The Book of Proverbs covers a number of topics, but spread out throughout the text. Concerning pride we read in Proverbs 6:16-17, "These six things the Lord hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look,...". In 8:13, we read, "The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverse mouth I hate." In 16:18-19, we read, "Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, Than to divide the spoil with the proud." We read in 28:11, "The rich man is wise in his own eyes, But the poor who has understanding searches him out." In 29:23, "A man's pride will bring him low, But the humble in spirit will retain honor." In 30:12-13, "There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes, Yet is not washed from its filthiness. There is a generation - oh, how lofty are their eyes! And their eyelids are lifted up." Wisdom is lifted up over pride and foolishness in Proverbs 9:10-12, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. For by me your days will be multiplied, And years of life will be added to you. If you are wise, you are wise for yourself, And if you scoff, you will bear it alone."

Our path all comes down to our starting point, our reference point. Unless it begins with a deep reverence for God, the wrong path has been entered. This wrong path may be filled with earthly riches or poverty depending on our circumstances. One may be raised in wealth, go to the finest schools, etc, but unless that person humbles himself, these earthly pleasures is the best it gets and they will always be yearning for more, since these things are never satisfied, sin never satisfies. Regardless of our earthly position, those who will humble themselves before our Holy God, will find peace and pleasures that the world can not even comprehend. When I reflect back on this disparity, I truly feel no resentment or anger at this type of treatment and their disdain for me. I think, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." (Luke 23:34). The lost world is lost in different ways. For those above they are lost in the prosperity and upbringing and are in just as much desperately in need to be introduced to our Savior as the homeless man on the street. May we never forget this as we walk daily in our respective mission fields. May we have our eyes open to those in all walks of life.