Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you. – 1 Peter 5:6

Scripture reading: 1 Peter 5

We need our pride opposed by God, we need to be humbled by His Word, His Spirit, and the circumstances that He brings into our lives. We need to give up our demand for what we deserve, for what we deserve is judgment and death. Jesus taught His disciples that, “The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” Jesus practiced this without fail in His own life and death and sets it as a pattern for His church.

Think about this carefully: what people in your life will benefit from your humble servanthood? As you come to be more like your humble Savior, who will be affected? Think of everyday conversations and interactions. C.S. Lewis once wrote, “Humility is not thinking less of ourselves but thinking of ourselves less.”

Have you been humbled recently? Feeling weak is the best garden for the flowering of dependence upon God’s sufficient grace. Allow the superior satisfaction in God to overpower your self-preoccupation.

Ultimately the Father is remaking us in His Son’s image. We must be willing to be humiliated as He was. Let us say, with Paul,

“…far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” – Galatians 6:14

Suggestions for prayer

“Holy Spirit, Make me the lowest of the lowly, that my spiritual riches may exceedingly abound. Keep me humble, meek, lowly.” – The Valley of Vision: Pride

This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Mark Stewart serves the Burlington URC in Burlington, WA.