Keep Your Eyes on the Prize

“Do you not know that the runners in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may attain it.”—1 Cor. 9:24.

1. Why does the Bible often use words pertaining to a foot race?

RUN, running, race—these are words you probably have noticed many times in your reading of the Bible, especially the epistles of the apostle Paul. Why does he frequently use words pertaining to a foot race? Because a race well illustrates the course that is set before a Christian; because running expresses movement, action, going forward; because running is one of the most forceful, striking words the apostle could use to express the efforts a Christian must put forth to win the prize of everlasting life in God’s new world.

2, 3. The ancient Corinthians had what knowledge of the foot race, and so what counsel did the apostle give the Corinthian Christians?

² To encourage the Christians of Corinth to run so as to win the prize, Paul used the picturesque language of the ancient games. Of the four most celebrated games of the ancient world, one was held near Corinth, at the stadium at the Isthmus of Corinth. One of the most highly esteemed contests at the Isthmian games was the foot race. Almost every Corinthian, at one time or another, had attended the games and witnessed a foot race. For the non-Christian Corinthian it was the thing to do; it was the national pastime or sport, only the contests were more important than sport as we know it today; for those contests were profoundly associated with the ancient Greek religion. Knowing his readers’ familiarity with the foot race, Paul could fittingly ask:

³ “Do you not know that the runners in a race all run, but only one receives the prize?” They knew. Those Christian Corinthians knew that many runners ran in a race, yet only one received the prize; they knew that each runner put forth the most strenuous efforts to win that prize; they knew the runners ran to win the prize. Christians, Paul shows, must run in a similar way: “Run in such a way that you may attain it.” Yes, run to win! Unlike the ancient foot race, in which only one received the prize, the Christian race offers a prize to all who run well, to all who reach the goal line.—1 Cor. 9:24.

4. In the ancient foot race, what was the custom regarding the prize, and how did this affect the runners?

⁴ No doubt about it: those ancient Greek runners ran to win the prize; they were not running just to be in the race. How eagerly they sought the prize! With what intentness they ran! How they kept their eyes straight ahead! At the very point where the race was to end it was customary to set the prize in a conspicuous place. The sight of it roused the contestants to strain every nerve, to forget everything but their one objective—to win the prize. They ran with their eyes on the prize. How much more so should the Christian!

5. For what kind of prize did the ancients run?

⁵ For, compared to the Christians’ prize, what was the prize that those runners so eagerly sought? “Now they,” said the apostle, “do it that they may get a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible one.” For the ancient runner the prize was a crown or garland of olive, laurel or pine. At the Isthmian games the crown was of pine. This crown and the ensuing glory it brought was what the ancient runners ran for with all they had. And yet even the pine crown in time faded and dried up. Their prize faded, withered, perished! A fading crown—and yet how vigorously they strove to win that crown, running with their eyes on the prize!—1 Cor. 9:25.

APPRAISING THE PRIZE

6. In contrast with the prize given pagan runners, what is God’s loving reward for running well?

⁶ In contrast with the fading crown of the ancient games, the apostle tells Christians that a prize awaits those who run the race to the finish, a prize that will never perish. Speaking of this crown, the apostle Peter wrote: “When the chief shepherd has been made manifest, you will receive the unfadable crown of glory,” or, as the footnote shows, “carry away as a prize” the unfadable crown. What a prize for the anointed Christians, those called to the heavenly kingdom! Could any prize this world offers compare with that prize God offers—the prize of incorruptibility, the prize of everlasting life in heavenly glory with Christ the King? Today there are hundreds of thousands of Christian runners who are not anointed by God to be his spiritual sons in the heavenly kingdom; God offers them also an unperishable prize. It is everlasting life in perfection on earth under the kingdom of heaven. Whichever prize the Christian runner has his eyes on, it is worth expending just as much vigor and energy as the runners of the ancient games did; indeed, the Christian should run with greater determination and vigor, for the prize God lovingly promises will never fade: “This is the promised thing which he himself promised us, the life everlasting.”—1 Pet. 5:4; 1 John 2:25.

7, 8. From the apostle Paul’s example, how should the Christian runner view the prize God offers?

⁷ With such an incomparable prize before the Christian runner, what should be his view of the prizes of this world? It should be that like Paul’s, who said: “I do indeed also consider all things to be loss on account of the excelling value of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. On account of him I have taken the loss of all things and I consider them as a lot of refuse.” And so how did Paul run? “Brothers, I do not yet consider myself as having laid hold on it; but there is one thing about it: Forgetting the things behind and stretching forward to the things ahead, I am pursuing down toward the goal for the prize.”—Phil. 3:8, 13, 14.

⁸ Just as the runners of the ancient games ran with their eyes on the prize, oblivious to all other prizes, to all things in the past and stretching forward to the things ahead, so Paul ran. To paraphrase the apostle’s words: ‘Believe me, there is only one thing worth while in the whole world—the prize my eyes are fixed upon. Nothing can be compared to it, absolutely nothing. All that this world offers, no matter how fine the chariot, how spacious the mansion, how resplendent the apparel or how exquisite the pleasures, I count them all as so much refuse, rubbish to be cast aside, that I might concentrate on winning the prize. So I’m not running irregularly, indifferently, as if my goal were in doubt. I’m running with full purpose of heart, with singleness of eye. I have the goal in view. Why should I take my eyes off it? So I live, I run—with my eyes on the prize!’

