1 Peter 5:5, 6 - Humility vs. Pride.
1 Peter 5:5, 6: Humility vs. Pride.
1 Peter 5:5, 6 (NKJV) Likewise you younger people, submit
yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another,
and be clothed with humility, for "God resists the proud, But gives
grace to the humble." 6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty
hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,
1 Peter 5:5, 6 (VOICE) You who are younger in the faith: do as
your elders and leaders ask. All of you should treat each other with
humility, for as it says in Proverbs (Pro. 3:34), God opposes the proud
but offers grace to the humble. 6 So bow down under Gods strong
hand; then when the time comes, God will lift you up.
1 Peter 5:5, 6 (AMP) Likewise, you who are younger and of lesser
rank, be subject to the elders (the ministers and spiritual guides of
the church)"[giving them due respect and yielding to their
counsel]. Clothe (apron) yourselves, all of you, with humility [as the
garb of a servant, so that its covering cannot possibly be stripped
from you, with freedom from pride and arrogance] toward one another.
For God sets Himself against the proud (the insolent, the
overbearing, the disdainful, the presumptuous, the boastful)"[and He
opposes, frustrates, and defeats them], but gives grace (favor, blessing)
to the humble. 6 Therefore humble yourselves [demote, lower
yourselves in your own estimation] under the mighty hand of God, that in
due time He may exalt you,
COMMENTARY PEARL
C. S. Lewis asserts that the ultimate sin is Pride. "It is a
terrible thing that the worst of all the vices can smuggle itself into
the very center of our religious life." Lewis says that other vices,
such as anger, greed, and drunkenness, are "mere fleabites in
comparison" and come from our physical nature, but Pride, he observes,
"comes direct from hell."
Direct from hell? Isn't that a bit extreme?
"It was through Pride that the devil became the devil," Lewis
contends. "Pride leads to every other vice; it is the complete anti-God
state of mind." [The One Year Book of Encouragement by Harold Myra re
Zep. 2:3]
WORD STUDY
HUMILITY
The Holman Bible Dictionary defines humility as a personal
quality in which an individual shows dependence on God and respect for
other persons. Augustine says, "It was pride that changed angels into
devils; it is humility that makes men as angels." Again, he says,
"Should you ask me, What is the first thing in religion? I should reply,
The first, second, and third thing therein - nay all- is humility."
Ben Franklin said, "After crosses and losses men grow humbler and
wiser." Jonathan Edwards "Nothing sets a person so much out of the
devil's reach as humility." "The fullest and best ears of corn hang
lowest toward the ground." (Edward Reynolds) "I believe the first test
of a truly great man is his humility." (Ruskin) "Humility is the
Christian's greatest honor; and the higher men climb, the further they are
from heaven." (Jane Porter) "True humility makes way for Christ, and
throws the soul at His feet." (J. Mason) Yokefellow Bible Study mod
Humility is a fruit of the Spirit, the result of his ministry in
our hearts. But this ministry does not occur without deliberate,
conscious effort on our part. The Spirit does not make us humble; he
enables us to humble ourselves in these difficult situations.... A very
common occasion for showing humility is through serving one another. In
this area Jesus is our greatest teacher and pacesetter.... Jesus'
whole life was one of serving others. He said he did not come to be
served but to serve; he went around doing good for others.... Jesus
also taught us the importance of serving one another.... He promised
blessing to those who followed his example in serving others....
Dependence upon the grace of God results in God being glorified; it also
makes it possible for those who are not natural servants to practice
humility. His grace is sufficient for all of our needs. We can, by his
ennoblement, learn to serve one another. (From The Practice of Godliness by
Jerry Bridges) [Inspirational SB re Mat 19]
PRIDE
The Proud: or, the Haughty, the Arrogant. [SDA Bible
Commentary]
Pride: see Commentary Pearl above.
Pride does not know its own need. It so admires itself that it
recognizes no need to be supplied. It cherishes its own independence. It
will be beholden to no man and not even to God. It does not
recognize its own sin. It is occupied with thinking of its own goodness
and never realizes that it has any sin from which it needs to be
saved. A pride like that cannot receive help, because it does not know
that it needs help, and, therefore, it cannot ask. [Barclay
Commentary re Jam.4:6]
COMMENTARY
"You're so old-fashioned you just don't understand!" "Well,
let me tell you what it was like when I was your age." On which side
of the generation gap do you stand?
