There is no branch of the Lord's work where pride pays at all! In fact, the biggest failures in the Word of God were the big-shot boys who thought THEY could do it in their natural wisdom, and they went out and fell flat on their faces. Samuel told Saul, "When thou wast little in thine own sight, God did highly exalt thee!" (1Sam.15:17)--But when Saul became proud, depending on himself and leaning on his own wisdom and his own arm of flesh instead of the Lord, the Lord had to abase him! "Pride cometh before a fall" (Pro.16:18), and success often precedes failure, and sometimes exaltation comes before humiliation! "Let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall!" (1Cor.10:12)
So help us, Jesus, to keep our eyes on You so that we don't stumble or fall. Help us not to have pride in any way, Lord. Deliver us from that horrible, horrible spirit of pride. If we only knew how nothing we are! He that thinketh he is something, is nothing at all. (Gal.6:3)
A bigshot who has too big a shot of his own ego can't do as well as some little shot who has a good shot of the Holy Spirit!--O Lord, keep us close to you, Jesus, in the place of humble serenity and surrender in Thy arms.