Be Humbled
Posted by: forthrightmag <forthrightmag@...>
http://www.forthright.net
Straight to the Cross
COLUMN: Friend to Friend
Be Humbled
by Phil Sanders
You younger men, likewise, be subject to your
elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves
with humility toward one another, for GOD IS
OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE
HUMBLE. Humble yourselves, therefore, under
the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you
at the proper time, casting all your anxiety
upon Him, because He cares for you.
1 Pet. 5:5-7
God is so great, that it behooves all of us to
humble ourselves. Looking deep into our own lives
and inadequacies will likely keep us humble. But
the command is "be humbled," a passive imperative.
Let God rule in our hearts and our lives.
Humbled people are not beat down by guilt. They
are not consumed with making the self little. No,
a humble man is one who doesn't consider himself
at all. He is the one who puts God first in every
thing (Col. 1:15-17).
It would do us all good to hide behind the cross
the way Paul did. Paul was not consumed with
making a reputation or even unnecessarily
defending himself against his many critics. Paul
was an evangelist. His driving force was: "For I
determined to know nothing among you except Jesus
Christ, and Him crucified" (1 Cor. 2:2).
His boast: But may it never be that I should
boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus
Christ, through which the world has been crucified
to me, and I to the world. For neither is
circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a
new creation (Gal. 6:14-15).
The radical, consuming love of the cross will
humble the thoughtful onlooker. How can one look
into His eyes, see His love, recognize His pain,
or see the price He paid for our sins and not be
humbled?
Be humbled under the mighty hand of God. The hand
that created the world, that fashioned man, that
led Israel out of Egypt to take the promised land,
that parted the Red Sea and the Jordan River. The
hand that protects you day in and out. Let him
lead you and control your life.
Do you know about God's hand? Isaiah tells us:
"Can a woman forget her nursing child, And have no
compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may
forget, but I will not forget you. Behold, I have
inscribed you on the palms of My hands" (Isa.
49:15-16).
Be humbled therefore under the mighty and deeply
loving hand of God, and He will exalt you at the
proper time. He will act in His time, not yours.
He will act rightly and lovingly. He will bless
you greatly.
Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the
land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight
yourself in the LORD; And He will give you
the desires of your heart. Commit your way to
the LORD, Trust also in Him, and He will do
it. And He will bring forth your
righteousness as the light, And your judgment
as the noonday (Psalm 37:3-6).
Today, listen and submit.
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