“In the same way, you who are younger must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, dress yourselves in humility as you relate to one another, for ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor.”
Some of us have authority issues. Maybe it is because we have experienced poor models of authority, or perhaps some of us have been directly harmed by people in authority over us. Humility might not be so bad with friends or when serving your neighbor, but when someone starts telling you what to do? Being a humble follower is a difficult challenge.
Peter quotes Proverbs 3:34 here, and it’s worth reading the entire chapter. God and prideful people are not on the same team. His grace, the very power of the Gospel, is for the people who consider themselves at the bottom. When we studied Luke, we saw over and over again that the people who had issues with Jesus were the ones that wanted to be in charge. The people who were social outcasts with nothing to lose absolutely loved him.
Here’s your freedom for today: God’s view of you is higher than your view of yourself. Pride is a lie, actually rooted in insecurity and self-absorption. It is an anxious and fearful view of ourselves that postures us to be “better” than others. If we were secure in our identities, we would not have any need to compare ourselves to anyone else at all. God is ready to lift you up and honor you at the right time. You lifting yourself up in pride requires you to step on someone else to get there. God raises you up as a part of his body of believers to the highest place: a seat right next to Jesus.
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