Pride is not a pretty sight in God's eyes: The Bible speaks about that repeatedly. In order to get the point across Jesus explained that it's better if one doesn't come too far forward because someone may direct that person back to a less prominent place. Hasn't that sort of thing happened to most of us at some point? and it may not have been done with a sense of pride but just the idea of "This is a very good place to be," and this is the kind of experience which should teach us well. As Jesus pointed out, don't place yourself forward, but wait for someone to invite you forward.
Most of us meet or know people along the way who really don't follow that sort of philosophy. In fact they may be quite bold in their approach, and just based on that fact, they often get what they want. That's the kind of world we live in. The most brash, the most motivated to gain their place are going to more than likely be rewarded. The thing to realize is they may not always have that elevated position if they don't get their thinking turned around at some point in life. This world is not forever; our time here is short. This life being, in my opinion, a learning ground, with the expectation being that we gain knowledge of God's truths. Every step should take us further in that direction - more understanding, more faith - these have to come from God, but we have to be willing to take God's direction, which may not often place us at the top of the line according to the world's standards. But no matter where we serve, if it's for the Lord, we are within God's Kingdom. So, it's a very different situation for us than what the world has, because we all inherit, greatly, regardless of our standing.
We just need to realize that God loves each of us, but He will resist pride - He will want a changed attitude if we harbor ideas that we probably deserve something much better than what the other guy has. God wants us to show gratitude and a willingness to offer others the step forward, even if it means we take a step back. I believe with all my heart that God looks with favor on those who understand that. I kind of imagine his response to be: "Well done, come forward dear child."
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