A key word in the last chapter of Peter's first epistle is
humble. Yet it is not a word that often describes relationships between
young people and their elders. Whether you are old or young, take an
attitude check as you read.
Haughty leaders beware, for Peter has strong words in this
passage for those who abuse their positions and responsibilities.
Suffering again sets the tone, but so does the certainty of God's grace
and power to carry his people through.
The variety of ages among Christians in the early church
posed a challenge. The older believers had wisdom to share; the
younger ones did not always want to listen to them and follow their
lead. Peter told his readers that they could solve their problem by
letting the older ones humbly lead the way (1 Peter 5:3). It would take
humility from both sides - the young would have to submit to the old, and
the old would have to respect the young (5:5).
The lines of communication between older and younger
generations have always had a bit of static. Humility toward each other
clears up the signal. Pride breaks communication between generations,
while humility opens the lines.
Look to those who are older than you for leadership and
guidance. Ask them for advice. Consider their input, and when appropriate,
let them lead. At the same time, never look down on the young just
because they may lack the wisdom that you once lacked yourself. [The One
Year Through the Bible Devotional by Dave Veerman re 1Pe. 5:1-14]
The Lord keeps His distance from the proud. We can relate; no
one likes to be around those who are full of themselves. Arrogance
has a way of alienating people. It alienates God, too.
In human relationships, we are repulsed by extreme cases of
arrogance and annoyed by mild ones. We tolerate degrees of it in people
with other redeeming qualities but are impatient toward those in whom
it is conspicuous. We let it slide with those who can benefit us
but quickly reject those who can do us no favors. And while we spot
pride easily in others, we hardly notice it in ourselves. We have
sliding scales of judgment based on our personal preferences and
experiences. In other words, our perception of pride is skewed.
God's isn't. He detects pride immediately and precisely
wherever it exists, and it always pushes Him away. It doesn't cause His
love to fail - nothing can do that - but it certainly takes the
pleasure out of the relationship. He can't honor those who elevate
themselves; if He showered His favor on them, they would receive it as
affirmation of their inflated self-esteem. He's too good for that. That's
why He lets the proud fall and keeps His distance.
If you crave God's Presence, ruthlessly eliminate pride. We'd
prefer that God give us the right attitude, but Scripture tells us to
humble ourselves (James 4:10; 1 Peter 5:6).When He can trust you to
remain humble - truly unassuming, not falsely modest - He is freed to
enjoy and bless the relationship without fueling annoying attitudes.
Good things come to those who aren't ruined by them.
Lord, I know where I stand before You. I'm not worthy of Your
favor, but You give it anyway. I accept it as a gift - a free gift
based entirely on Your goodness and not my merit. I know You don't
have to bless me, but I'm so glad You do. And I'll remain forever
grateful. [The One Year Experiencing Gods Presence Devotional by Chris
Tiegreen re Psa. 138:6]
C. S. Lewis asserts that the ultimate sin is Pride. "It is a
terrible thing that the worst of all the vices can smuggle itself into
the very center of our religious life." Lewis says that other vices,
such as anger, greed, and drunkenness, are "mere fleabites in
comparison" and come from our physical nature, but Pride, he observes,
"comes direct from hell."
Direct from hell? Isn't that a bit extreme?
"It was through Pride that the devil became the devil," Lewis
contends. "Pride leads to every other vice; it is the complete anti-God
state of mind."
Lewis is not, of course, speaking of self-worth or of
enjoying a compliment. He's referring to the pride that rises within us
to be better than others, to have more than others, and to be
"captains of our own fate." Who needs God when we can rise on our own?
In contrast to devilish pride, there's godly humility. Lewis
emphasizes that God "wants to give you Himself" He predicts that those in
touch with God "will, in fact, be humble - delightedly humble."
The pride that Satan tries to smuggle into us provides not
delight but a rebel spirit. Some are puzzled about Jesus' scathing
renunciations of religious leaders. He called them snakes and hypocrites and
used language against them that would fit a brutal political
campaign. These same leaders determined that Jesus should be crucified.
A thoughtful Christian once observed, "If I had lived in
Jesus' day, I'd have been a Pharisee. I believe in the Scriptures as
the Pharisees did." It sobered him to think he might be a modern
counterpart to those who sent Jesus to the Cross.
It should sober us all! We who claim the Christian faith are
determined to get our doctrines right, and we are often critical of those
who cross our categories.
