Practice humility

“Clothe yourselves with humility.” 1Pe 5:5 NAS

The Bible says: “Clothe yourselves with humility…for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble…humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you (vv. 5-7 NAS). Let’s break this Scripture down into four parts: (1) “Clothe yourselves with humility.” In this context the word clothe refers to a white scarf or apron that was typically worn by servants. Does that mean you have to conform to everybody’s wishes? No; if you do that everybody else may like you but you won’t like yourself. Just be who God called you to be, and be willing to serve others as the opportunity arises. (2) “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Humility isn’t thinking less of yourself; it’s thinking of yourself less and putting others first. (3) “Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time.” Throughout Scripture “the mighty hand of God” symbolizes two things: God’s hand of discipline and His hand of deliverance, and you need both. So submit to His discipline and you’ll experience His deliverance. (4) “Casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.” Here Peter addresses one of our core human concerns: that if we don’t look out for ourselves nobody else will. But if we really believe God “cares” for us we needn’t worry about serving our own interest. We’re free to focus on the needs of others, confident that God will spare nothing when it comes to meeting our needs.

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