Clothes to Wear Today

What should I wear today? It’s the worst on Sunday. I want to look respectable but not ridiculous, and sometimes there’s a fine line between the two (I like to accessorize to a fault). But that’s just the outside. How to clothe myself on the inside is not such a mystery because the Bible is clear about those clothes, and some of them I’m wearing automatically. I’m clothed with salvation and righteousness, and I’m to accessorize with the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit. (Let’s see, where did I leave that?)

But now, as we near the end of 1 Peter, where the theme is “Be ye holy for I am holy,” I get another piece of clothing to wear. And it’s a piece Jesus wore. Here’s a key to 1 Peter. Nearly all the instructions given in this book are natural expectations with Jesus as the model.

1Pe 5:5-9  Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.  (6)  Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:	I’m to be clothed with humility, and if I do, God will give me grace and exalt me in due time. Today, I need to strip off pride and wanting to be right and respected. Rather, surrender my self-will and let God do what God will do. Look how Jesus modeled this whole concept of humbling himself with the result of being exalted. Php 2:8-9  And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.  (9)  Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: It’s a cause and effect that is as sure as Jesus.
(7)  Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.	If I don’t stand up for myself, won’t I be walked on? The advice is to cast my cares on him. And wouldn’t you know, that’s what Jesus did when he was submitting himself unto death: 1Pe 2:23  Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: He cast himself on God.
(8)  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:  (9)  Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.	The opposite of humility is pride. Pride is a more natural way to conduct myself, but it is not godly. It is satanly. Isn’t Satan the model of pride? He wants me to walk in pride, standing up for myself. That alone should be a good enough reason to do the opposite and walk in humility. Remember that Jesus stood up to Satan’s temptations of pride in Matt. 4. Rather than give in to Satan’s prideful suggestions, Jesus referred back to what the Bible says. That’s how I clothe myself with humility. I defer to what God says, not what I feel or want.

Get Low to Get Up

It’s the humble person God is looking for. The humble is who He exalts. If you generally feel down, you are close to the right position before God. The problem is, most who feel crushed, weak and emotionally helpless turn their focus inward rather than call out to God. If that’s you, remember you are a silver goblet in the making, and the dross that needs to be skimmed off is that tendency to writhe in emotional anguish with no thought of God. He’s right there with you. Call out to Him.

How does a person become humble, by the way. Humble means to lower yourself, to reduce yourself to a plain. You do it through submitting to God and to others. While humility is a standing (or lowering) within yourself, submission is a standing (or lowering) to God and others. Humble and submit are similar, aren’t they? You might be humble in heart, but to submit, there’s someone outside you that you are lowering yourself before. Consider this: Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. (1 Pet. 5:5-6)

You let others be more important than you. You let them go first. You put yourself last. I know, it’s not natural. Submission isn’t a quality you pray for. It’s something you willingly, consciously do. Look at the verbs in the above verses. Submit yourselves… be subject one to another… be clothed with humility… Humble yourselves.

The best example I can think of is Jesus, God made flesh. He came from the most exalted position to live among us. And he didn’t come to be ministered to, but to minister (Mark 10:45). He humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death (Phil. 2:8). He came from as high as you can come to go as low as you can go. And he did it consciously… willingly. Just how was He able to do that? Here’s how:  Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously. (1 Pet. 2:23) He didn’t stand up for Himself. He didn’t say, “Hey, do you know who my Father is?” He said nothing. Instead, He put Himself in God’s hands. And that’s what you do when you submit to God and humble yourself. You commit yourself to God, not just once in your life, but daily. Maybe hourly.

So, here’s the point for today. When you feel crushed, weak, beaten down and emotionally helpless, submit to God.  For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. (Heb. 4:15-16)

To look around is to be distressed. To look within is to be depressed. To look up is to be blessed.

Learn to Meditate on Precepts

Nearly all the verses in Ps. 119 talk about the word of God in one form or another: law, testimonies, precepts, statutes, commandments, judgments. We are taking the intriguing word precepts and examining it further. Precepts are codes of wisdom or principles to guide our lives.

I encourage you to copy and paste the chart in my last post that lists all the verses in Ps. 119 with the word precepts in them. I’m just going to write my thoughts, observations and prayers in the box next to each. You can do the same. Here are my first two:

Psalms 119:4 Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently.	Precepts are good to know, but I must go beyond knowing them and keep or apply them diligently.
Psalms 119:15  I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.	To really get a precept, I must meditate on it. For example, God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.

Meditate on that precept with me. 1Pe 5:5 …”Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.”

The best meditation would be to find other verses that amplify that thought. Remember, precept upon precept in Isa. 28:10. I use my Treasury of Scripture Knowledge in my e-sword Bible program (download it for free www.e-sword.net.)

Jas 4:6  But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

Job 22:29  When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up; and he shall save the humble person.

Isa 57:15  For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

Isa 66:2  For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.

            Wow. I feel like I’m tiptoeing through a forest of the awesomeness of God—and it’s just a single precept. God responds positively to the humble person. Does my meditation stop there? It could, but remember, precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little, there a little.

            Let’s see, who in the Old Testament wasn’t very humble, and God brought them down? There are many. But here are two for further examination:

In Daniel 4, king Nebuchadnezzar thought he was the hottest thing going. And then he had a dream that he didn’t understand. Daniel eventually stood before him to interpret the dream, and it wasn’t good. The king could have corrected his life and avoided the prescribed judgment, but humility wasn’t a trait of his. Read what happened.

Dan 4:30-33  The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?  (31)  While the word was in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee.  (32)  And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.  (33)  The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles' feathers, and his nails like birds' claws.

In Esther 3, king Ahasuerus promoted Haman above all the other princes—to the point that everyone was told to bow down to him, but Esther’s uncle Mordecai wouldn’t comply. What? Not worship Haman? He was furious and devised a plan to kill Mordecai. That involved hanging him on gallows that Haman had built. Haman was too proud, and it came back to bite him. Read what happened.

Est 7:6-10  And Esther said, The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman. Then Haman was afraid before the king and the queen.  (7)  And the king arising from the banquet of wine in his wrath went into the palace garden: and Haman stood up to make request for his life to Esther the queen; for he saw that there was evil determined against him by the king.  (8)  Then the king returned out of the palace garden into the place of the banquet of wine; and Haman was fallen upon the bed whereon Esther was. Then said the king, Will he force the queen also before me in the house? As the word went out of the king's mouth, they covered Haman's face.  (9)  And Harbonah, one of the chamberlains, said before the king, Behold also, the gallows fifty cubits high, which Haman had made for Mordecai, who had spoken good for the king, standeth in the house of Haman. Then the king said, Hang him thereon.  (10)  So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then was the king's wrath pacified.

 The outcome is never good when we are proud. Remember our precept: God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

Back to our first two precept verses from Ps. 119. Aren’t they so much richer?

Psalms 119:4 Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently.

Psalms 119:15  I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.

Jody