1 Peter 5:5, 6 - Humility; Avenue of Grace.
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,
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 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 PEARL
When youre successful, its much
easier to fall hard than it is to maintain your
success. We tend to get proud and forget about God,
and success crumbles when we do that.
If youve found yourself in that
situation, the first step to take is absolutely
critical.
The Bible says, Consider how far you
have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at
first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and
remove your lampstand from its place.
(Revelation 2:5 NIV).
If youre getting proud, you must
repent. That means you change your mind. You go from
thinking one way about your life to thinking another
way.
Why repent? Because humility is a choice.
Were never told in Scripture to pray for God to
make us humble. Its something you choose for
yourself.
The Bible says, So humble yourselves
under the mighty power of God, and at the right
time he will lift you up in honor (1 Peter 5:6
NLT).
Heres the difference between pride and
humility: Pride is when you accept credit for things
that God and other people did through you and for
you. Humility doesnt mean thinking of yourself
less. It means thinking of others and God more.
If you have experienced some success and
are beginning to get prideful, then repent -
today! Change your perspective about who you are
and where your success comes from.
The Bible says, For those who exalt
themselves will be humbled, and those who humble
themselves will be exalted (Matthew 23:12 NIV).
[Daily Devotional by Rick Warren:
https://pastorrick.com/devotional/]
COMMENTARY
How Pride Puffs You Up
In the Bible, yeast is often a metaphor
for pride and arrogance. Why? Because both pride
and yeast make things puff up.
When you put yeast in dough, the yeast
puffs up the dough. It only takes a small amount
for this to happen.
Pride in people is similar. Just a little
pride can puff you up and quickly take over your
life, getting you in all kinds of trouble.
A while back, my wife Kay and I had what
you might call an argument. We call it a love
match. After that argument, I wrote in my journal,
When Im filled with pride, I blow things out
of proportion.
We all do this. When youre filled with
pride, you blow things out of proportion. All of a
sudden, little things get you really upset. When
that happens, you know youre dealing with
pride. Wherever you find conflict anywhere in the
world, pride is always involved.
When youre filled with pride - when
you have the yeast of the Pharisees -
guess what? You cant see life clearly. Pride
even blocks you from seeing what God is doing in
your life.
Beware the yeast of the Pharisees
so that you can more closely follow God. As you
clear the pride from your life, youll start to
see how God is working. You may even realize
hes working a miracle in your life. [Daily
Devotional by Rick Warren:
https://pastorrick.com/devotional/ re Mark 8:13-16]
CLOSING THOUGHT
Father, we all have hopes and
aspirations. We all have dreams. And though there is
nothing wrong with these, how easy it is to be
driven by them. How easy it is to feel that if our
dreams don't come true, we've somehow not been
loved by You. We've been trained to take care of
ourselves - a fine idea that has gone to seed. It's
all about my stuff, my rights, my promotion, my
salary, my place, my name how ugly! How
unchristian. We acknowledge before You that this life is
not about us or our expectations.
Thank You that You never miss a person.
When it's time for promotion, You won't be late.
When it's time for rewards, You won't forget. So,
at this awesome moment, we bow before Your
mighty throne. We acknowledge that You've been good
to us when we've not deserved it. You've cared
for us when we've been careless. You've loved us
when we've been terribly unloving, and You've met
our needs when we didn't even stop to think
about what we ought to be giving to You and Your
work. You faithfully and graciously and constantly
pour out Your good things upon us. Thank You for
Your deliverance. Thank You for Your discipline.
Teach us in these tender days the value
of genuine humility - of a self-forgetful life.
We ask this so that we might become for You
messengers whose message makes sense because our lives
are like Your Son's life - the One who is gentle
and humble of heart.
We pray in His name, for His glory. Amen.
[Chuck Swindoll www.insight.org.]
LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE
1 Peter 5:5, 6 - Seeking Humility and
Ignoring Pride.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2020/20200402-1128.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
Steps to Peace by Billy Graham:
https://stepstopeace.org/
A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo
Seeking God Made Real:
http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
Importance of Choice:
http://creationhealth.com/CREATION-Health/Choice [click on video]
Medical Seminar on Healthful Living by David
DeRose, MD, MPH:
https://www.smartlifestyletv.com/lifestart
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies:
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Hope Awakens Bible Study Guides:
https://www.hopeawakens.study/lesson-header;id=2
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies:
http://www.bibleresearch.info/
LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS
Islam and Christianity in Prophecy, The
Third and Final Conflict by Tim Roosenberg:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHSJB-fuHLU&list=PLWhQIHGTHlkaGg5Cwe3NDzWtFX8vNSpsE
Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of
Adventist World Radio: https://www.awr.org/bible
Revelation Now by Pastor Doug Batchelor:
https://www.revelationnow.com/
Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW:
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