It was the Pharisees' pride that angered Jesus - and their
lack of love. Jesus said the greatest commandments are to love God
and love others. When we genuinely love God, we become "delightedly
humble."
Lord, I'm a sinner saved by your grace. Keep me from being
proud when I resist vices that have tripped up others. Let your
magnificence and holiness fill my mind with awe and praise. [The One Year
Book of Encouragement by Harold Myra re Zep. 2:3]
Pride is a big problem that can derail us. But knowing why we
act out of pride can sometimes help us reject that unhealthy
thinking. These are some of the reasons:
1. Pride often masks insecurity. We feel that no matter how
much we achieve, it will never be enough.
2. Pride may be the result of a lack of positive attention
and affirmation in our lives. We think we have a right to this
recognition even if we have to boast about ourselves.
3. Pride comes when we believe our achievements are our own
doing.
The following acrostic is a check to help us rid ourselves of
PRIDE:
P stands for prayer. Pray that God will show you where
pride is present in your life.
R stands for reading your Bible. A word study on the word
pride is a good place to begin.
I stands for involvement with others. Because it's hard to
see things in ourselves, we need to ask others what they see.
D stands for developing a plan for getting rid of the
pride in your life. This plan should include God and your
accountability partners.
E stands for Ephesians 3:20-21, which says, "To him who is
able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to
his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church
and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever!
Amen."
Dear Father, I want my life to be free of pride, which can
trip me up and keep me from being all I can be. Thank you for helping
me as I fight this enemy of my soul. In Jesus' name, Amen.
[Celebrate Recovery Daily Devotional by John & Johnny Baker re Proverbs
16:18]
ILLUSTRATION
When my kids were little, it seemed like any problem could be
quickly solved with fish crackers and a juice carton. But the reality of
grown-up life is that we are powerless over many of the circumstances in
our lives. When I try to grab one of those problems by the horns and
fix it myself, it usually ends up in a tangled mess.
It's humbling to realize we have no power. The big man inside
us wants to be able to take care of business. But no matter how bad
things are, we can always make things worse by flexing our muscles and
beating our chests.
Fortunately, there is a way to deal with the problems in our
lives, though it seems opposed to what we've always been taught. The
Bible tells us that the people who humble themselves will gain honor
and find a solution to their problems. God has a unique and special
purpose for each of us. But we must remove our pride and let him lead
the way. Only then can we be infused with his wisdom and counsel.
Only then can we see the big picture. Only then can we find permanent
solutions rather than temporary fixes.
Father, I surrender my heart and life to you once again.
Thank you for teaching me that I have no power over my life, but I am
powerful when I live in fill surrender to you. In Jesus' name, Amen.
[Celebrate Recovery Daily Devotional by John & Johnny Baker re Proverbs
29:23]
CLOSING THOUGHT
One of the dangers in the Christian life is to take credit
for what God does. This was the Assyrians problem. They were a
weak nation until God chose to bless them in order to use them as an
instrument to punish the Israelites. However, the more God blessed them,
the more confident they became in their own strength. When the
farmers had good crops, they credited their farming skills rather than
God. When their army won a victory, their generals took the credit.
When the nation experienced prosperity, the Assyrians attributed it
to their military and political might. Finally, God pointed out the
absurdity of their conclusions (Is 10:5"19).
It is sometimes easier to handle poverty or weakness than
wealth or strength. Poverty causes us to recognize our need for God.
Prosperity persuades us that we no longer require Him. Scripture holds
several examples of those who assumed they were self-sufficient, only to
realize their dire poverty apart from God. Samson was the strongest
person alive, but he forgot that his strength came from God. Once God
removed his strength, Samson was reduced to a pitiful slave. Saul was
the first king of Israel, yet when God removed His Spirit from this
proud monarch, he became a paranoid, petty man, seeking counsel from
the occult.
Be careful how you handle the success God gives you! As you
enjoy His blessings in your family, your business, or your ministry,
keep in mind that you are an instrument in the hands of the Master.
[Experiencing God Day by Day by Henry and Richard Blackaby re Isa. 10:15]
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE:
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2016/20160915-1637.html
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2016/20160113-1026.html
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2005/20050113-1040.html
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
Seeking God Made Real: http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES AND SEMINARS
Restoring The Power by John Bradshaw:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRogO1SxoZN15Boa7BMon4BouVMdteVaq
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies: http://www.bibleresearch.info/
ABible.com: http://www.aBible.com