9. What danger confronts the Christian runner, making it vital for him to get the right mental attitude?

⁹ Paul took a realistic view of the prize. He placed the right value on it. He took the right view also of the prizes this world offers. He tells the Christian runner to do the same: “Let us, then, as many of us as are mature, be of this mental attitude.” How vital this is in this “time of the end” when the world’s prizes have multiplied—prizes in careers, prizes in pleasures, prizes in possessions! So we see the danger then: the danger that the Christian runner begins the race in joy and vigor but later lets the prizes of this world distract him and he takes his eyes off the prize of life. Then what happens? The runner slows to a walk, a careless saunter. How uncertainly he runs now. He no longer runs as one seeking to win the prize of life. The things behind, the prizes of this old world, have distracted him, causing him to lose that stimulus and incentive for running that comes only by keeping one’s eyes on the things ahead, the prize God offers. Demas, Paul’s fellow runner, took his eyes off the prize; the prizes of this world distracted him, and he stopped running. We need to get the right mental attitude toward this world’s prizes, “because everything in the world—the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and the showy display of one’s means of life—does not originate with the Father, but originates with the world. Furthermore, the world is passing away and so is its desire, but he that does the will of God remains forever.”—Phil. 3:15; 2 Tim. 4:10; 1 John 2:16, 17.

10, 11. (a) Why is no prize the world offers worth taking one’s eyes off the prize God offers? (b) How do people who have pursued the prize of wealth often feel toward the close of their life, in contrast with the apostle’s expression?

¹⁰ So of what value are the prizes of this world, prizes that are doomed to pass away and fade just as surely as did the vegetable crown of the ancient runners? Is the greatest prize this world offers—the life goal of so many persons today, the so-called economic security—really worth taking our eyes off the prize of life? Not for a minute! The Christian runner must provide the necessities of life and yet at the same time never take his eyes off the prize. Paul made tents to provide some of his necessities; yet he never allowed tent-making to take his eyes off the prize. So Paul did not pursue the fruitless goal of economic security; he knew that money, wealth and possessions are of no value without life. Even those who attain what they view as economic security by amassing millions of dollars often come to realize what a fading prize they spent a lifetime to win. In the volume Treasury of the Christian World appears the following item: “Mr. T. P. O’Connor reports an interview with Mr. Andrew Carnegie: ‘As we drove to the station I was remarking how I envied him his wealth. He said, “I am not to be envied. How can my wealth help me? I am sixty years old, and cannot digest my food. I would give all my millions if I could have youth and health.” Then I shall never forget his next remark. We had driven some yards in silence, when Mr. Carnegie suddenly turned, and in hushed voice, and with bitterness and depth of feeling quite indescribable, said: “If I could make Faust’s bargain, I would. I would gladly sell anything to have my life over again.” And I saw his hand clench as he spoke.’”

¹¹ How different was the expression of the apostle Paul, who, after expending his life in pursuit of the heavenly prize, could say: “I have run the course to the finish, I have observed the faith. From this time on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me as a reward in that day.”—2 Tim. 4:7, 8.

ENDURANCE THROUGH SINGLENESS OF EYE

12. To what did Paul largely owe his powers of endurance?

¹² Paul owed his extraordinary endurance to his singleness of purpose. And he gained singleness of purpose by keeping his eyes on the prize. So keeping our eyes on the prize vitally affects our powers of endurance. Make no mistake about it: endurance is needed. “Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” The Christian race is no short dash; it is long and difficult. Because the prize is not won until the finish line has been crossed, there can be slackening of effort along the way. Among the most penetrating parables of Jesus were those in which he pointed out the failure of those who started well but were not able to keep it up to the end.—Heb. 12:1.

13. In the parable of the sower, what did Jesus show could cause a runner to stumble and lose the prize, and what counsel did he give as to possessions?

¹³ In his parable of the sower Jesus, in explaining the meaning of the seeds that fell upon rocky ground and among the thorns, said: “As for the one sown upon the rocky places, this is the one hearing the word and at once accepting it with joy. Yet he has no root in himself but continues for a time, and after tribulation or persecution has arisen on account of the word he is at once stumbled. As for the one sown among the thorns, this is the one hearing the word, but the anxiety of this system of things and the deceptive power of wealth choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.” So some runners fall out of the race, stumbled by “tribulation or persecution.” Others lose their powers of endurance because of “the anxiety of this system of things.” After discussing the parables of building a tower and of a king going to war, Jesus commented: “Thus, you may be sure, none of you that does not say good-bye to all his belongings can be my disciple.”—Matt. 13:20-22; Luke 14:33.

