The battle against pride rages within all of us. We must constantly be on guard, watching for the areas in our lives where Satan tempts us to think more of ourselves than we should. The apostle Peter informs us in his first letter that “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble (1 Peter 5:5, ESV).” We battle pride in our lives with the weapon of humility; however, have you ever thought of the pay off that comes from humility?
In the very next verse Peter says, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you (v. 6, ESV).” This verse breaks into 2 parts. First, Peter commands his readers to submit themselves under the authority of God. We can fight pride most effectively when we humbly realize our place in creation. Understanding that a totally sovereign, absolutely powerful, yet graciously loving God has complete authority over our lives tends to eradicate any sense of pride that we might have.
Then, in the latter half of the verse, we see the pay off of humility. Peter writes, “So that at the proper time he may exalt you (v. 6b, ESV).” We receive the pay off of humility when Christ exalts us. Peter, however, gives us two cautions to consider. First, our exaltation by God will occur in God’s timing. It will not happen a second before or a second after God’s appointed time. Waiting on God can be one of the most difficult things we ever have to do, but it always pays off in the end. Second, Peter says only that our exaltation by God “may” happen. Our humbly submitting ourselves under the mighty hand of God does not obligate God to do anything. Only we know, if we humbly submit ourselves to God, eventually God will exalt us with Christ. If it does not happen in this life, then it will occur in the life to come. Humbly submitting our lives to God will always pay off.
