1 Peter 5: 5 In the same way you
younger people must submit yourselves to your elders. And all of you must put
on the apron of humility, to serve one another; for the scripture says, “God
resists the proud, but shows favor to the humble.” 6 Humble yourselves, then,
under God's mighty hand, so that he will lift you up in his own good time. 7 Leave all your worries with
him, because he cares for you.
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“You are pretty
good at this” were the words I loved to hear. I became more confident and took
on more and more challenges. Soon I was “very good” in my own mind and wanted
to make some demands or even leave for something better. After applying outside
and not getting the position I had to tone down my demands.
- I had become demanding.
- I had become a bit arrogant.
- I had forgotten that I knew nothing when I first started out.
Peter turns to new
believers to provide advice to them. They may have desired a higher position
within serving, so he suggests taking a humble approach. He implied having
patience by saying “HE will lift you up in HIS own good time.”
My Observations:
- GOD resists my pride, but shows me favor when I humble myself.
- GOD changes my heart when I practice serving others.
- GOD raises me up in HIS time, not mine.
Demanding that GOD “make
me a leader right here and now” could come from a wrong heart. I mean, I may
want to be a leader so “I” can take on the challenges I see fit. When I run
into issues, I can simply call on GOD to beat up my enemies and fix all my
problems. Unfortunately, HE doesn’t seem to work that way.
HE sees my heart
and if it is full of pride, resists my efforts. But when I humble myself and
ask HIM, “Is this wat YOU want?”, HE gets excited. HE then tells me to “leave
all my worries with HIM” because HE cares for me. I am glad GOD takes care of
me and raises me up in HIS time.
Challenge
- Why does the writer emphasize serving one another?
- Have you ever thought you would do a better job than your leaders?
- Will you examine yourself to see if there are any opportunities to wear the “apron of humility” by following those put in leadership, whether you agree with HIS leadership appointment or not?
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