14. How should a Christian regard material possessions?

¹⁴ The Christian runner is under no obligation to give away his material possessions, but he is under the principle that Jesus laid down: If one sees that his possessions are taking his eyes off the prize of life, then he would rather say good-by to those distracting possessions than keep them and take a chance on losing the race. No possession, no material belonging, should ever be allowed to become so important, so big in one’s life, that it takes the runner’s eyes off the prize. In today’s world, though, it is not likely that a single possession will take one’s eyes off the prize; it is the multitude of things, belongings, pleasures, hobbies and the anxieties and distractions of life. All together the multiplicity of distractions exert a strong power, making it difficult—and yet at the same time more vital than ever—to obey the Bible command for the race: “As for your eyes, straight ahead they should look, yes, your own beaming eyes should gaze straight in front of you. Smooth out the course of your foot, and may all your own ways be firmly established. Do not incline to the right hand or to the left.” How to get this singleness of eye that adds so much to our powers of endurance—that is the problem each runner must solve.—Prov. 4:25-27.

AGE OF DISTRACTIONS

15. What has a worldly speaker said about “the anxiety of this system of things”?

¹⁵ A comment on the “anxiety of this system of things” comes from Bernard M. Baruch. Speaking to a group of college students at City College, New York, he declared: “Never in history has mankind boasted superior means of communication, high speed printing presses, profusely illustrated magazines, the radio, movies, television. Yet all these miraculous forms of communication seem less conducive to thought than a log in the woods. Almost, in fact, these jet-propelled, streamlined means of communication appear the enemies of thinking. They bombard us daily with fresh distractions. . . . Our energies . . . are dissipated on side issues. . . . Not too long ago, it was fondly thought that ours was ‘The Age of Enlightenment.’ More and more it is becoming ‘The Age of Distraction.’”—Vital Speeches of the Day, June, 1953.

16, 17. (a) Those who are distracted by many things should take what counsel of Jesus? (b) What did a woman writer say about distractions in a modern civilization?

¹⁶ The more distractions the more difficult it is to attain the singleness of eye needed for the Christian race. Obviously, there are more distractions today than in Jesus’ day; and yet people were distracted in Jesus’ day too. On one occasion Jesus entered a certain village and “a certain woman named Martha received him as guest into the house. This woman also had a sister called Mary, who, however, sat down at the feet of the Master and kept listening to his word. Martha, on the other hand, was distracted with attending to many duties. So, she came near and said: ‘Master, does it not matter to you that my sister has left me alone to attend to things? Tell her, therefore, to join in helping me.’ In answer the Master said to her: ‘Martha, Martha, you are anxious and disturbed about many things. A few things, though, are needed, or just one. For her part, Mary chose the good portion, and it will not be taken away from her.’” Mary shed distractions to sharpen her spiritual vision; Martha was too distracted with many things to sit down at the feet of the Master and take in the knowledge, the one thing that she really needed.—Luke 10:38-42.

¹⁷ This modern world has more Marthas than Marys. Distractions are the reason. Commenting on some of the distractions that face a modern housewife, Anne Morrow Lindbergh writes in Gift from the Sea: “I mean to lead a simple life. . . . But I do not. . . . The life I have chosen as wife and mother entrains a whole caravan of complications. It involves a house in the suburbs and either household drudgery or household help. . . . It involves food and shelter; meals, planning, marketing, bills, and making the ends meet in a thousand ways. It involves not only the butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker but countless other experts to keep my modern house with its modern ‘simplifications’ (electricity, plumbing, refrigerator, gas-stove, oil-burner, dishwasher, radios, car, and numerous other labor-saving devices) functioning properly. It involves health; doctors, dentists, appointments, medicine, cod-liver oil, vitamins, trips to the drugstore. It involves education, spiritual, intellectual, physical; schools . . . tutoring; camps, camp equipment and transportation. It involves clothes, shopping, laundry, cleaning, mending, letting skirts down and sewing buttons on, or finding someone else to do it. It involves friends, my husband’s, my children’s, my own, and endless arrangements to get together; letters, invitations, telephone calls and transportation hither and yon. . . . The problem of the multiplicity of life not only confronts the American woman, but also the American man. And it is not merely the concern of the American as such, but of our whole modern civilization.”

NEED TO SHED DISTRACTIONS

18. How is Paul’s example and admonition valuable to us, and what must the Christian runner learn?

¹⁸ Amid the cares and distractions of modern life the Christian runner must maintain a singleness of purpose. And he must be certain he is making progress toward his goal. Never did the apostle Paul let the “anxiety of this system of things” take his eyes off the prize. “The way I am running,” he said, “is not uncertainly.” Paul had his goal in view; there was never any doubt of it. We must run with such determination to win the prize, with such singleness of vision. But how can one do this, seeing that distractions come from every quarter, many of them being obligations that cannot be set aside? One can apply the principle given in Paul’s counsel to Christian runners: “Let us also put off every weight and the sin that easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” For the sake of endurance, then, the Christian runner must learn the art of shedding distractions, the art of putting off weights—those things that, added together, tend to take one’s eyes off the prize and hold him back in the race for life.—1 Cor. 9:26; Heb. 12:1.

