Readings for today: Daniel 2:24-3:30, 1 Peter 4:7-5:14, Psalms 119:81-96, Proverbs 28:15-16
There isn’t much in this world a little humility wouldn’t solve. Part of the problem in our current “call-out” and “cancel” culture is our arrogance. We impugn motives. We make false assumptions. We refuse to acknowledge our own blind spots. We believe we are right and others wrong. We believe we are good and others evil. We believe in the righteousness of our own cause which necessarily requires us to believe those who oppose us are unrighteous. This scorched earth approach to politics, religion, economics, race, class, even casual conversation makes it impossible to build the bridges necessary for human life to flourish in all its diversity.
Contrast this approach to what the Spirit says through the Apostle Peter in our reading for today. “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another…Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 4:8-10, 5:5-7) Can you imagine how much different our world would be if we embraced this way of life? Imagine how different social media would be? Imagine how different cable news would be? Imagine how different our political rhetoric would be? Imagine how different our family conversations around the dinner table would be?
Clothe yourself with humility. What does this actually mean? Humility is not thinking more of oneself than one ought or less of oneself than one ought. It’s simply thinking of oneself less altogether. The more we decrease, the more others around us can increase. The more we seek to serve others in Christ’s name, the more we bring blessing to those around us and the more glory we bring to Christ. The more we live as Jesus lived and love as Jesus loved, the more the world around us changes for the good. Humility is essential to this equation because we’ve been indoctrinated for far too long with the lie that we have to look out for number one. We have to take care of ourselves first. We must make sure our own needs get met before we seek the good of others. What a crock!
Humility is the key to unlocking the peace of God in our lives. It is only after we humble ourselves under God’s mighty hand. Seeking in humility to obey His commands. Letting Him guide the course of our lives. Submitting to His will and His way that we are invited to cast all of our cares and worries and anxieties on Him. He does indeed care for us. More than we can know. More than we’ll ever understand. But if we hold onto our pride, we will never truly give Him our anxieties and fears. Instead we will believe the lie that our struggles are too small for God’s attention. Our fears too foolish for God to waste His time with. We will hold onto them with a white-knuckle grip all because we are too proud to admit we are weak. We are poor. We are powerless.
Friends, the truth of the matter is that we are all broken creatures. We have all been corrupted by sin. It’s hardwired into our DNA at conception. It is confirmed by our thoughts, feelings, and actions ever single day. No amount of affirmation can assuage the existential guilt we all feel when we transgress the will of God. No amount of legal wrangling will grant us freedom from following God’s commands. The more we run, the more anxious and depressed we become. The more we hide, the more fear takes hold. The more we distance ourselves from the One who loves us, the less secure we will feel. Stop running. Stop hiding. Stop holding your Savior at arm’s length. Humble yourselves under His mighty hand and trust Him to lift you up in due time. Truly relinquish all your anxieties and fears to Him and receive the peace that passes all understanding.
Readings for tomorrow: Daniel 4, 2 Peter 1, Psalms 97-112, Proverbs 28:17-18