thessalonians 5:18).

The prideful one lacks genuine gratitude. He usually thinks he deserves what is good, that God and others owe it to him. Consequently, he sees no reason to be thankful for what he receives. In fact, he may even complain because he thinks he deserves better. He tends to be critical, complaining, and discontent. The proud person is not in the practice of being thankful toward God and others (2 Chronicles 32:25).

The humble is aware that he has no right to question or judge Almighty God; rather, he unpretentiously asks God for wisdom and forgiveness. He does not see himself as even remotely qualified to question Yahweh. If undesirable things occur, he questions himself and never blames Yahweh (Psalm 51; Romans 3).

The proud complains against and blames God for that which is wrong in his life. He freely and openly murmurs against God and shifts his own blame to Him. He thinks and often proclaims to others, “Look what God has done to me after all I have done for Him” (Numbers 14).

A humble one does not see himself as better than others. He does not forget the sinfulness of his own heart nor the grace and mercy bestowed upon him. When he approaches others who are having problems, he does so with a spirit of kindness and gentleness (Galatians 6:1-10). Regardless of who the other people are or what they have done wrong, he maintains a compassionate, Christ-like attitude (Philippians 2:4-8; Colossians 3:12-16).

The proud compares himself to others and feels good that he is not so bad (2 Corinthians 10:12; Luke 18:9-14). When seeing a fault in others, he is quick to judge and “straighten out” the person and do so with a superior, belligerent attitude. He often tries to force the issue by controlling the person. He is determined to fix what is wrong and to discard those who do not change as he thinks they should. In contrast, the humble knows God is in control and that He honors free will.