1 Peter 5:5-7

1 Peter 5:5-7

In the same way, new ones, be subject to the elders.  Everyone clothe yourself in humility for one another, because God opposes the proud but He gives grace to the humble.  Therefore make yourselves humble under the mighty hand of God in order that He should exalt you all in season, while casting all of your anxieties upon Him, because He cares about them for you all.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Peter talks about “new ones.”  It is hard to know exactly to whom he is referring.  Is he referring to young people?  Given the context, I don’t think so.  He has just gotten done with a section about people who are mature in their faith and their walk with God.  Now Peter turns to the “new ones.”  I believe that Peter is talking about the new ones to the faith.  Peter is telling the people who are just beginning their relationship with God to be subject to the elders.  In other words, learn from the elders.  Follow their example.  Understand what God desires from His followers by looking at those who do follow Him already.

Are you a “new one?” If so, how do submit?  Are you an elder?  How do you receive submission?

Second Thought:

Peter tells us to be humble.  Here we get an opportunity to read one of the more famous quotes in the Bible.  God opposes the proud but He gives grace to the humble.  Do we want to set ourselves in direct opposition to God?  Do we want Him to oppose us?  Of course not!  Yet it is no easy task to be content in being humble, either.  We want the glory.  We want to be noticed.  We want to be someone.  But Peter tells us that it is better to humble in God’s eye, because He can exalt us to a glory that we cannot truly fathom or know.

Are you a humble person?  How do you live out humility?  Where in your life do you struggle with humility?

Third Thought:

Peter ends with a nice thought.  Cast all of your anxiety upon God, because He cares about our anxiety for us.  That’s a really neat thought if we let ourselves have it.  God cares about our anxiety for us!  He cares what we are worried about because He cares about us.  But the real trick is convincing ourselves to believe this.  It is a very difficult thing to let go of our anxiety.  I know that it is in God’s hand and that is where it should be.  There is nobody better equipped to handle the things about which I worry than God.  But it is difficult to release control of that worry and let it go.

Do you give up your worry easily?  What do you worry about the most?  What things are you readily able to give up any worry you might have?  What can you learn about yourself in this situation?

Passage for Tomorrow: 1 Peter 5:8-11