19. How did this matter of distraction govern Paul’s counsel on marriage? So what is basic in a Christian’s life?

¹⁹ By reducing distractions we make time for concentrating on running the race and winning the prize. It is this matter of keeping distractions at a minimum that enters into so many facets of a Christian’s life. The apostle Paul knew marriage brought many distractions; so he advised singleness as the better course because of its permitting “constant attendance upon the Lord without distraction.” Yet, on the other hand, Paul knew that passion was a distraction and that it could be a dangerous one; hence he wrote: “It is better to marry than to be inflamed with passion.” Trying to get away from distractions—that is basic in a Christian’s life.—1 Cor. 7:35, 9.

20. To buy out time, what should a Christian be willing to do, and what about nonessential possessions?

²⁰ For the sake of keeping his eyes on the prize the Christian runner should be willing to determine which distractions may rightfully and profitably be discarded. By shedding these he buys out time for himself, in harmony with the command: “Keep strict watch that how you walk is not as unwise but as wise persons, buying out the opportune time for yourselves, because the days are wicked.” We ought to go about this matter of buying out time in earnestness, ever being on the alert to keep distractions at a minimum. Since people tend to be acquisitive, what distractions a person can pile up in the way of possessions alone! What a vast amount of gadgets, magazines, books, clothing, hobby paraphernalia and nondescript effects one can accumulate! It is often surprising how many things one tends to accumulate that are not really useful. Even piled away in a closet, things not really needed are a distraction: not only do they require space but they take time—dusting, cleaning, rearranging, etc. By shedding distractions, by keeping possessions to those that are needful, we feel happier and, above all, are better able to keep our eyes on the prize.—Eph. 5:15, 16.

21. How can we aid ourselves in keeping distractions at a minimum?

²¹ Selectivity is an important aid in keeping distractions at a minimum. The world’s commercialists do not want you to be thoughtfully selective; they are doing their utmost to entice people to pile up acquisitions whether they need them or not. So we need to be selective in purchasing, selective in reading, selective in the way we choose to use our time. Remember that only “a few things,” as Jesus said, are needed.

DETERMINATION AND TRAINING

22. What did a modern runner say about running and training, and why does the same principle apply to the Christian’s race?

²² Time bought out by shedding distractions enables us to concentrate on the race. Since the word “running” embraces the whole Christian way of life, especially our vigorous efforts to preach the good news, it is imperative that we train for the race. No runner runs well without training. In 1954 Roger Bannister, the first man to run a measured mile in less than four minutes, told a newspaper reporter, after his victory: “There is no point in running a race unless you set out to win. To do that you have to train. If you haven’t time to train you shouldn’t enter races.” Is the Christian race really different? “Run in such a way that you may attain it,” said Paul about the prize. He also counseled: “Be training yourself with godly devotion as your aim.” So why enter the Christian race unless you are determined to win the prize? And if you are determined to win, why run without training? Yet some runners have tried running without training; they neglect the spiritual training available at congregational meetings of the New World society. These meetings serve a vital function: they aid us in keeping our eyes on the prize. No wonder those who regularly miss meetings often drop out of the race; they lose a clear view of the prize and their powers of endurance weaken.—1 Cor. 9:24; 1 Tim. 4:7.

23. For encouragement what examples of singleness of eye should we reflect upon?

²³ In training for the race we need to reflect on examples of those who ran well, such as Abraham and Moses. Abraham was “awaiting the city having real foundations,” and Moses “looked intently toward the payment of the reward.” They had their eyes on the prize! Especially do we need to reflect upon the example of the perfect runner, Christ Jesus. “Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, as we look intently at the leader and perfecter of our faith, Jesus. For the joy that was set before him he endured a torture stake, despising shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Make Jesus your pacemaker.—Heb. 11:10, 26; 12:1, 2.

24. Why should there be no delay in running the race now, and how should we run?

²⁴ Jesus, Paul and the faithful witnesses of early times all ran with their eyes on the prize. Run as they did. Make time to run that way now. We have no assurance that circumstances will favor us with fewer distractions tomorrow. Distractions will likely increase as this world nears its doom. While it is still today, buy out the time for running. Appraise the prize correctly. Train regularly. Shed weights and distractions. Strip down to bare necessities. Run to win: Run with your eyes on the prize!

Running the Race Without Stumbling

“Everyone that is proud in heart is something detestable to Jehovah. . . . pride is before a crash, and a haughty spirit before stumbling.”—Prov. 16:5, 18.

1. Why does Jehovah set down certain rules in his Word, and what rule appears repeatedly?

RULES for running the race come from Jehovah through his Word: “I will instruct you even in the way of wisdom; I will cause you to tread in the tracks of uprightness. When you walk, your pace will not be cramped; and if you run, you will not stumble.” To help Christians avoid stumbling, Jehovah has caused certain rules to appear repeatedly in the Bible. One of these is the injunction to put off pride, which is a cause of stumbling; to put it off as an oppressive weight, as something that will make progress in the Christian race difficult or impossible. “Let us,” said Paul, “put off every weight.”—Prov. 4:11, 12; Heb. 12:1.

2, 3. (a) Why is this an apt time to know why Jehovah detests the proud in heart? (b) What is this pride the Bible condemns, and how does the possession of it affect one’s running?

