¹³ even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an arrogant man. But I received mercy because I acted out of ignorance in unbelief, ¹⁴ and the grace of our Lord overflowed, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. (1 Timothy 1:13-14 CSB)

I can tell you that I have often been an arrogant man. I have striven to put that part of my personality behind me, but I remember where I came from.

Arrogance is a byproduct of pride. When pride is in the mix we tend to arrogance in our confidence and self-reliance. We are our own mountain, our own island.

But no man is an island.

I am still pretty self-reliant and confident, but it comes from a very different place. Once I learned that I am no island I began to really appreciate both God’s grace and mercy and my need for strong relationships. Furthermore, I learned to prioritize and put first things first. This beginning of this was putting God first and giving Him the glory for any good thing that I might do. I began to not only realize but to fully accept that without Him I was nothing.

As our scripture says, ”But I received mercy because I acted out of ignorance in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus”.