| Thoughts On Humility (3 of 7) |
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Sorry it has taken quite some time to return to this train of thought, but I squeezed in all of the planning that goes into an Easter Egg Outreach to the community, Easter services, and a short vacation with my family to the mountains. (Once you indicate that you are doing a multi part blog and establish expectation...you are committed to finishing it!)
We are in 1 Peter 5 and looking at 7 Actions, the first three of which deal directly with the heart of humility. We have seen in v5 to be submissive (an action) and to clothe ourselves in humility (an action).
The third action that deals with humility is in v6 where it instructs us to "...humble ourselves under God's mighty hand..." All too often people who are beginning their walk with the Lord or who might have gotten some incorrect instruction view God (and His mighty hand) as something to be feared and avoided. "I better not get God mad at me..." Their response is to a fear that God is out to get them, waiting for them to mess up so He can bring a holy smackdown. (You can see a whole message series that we did at CANVAS Church called "Strong & Loving" with MP3s and sermon notes in downloadable format at www.canvaschurch .net in the Media Archives menu. You can also subscribe to CANVAS church podcasts on iTunes.)
Read portion "B" of v5 again..."God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble..." God is looking for people who will posture themselves before Him in humility, realizing their absolute need for Him in every area of their lives. These people release the reins of their lives to Him and have chosen to make Him Lord. Even though a mess up or a time of weakness happens, and they will, He extends grace.
So, if He extends grace as a response to our humility, His mighty hand is no longer viewed as something to be feared but is viewed as a source of strength for us when we need to be lifted up.
Next time, we'll get into v7 where we'll talk about "casting those anxieties on Him..."
Life is good. |
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