² It is appropriate, in this “time of the end,” that we understand why pride is so detestable to Jehovah and such a stumbling block to running well “in the right contest of the faith.” Indeed, it is this very “time of the end” that would see an abundance of “lovers of themselves,” persons “haughty” and “puffed up with self-esteem.”—1 Tim. 6:12; 2 Tim. 3:1-4.

³ What is this pride that leads to stumbling? It is thinking too highly of oneself. It is running in a course opposite to that marked out by the apostle: “I tell everyone there among you not to think more of himself than it is necessary to think.” “Do not become discreet in your own eyes.” It is a heady draught of self-importance that induces a kind of intoxication. The proud person is drunk with self-flattery and self-esteem. For such a person, running the Christian race “according to the rules” is as difficult as it is for a drunk man to run without stumbling, because “before a crash the heart of a man is lofty.”—Rom. 12:3, 16; 2 Tim. 2:5; Prov. 18:12.

4. How do Jehovah and Christ look upon the proud? With what result?

⁴ “Pride is before a crash,” because Jehovah hates the proud person. He detests them. He opposes them. “God opposes the haughty ones.” Among the seven things listed as detestable to Jehovah’s soul are “lofty eyes.” Christ Jesus, the one who is wisdom personified, says: “Self-exaltation and pride and the bad way and the perverse mouth I have hated.” When on earth Christ stated the inflexible rule: “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled.” The result of pride, then, is opposition from Jehovah and Christ and eventual humiliation for the self-exalting proud ones. —Jas. 4:6; Prov. 6:16, 17; 8:13; Matt. 23:12.

WHY DETESTABLE TO JEHOVAH

5, 6. Why are the proud in heart something detestable to Jehovah?

⁵ It is easy to understand why those who are proud in heart are “something detestable to Jehovah.” They are not seeking God or the truth that comes from God. “The wicked one according to his superciliousness makes no search; all his ideas are: ‘There is no God.’” The thoughts of such persons are on how they can exalt themselves. They refuse to give the glory and praise to Jehovah.—Ps. 10:4.

⁶ Pride, arrogance, haughtiness—all these are characteristics of the wicked: “Haughtiness has served as a necklace to them.” “Haughty eyes and an arrogant heart, the lamp of the wicked ones, are sin.” The proud in heart not only fail to seek God but they oppose God and his servants. This opposition engenders a persecuting spirit: “In his haughtiness the wicked one hotly pursues the afflicted one.” Proud Pharaoh hotly pursued the Israelites and thereby suffered the consequences of his haughty action. Pride lays a foundation for all kinds of wickedness, yes, to the reprehensible wickedness of teaching false religion: “If any man teaches other doctrine and does not assent to healthful words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, nor to the teaching that accords with godly devotion, he is puffed up with pride, not understanding anything, but being mentally diseased over questionings and debates about words. From these things spring envy, strife, abusive speeches, wicked suspicions, violent disputes about trifles.” No wonder the proud, those puffed up with pride, are detestable to Jehovah! Such persons are offensive even to man; how much more so to God!—Ps. 73:6; Prov. 21:4; Ps. 10:2; 1 Tim. 6:3-5.

7. Why should Bible warnings about pride concern the Christian runner, and who well illustrates that pride is before a crash?

⁷ But why so many warnings about pride if it is the characteristic of wicked ones? Why should it be a matter of concern to the Christian runner? Because pride can crop up in a Christian’s life and prove disastrous, because pride is part of the “old personality” that must be put off by the Christian runner if he is to run “according to the rules.” The reason a newly converted man is not to be recommended for the office of overseer, the apostle says, is “that he might get puffed up with pride and fall into the judgment passed upon the Devil.” Yes, the spirit creature now the Devil himself started out well, but pride led to his downfall; a humiliating crash awaits him at Armageddon: “Thy heart was lifted up because of thy beauty; thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I have cast thee to the ground; I have laid thee before kings, that they may behold thee.”—1 Tim. 3:6; Ezek. 28:17, AS.

8. What may make one susceptible to pride, and how does history confirm this?

⁸ From the case of Satan the Devil and the warning about a newly converted man’s serving as an overseer, it becomes apparent that the possession of authority and responsibility makes one susceptible to pride. There was proud and powerful Haman, whose pride led to his own downfall. (Esther 3:5; 7:9) There was proud Nebuchadnezzar, who lost his sanity after glowing with pride, saying: “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built for the royal dwelling-place, by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?” (Dan. 4:30, AS) There was proud King Belshazzar, to whom Daniel said: “And you his son, O Belshazzar, have not humbled yourself.” (Dan. 5:22, AT) He lost a kingdom and his life. There was the pride of Herod, who arrogated glory to himself instead of giving it to God and so was “eaten up with worms.” (Acts 12:21-23) Indeed, history is a long record of crashes of powerful men and nations, testifying to the fact that “pride is before a crash.”

