1 Peter 5:6
“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time”.
We addressed being humble the other day. It’s a daily choice. Today is speaking of the reward for humility. He exalts us in His way in His timing.
Humility can be a struggle for we want to self promote. However, if we leave our needs to Him and be humble, He will promote us. That was the focus of the other day: trusting Him to meet our needs.
We have a thirst to be respected. God understands that and will make sure that need is met. Psalm 23 says He will “prepare a table for us in the presence of our enemies”. It’s like a banquet in our honor.
We should be respected. That’s what this verse is saying. As we are living out our faith, He brings a respect. If this is not the case, we may be missing an area of obedience. We may still be putting ourselves first.
2 Corinthians 4:7 says we are vessels for His use. Pastor Chuck Smith used to give the analogy of a pitcher of water. A glass vessel doesn’t add to the water’s taste. However, a plastic one does. To drink of it, one is reminded of the pitcher. So also, if we are filled with ourselves, people think of us. If we humble ourselves and are filled with The Lord, people have a sense of God (2 Cor 2:15).
Part of the problem may be a lack of maturity that we haven’t gained. Sometimes we just need some years to work some things out. A child at a birthday part couldn’t be asked to let the other kids get the piñata candy. However, with age they learn.
Lord, thank You for the respect You provide