February 5, 2026

Hey guys, 

I hope you're having a great week. This week’s Thought comes from Proverbs 18:12. It's very simple, and before I even share it, I need to tell you, it has already kicked me in the shins and stomped all over my toes! Before you think that maybe I'm pointing a finger at you, just know, I've gotten beaten up by working through this myself!

Proverbs 18:12 says, “Pride goes before destruction, humility precedes honor.”

If we're on a prideful path, destruction is our destination. Conversely, if we're on a humble path, honor will result. That seems counter-cultural doesn't it? It seems those that are the loudest, those that post the most, those that share the most details, those that look out for #1 — they're the ones that get the fame, the recognition and the notoriety, right? The humble...well, they just get passed over and unnoticed. 

However, that's not the example of Jesus. In fact, Jesus has never pretended to be anything but counter-cultural. It's His example that we see in Philippians chapter 2, where we're told, "in humility, consider others more important than ourselves". 

James 4:6 says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 

The world tells us to chase after our own recognition as opposed to living our lives for His recognition. 

I recorded a podcast earlier this week, and my guest shared how his difficulties and struggles actually led to God's glory. We're not equipped to be perfect, but He calls us to be excellent. That is a big difference. We're incapable of perfection, but we can be excellent. However, how we handle the excellence is the key issue. 

An absence of pride does not mean an absence of success. In fact, we should be successful if we are using our gifts as we should. So where's the balance between pride and humility? 

As I was wrestling through this verse and what it meant for me, I found this quote from Charles Spurgeon: “When a man admires himself, he never adores God.”

Seeking Him first is the key to humility. If we seek Him first in all we do, we understand who He is and who we're not. 

Love you guys,

John