Peter writes
'...all of you,
clothe yourselves
with humility...for
God is opposed to
the proud, but gives
grace to the humble.
Humble yourselves,
therefore, under the
mighty hand of God,
that He may exalt
you at the proper
time, casting all
your anxiety upon
Him, because He
cares for you '(1
Peter 5:5-7 NAS).
Peter expressed four
very important
thoughts. And he
combined them for a
reason. Let's look
at each:
1) 'All of you,
clothe yourselves
with humility toward
one another...'
Peter's expression
'...clothe
yourselves with
humility...'
referred to a white
scarf or apron
typically worn by
servants. Did you
understand that?
We're called to be
servants, not
celebrities!
'All...' lets us
know we all stand on
an equal footing
before the cross.
2) 'God is opposed
to the proud, but
gives grace to the
humble.' Those who
are self-centered
find themselves at
odds with God, while
the humble enjoy His
blessings.
3) 'Humble
yourselves,
therefore, under the
mighty hand of God,
that He may exalt
you at the proper
time.' The phrase
'...the mighty hand
of God...' is used
in Scripture to
symbolize two
things: God's hand
of discipline, and
His hand of
deliverance. And we
need both. So submit
to His discipline
today and you'll
experience His
deliverance.
4) 'Casting all your
anxiety upon Him,
because He cares for
you.' Peter
addresses the core
issue; worry that if
we don't look out
for ourselves nobody
else will. But if we
really believe that
God '...cares for
us' we needn't worry
about serving our
own interests. We
can focus on the
needs of others,
confident that God
will spare nothing
when it comes to
meeting our needs.