PRESUMPTUOUSNESS PRECEDES DISHONOR

9. What act of unfaithfulness did King Uzziah commit, and what prompted him to such folly?

⁹ The possession of riches heightens the susceptibility to pride. “A rich man is wise in his own eyes,” declares God’s Word. Look what happened to King Uzziah of Judah. He was a faithful worshiper of Jehovah, but he stumbled when pride entered his life. In his later years he became strong and prosperous: “As soon as he was strong, his heart became haughty even to the point of causing ruin, so that he acted unfaithfully against Jehovah his God and came into the temple of Jehovah to burn incense upon the altar of incense.” Puffed-up King Uzziah had no business doing this. So the priests reproved him: “Go out from the sanctuary, for you have acted unfaithfully and it is not for any glory to you on the part of Jehovah God.” Did King Uzziah benefit from this reproof? No, for “Uzziah became enraged while in his hand there was a censer for burning incense, and, during his rage against the priests, leprosy itself flashed up in his forehead before the priests in the house of Jehovah.” Stricken with leprosy in his forehead! A leper until the day of his death, Uzziah lost his royal duties and his son ruled in his place. What a sad crash! And it befell one who had served Jehovah faithfully for so many years. But the rule is certain: “Has presumptuousness come? Then dishonor will come.”—Prov. 28:11; 2 Chron. 26:16-21; Prov. 11:2.

10. How can we benefit from Uzziah’s experience?

¹⁰ Jehovah’s servants today, even those not in positions of responsibility, can benefit by Uzziah’s experience. Do not be among the people that are never convinced about a thing unless they have experienced it. There is no reason to experience the crash that follows pride. How does one benefit, then? By guarding against presumptuous actions, saying or doing things out of self-importance that one has no business to. Keep your place in the theocratic organization, never letting pride cause you to run in the wrong course, one leading to a crash.

PRIDE HINDERS BENEFITS OF REPROOF

11, 12. What did King Uzziah fail to benefit from because of pride, and what lesson should we take from it?

¹¹ Do not be like Uzziah. He did not benefit from reproof and correction. He could have taken the priests’ reproof and left the sanctuary immediately. Such a course undoubtedly would have averted the humiliating crash he suffered. But he let pride be a hindrance to taking reproof. “Have you seen a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for the stupid one than for him.” Puffed-up Uzziah belittled reproof, even became enraged by it. Pride blinded him to the benefits of reproof.—Prov. 26:12.

¹² Since correction and discipline come to all of Jehovah’s servants, we need to remember Paul’s words to the Hebrews: “You have entirely forgotten the exhortation which addresses you as sons: ‘My son, do not belittle the discipline from Jehovah, neither give out when you are corrected by him; for whom Jehovah loves he disciplines, in fact he scourges everyone whom he receives as a son.’” If a Christian belittles the discipline that comes from Jehovah through his organization, refusing to take reproof in harmony with God’s Word, then such a person is like Uzziah; he is letting pride deny him the benefits of reproof. “True,” the apostle explains, “no discipline seems for the present to be joyous, but grievous; yet afterward to those who have been trained by it it yields peaceable fruit, namely, righteousness.” So when correction comes from Jehovah’s organization, benefit by it. Do not let the colossus of pride stand in the way. Discipline, though at first grievous, yields peaceable fruit, righteousness and life. “Take hold on discipline; do not let go. Safeguard it, for it itself is your life.” “The reproofs of discipline are the way of life.”—Heb. 12:5, 6, 11; Prov. 4:13; 6:23.

13. How can pride cause misunderstandings and stumbling?

¹³ It is not surprising that pride sometimes causes misunderstandings in a Christian congregation. If pride is there, pride’s offspring are likely there—anger, contentiousness, sensitivity, envy, etc. “He that is arrogant in soul stirs up contention.” Pride is a barrier to peace and unity. Misunderstandings can readily be remedied if pride is not allowed to get in the way. It is so easy to let pride cause hypersensitivity,. The overly sensitive person, when he feels his pride has been wounded, may do things that lead to stumbling and a crash. For example, it has happened that a professed servant of God has severed a vital relationship with God’s organization by ceasing to attend meetings. And why? Often because such a person has had his pride wounded by an unbecoming action on the part of another. It may actually be only an imagined wrong, pride puffing up the whole matter into an inflated misunderstanding. But even if another servant of Jehovah has failed to run the race “according to the rules,” even if that one is a servant in the congregation, never let pride knock you out of the race. Is the prize of everlasting life worth less than one’s pride? Reflect some on that question. Whenever we allow pride to hinder our running, stumbling is ahead. “Pride is before a crash, and a haughty spirit before stumbling.”—Prov. 28:25; 16:18.

14, 15. How may pride lead to rotten bones, and what should we do in view of pride’s effects?

¹⁴ Pride may lead to a dangerous competitive spirit and the envying of others who may have superior gifts. Envy, in turn, leads to coolness and lack of harmony. So “let us not become egotistical, stirring up competition with one another, envying one another.” Remembering that “jealousy is rottenness to the bones,” we will not let pride rot our sturdy spiritual bones for running the Christian race set before us. And who can run well with rotten bones?—Gal. 5:26; Prov. 14:30.

