Day 389 · Year 2 · Life with God
Clothe yourselves with humility
Peter pictures humility as something you put on.
Today's passage
1 Peter 5:5-7
5Young men, in the same way, submit yourselves to your elders. And all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
6Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, so that in due time He may exalt you.
7Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.
Berean Standard Bible · public domain
Reflection
Peter says humility is something you actively put on, like a piece of clothing. And he names the reason: 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.' If you are stuck spiritually, ask whether pride is in the way. Then comes the gift: 'casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.' Humility and anxiety are linked. The proud carry everything. The humble cast their cares on the One they have admitted they are not.
From the great tradition · paraphrased
Benedict of Nursia · Medieval · 5th–6th c. · Italy
Benedict laid out a long ladder of humility in his Rule — small daily acts of laying down self-importance, until the soul finds the freedom of a heart at rest in God.
Paraphrase only. Scripture, not any teacher, is the authority.
Think it through
- What does Peter say to put on, and what is the reason?
- What does verse 7 invite you to do, and on what basis?
- What pride is keeping you from receiving grace, and what care can you cast on him right now?
A prayer to pray
Confess the pride. Cast the care. Thank God that he opposes the proud only so he can give grace to the humble.