Be Humble and Kind
- Jerry Hanline
- Aug 14, 2024
- 2 min read
"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you," I Peter 5:6 (ESV)
Peter continues in this chapter, exhorting the young men to be subject to the “elders,” and then he states, “And all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another.” Humility is something that does not come easy to many of us. Being humble, like Jesus was humble, is something that we must learn over time. The word that is translated as “humility” literally means “lowly mindedness.” According to Pastor John MacArthur, it is “an attitude that one is not too good to serve.”
Many commentators state that we can only have “humility” if we compare ourselves to Jesus and not to other believers. That’s why Peter then states in verse 6, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you at the proper time.” You see, it is when we understand that our opinions, our positions, and our desires are nothing compared to the “mighty hand of God” that we can put “me” in check. This world does not exist, so I can get what I want. God has not saved us for “good works” to benefit ourselves but for good works so that others may see God’s blessings.
It really is not about “me,” is it? It never was. That is what we have repented to (changed our minds about), was it not? That our way of thinking of how important we were, was wrong, and thinking about Jesus and what he did was right. Honestly, not much has changed, we were wrong to think about “me” and my efforts to start with, and we are wrong to think it is all about “me” now. In reality. it has always been about what Jesus has done and what Jesus is and will be doing.
Once we get that straight in our minds, then we can start clothing ourselves with humility, humble ourselves under the mighty hand of our loving God, and let God lift us up (exalt us) in His time. He always does! But it is in His time and in His way so that He can receive all the honor and glory for all He has done and for His marvelous grace.
Let us remember to hold fast to our faith in times of trouble. We have been called to show others the truth of our Savior, and we need to be humble and have a mind of service for others.
"Living in Grace is not about what I can do, but about what Jesus has already done!"
But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.