¹⁵ Seeing some of the evil offspring of pride, how perilous pride is to a Christian runner and how detestable the proud person is in Jehovah’s eyes, guard against pride. But how can one guard against pride? God’s Word shows the way.

CURING PRIDE WITH LOVE AND HUMILITY

16. Why is love strong enough to conquer pride, and what kind of love is needed for humility?

¹⁶ Love is powerful enough to conquer pride and all its evil offspring. “Love is not jealous, it does not brag, does not get puffed up, does not behave indecently, does not look for its own interests, does not become provoked. It does not keep account of the injury.” Love will be victorious over pride if we have the love Jesus pointed to when he answered the question, “Which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus said: “‘You must love Jehovah your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. The second, like it, is this: ‘You must love your neighbor as yourself.’” This kind of love is certain to lead to victory over pride because it leads to true humility.—1 Cor. 13:4, 5; Matt. 22:36-39.

17. What garment do we need for running to win the prize, and why?

¹⁷ How opposite are humility and pride! “Before a crash the heart of a man is lofty, and before glory there is humility.” Pride leads to a crash, humility to glory. To win the glorious prize of life we need humility; we need it to run well. Humility, then, is the garment for Christian runners to wear: “All of you gird yourselves with humility of mind toward one another, because God opposes the haughty ones, but he gives undeserved kindness to the humble ones. Humble yourself, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.”—Prov. 18:12; 1 Pet. 5:5, 6.

18. How do many worldlings view humility?

¹⁸ What is this humility that precedes glory and exaltation? In this modern world humility is little understood, as well as being scarcely exemplified. Many worldlings hold humility in low regard. They confuse it with cowardice and weakness: it is a virtue for the weak and cowardly, they say. Humility is also viewed as a cloak for concealing lack of energy or lack of ability.

19. How did some of the ancient pagans view pride, and how were some of the Colossian Christians apparently deceived by a mock humility?

¹⁹ Today’s misunderstanding and unpopularity of humility is nothing new. In Paul’s day true humility was not understood or practiced by the worldlings. What was glorified was either pride or a mock humility. Among the virtues catalogued by Aristotle, pride and high-mindedness is called “the crown of the virtues.” Others taught that material things are inherently evil. It appears that some of the Colossian Christians had been deceived by a form of mock humility, a burdensome asceticism. This had a double danger: it led one to believe that the prize of life was awarded to those who merely adopted the negative practice of renouncing material things. Secondly, it spawned a subtle form of materialism, since ascetic prohibitions focus one’s interest and attention on material things. Hence, asceticism defeated its purpose: it caused one to concentrate primarily on that which one professed to despise, on things “that are all destined to destruction by being used up.” To warn the Colossians that such a form of humility could stumble them, causing them to be deprived of the prize of life, Paul wrote: “Let no man deprive you of the prize who takes delight in a mock humility . . . a severe treatment of the body.” No, true humility is not asceticism.—Col. 2:18-23.

20. What is humility, and what results from a false view of it?

²⁰ The word “humility” comes remotely from the Latin word humus, meaning “earth.” Humility, literally, is lowliness of mind; it is being down to earth. It is this quality that Christians must wear as a garment: “As God’s chosen ones, holy and loved, clothe yourselves with the tender affections of compassion, kindness, lowliness of mind,” or, as the footnote shows, “humility.” Humility, then, is the opposite of high-mindedness. Yet “lowliness of mind” has nothing to do with servility, groveling, cowardice or lack of energy. The false idea that humility is weakness deprives one of the rich blessings of true humility. Let us see how true humility is cultivated.—Col. 3:12.

THE FOUNDATION OF HUMILITY

21. With what does humility begin, and what is its foundation?

²¹ Humility begins with the knowledge, the love and the fear of God. Humility is born of the realization of how small we are and how great God is. Humility takes root when the creature man realizes that he is merely the flickering glow of a candle but that God, “the everlasting King,” is brighter in glory than the blaze of sun at noonday. (Jer. 10:10, AT) Yes, this is the foundation of humility: the realization of God’s infinite majesty and of our own littleness. Such a realization comes from knowledge, the kind of knowledge Jehovah imparted to Job, as recorded in the book of Job, Job 38-41 chapters thirty-eight through forty-one; that knowledge aided Job to humble himself “under the mighty hand of God.” We need this kind of knowledge. It enables us to place ourselves in the right relationship with God and to obey the words at James 4:10: “Humble yourselves in the eyes of Jehovah, and he will exalt you.”

22. Humility of mind toward one another rests upon what foundation, and how will such humility aid the Christian runner?

²² By humbling ourselves in the eyes of Jehovah we also lay a foundation for humbleness of mind toward our fellow man, for true humility toward man rests ultimately upon true humility before God. With true humility one gains the ability to see himself as he really is; likewise he is able to see others as they are. Being free from any need to belittle their qualities and successes, he can heartily appreciate what they are and do. By reason of humility, then, one thinks of himself no more highly than he ought to think. Though “knowledge puffs up,” true humility will keep even persons with superior education from puffing up and stumbling by reason of their own pride. The Christian with true humility is able to run the race according to the rules, “doing nothing out of contentiousness or out of egotism, but with lowliness of mind considering that the others are superior to you.”—1 Cor. 8:1; Phil. 2:3.

