November 15, 2010
1 Peter 5
Pastor Luke Lang
I was fresh out of Bible college, and still young enough that I knew everything.
It was a district ministers’ meeting, and I was feeling pretty good about myself - a room full of pastors, youth pastors and grizzled ministry veterans. This was my big chance to show them what a super anointed man of God I was.
I strutted into the room with a smug look on my face, sure that everyone was impressed. Since the meeting was about to start, I went to take a seat but wasn’t aware that the old folding chair was missing some hardware. As I sat, the chair broke and I landed on my rump with my legs waving around in the air. The pastors were very gracious and didn’t laugh at me…too much.
Lesson learned.
Sadly, this is a lesson that I have learned over and over in my life! Anytime that I’ve tried to exalt myself, I end up falling on my face (or behind) and look utterly goofy! Over the years, the single most important lesson I’ve EVER learned is that I am completely, utterly and hopelessly dependent on God.
1 Peter 5:6 says: “Humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor.” (NLT)
Humbling ourselves doesn’t mean that we think we are worthless. It means to simply realize who God REALLY is and who we REALLY are (and aren’t). We must be second! We need to give God all the credit and props. It’s not a power trip on God’s part, but the act of a protective Heavenly Father who loves us more than we can imagine. 1 Peter 5:7 tells us: “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.”
Humble yourself and get out of the way. Let God lift you up in His love.
When asked about a historical figure (not from the Bible) that he would most like to meet, Grace Covenant’s Student Ministries Pastor for “The Tribe” identified Will Rogers, one of his “big childhood heroes and the object of many school reports.”