WORLD’S VIEW OF HUMILITY FALSE

23, 24. How does Christ expose the falsity of the world’s view of humility, and so what should be our view of it?

²³ How distorted the world’s view of humility, that it is weakness or a cloak to conceal weakness! Actually pride is weakness; humility is strength. Christ Jesus was the humblest man that ever walked the earth. Yet he was the strongest of the strong, the most courageous of the courageous, the wisest of the wise, the only man who knew no weakness or sin in himself. What great works he did, yet he disclaimed all personal credit! (John 5:19) Was there ever a leader so great as he and yet one who could wash the feet of his disciples and say: “I set the pattern for you, that, just as I did to you, you should do also”? What authority he had: “All things have been delivered to me by my Father”! And yet how humble he was: “I am mild-tempered and lowly in heart”!—John 13:15; Matt. 11:27, 29.

²⁴ Far from being a cloak for lack of intelligence or energy, humility is true strength and health. It is the steppingstone to glory. “Everyone that exalts himself will be humiliated, but he that humbles himself will be exalted.” “The very haughtiness of earthling man will humble him, but he that is humble in spirit will take hold of glory.”—Luke 18:14; Prov. 29:23.

25. What was Christ’s mental attitude and the result of it, and so what should we do?

²⁵ All that the Bible says about humility is illustrated and confirmed in that one great example, Christ Jesus. We must pattern our mind and life after him. So vital is this that the apostle commands: “Keep this mental attitude in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” What attitude? “He humbled himself and became obedient as far as death, yes, death on a torture stake. For this very reason also God exalted him to a superior position.” Yes, “for this very reason,” because Christ humbled himself and showed it by being submissive and obedient to God, he has been exalted to the highest place that can be occupied by any creature in the universe. How true it is that “before glory there is humility”!—Phil. 2:5, 8, 9; Prov. 15:33.

26. How does God regard the humble in spirit, and with what loss to the proud?

²⁶ Yes, humility is strength. It is the kind of strength we need for running the race set before us. God gives strength only to the humble: “Yet to this man will I have regard—the one who is humble and contrite in spirit, and who trembles at my word.” “For thus says the high and exalted One, who dwells enthroned for ever, and whose name is Holy: ‘I dwell enthroned on high, as the Holy One, but with him also that is contrite and humble in spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble.’” How foolish for the runner to deny himself God’s reviving strength because of pride! How can the proud receive strength from God? Even if they pray their prayers are hindered, as Jesus showed in the case of the Pharisee whose prayer reflected the pride that originates in self-righteousness.—Isa. 66:2; 57:15, AT; Luke 18:10-14.

27. What will humility enable us to do, and what should those reaching out for an office of overseer remember?

²⁷ Running the race according to the rules is no burden when one has true humility. The truly humble are teachable; they benefit from reproof. They realize that they are not competing in the race and that all must run unitedly for God’s loving reward; so they help one another, encourage one another. Humility enables one to “preach the word” to all men, under all circumstances. It enables one to train for the Kingdom ministry, to benefit from the counsel in the ministry school, to learn how to tell the good news from house to house. Humility enables those in positions of responsibility to be like Jesus—humble and always approachable. If any man is reaching out for an office of overseer, let him remember that pride is a barrier to usefulness and greater service privileges in God’s organization, because God detests the proud and opposes them. Let him remember that “before glory there is humility.” Let him remember Jesus’ words: “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your minister, and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave.”—Matt. 20:26, 27.

28. How does the Christian runner clothe himself for the race, and with what result?

²⁸ So off with pride, the weight that causes stumbling. On with the garment tailor-made for the race. “Gird yourselves with humility of mind toward one another.” “Clothe yourselves,” commands Paul, with “lowliness of mind.” This is the garment for running without stumbling; for “the result of humility [and] the fear of Jehovah is riches and glory and life.”—Prov. 22:4.

Two Faces

Pope Pius XII recently bemoaned the fact that many Catholics in Rome are in a state of “spiritual inertness.” The pope said he is made “anxious and almost sleepless” by the fact that Rome has two faces. One is “luminous with ancient glories,” he said, while the other is “mediocre and inglorious and almost like that of other places sadly known for religious apathy and moral insensibility.”—New York Times, February 19, 1958.

Hard Words for the World

Henry David Thoreau’s book A Week on the Concord and Merrimac Rivers was published in 1849, but it contains a passage up to date for this materialistic world: “It is remarkable that, notwithstanding the universal favor with which the New Testament is outwardly received . . . there is no hospitality shown to it, there is no appreciation of the order of truth with which it deals. I know of no book that has so few readers. There is none so truly strange, and heretical, and unpopular. . . . There are, indeed, severe things in it. . . . ‘Seek first the kingdom of heaven.’ ‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth.’ ‘If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven.’ ‘For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?’ . . . Think of repeating these things to a New England audience! . . . Let but one of these sentences be rightly read, from any pulpit in the land, and there would not be left one stone of that meeting-house upon another.”