1Therefore I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and who will also share in the glory that will be revealed: 2shepherd the flock of God which is among you, exercising the oversight, not under compulsion, but voluntarily; not for dishonest gain, but willingly; 3not as lording it over those entrusted to you, but making yourselves examples to the flock. 4When the chief Shepherd is revealed, you will receive the crown of glory that doesn’t fade away.
5Likewise, you younger ones, be subject to the elder. Yes, all of you clothe yourselves with humility and subject yourselves to one another; for “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 6Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time, 7casting all your worries on him, because he cares for you.
8Be sober and self-controlled. Be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9Withstand him steadfast in your faith, knowing that your brothers who are in the world are undergoing the same sufferings. 10But may the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a little while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. 11To him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.
12Through Silvanus, our faithful brother, as I consider him, I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God in which you stand. 13She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, greets you. So does Mark, my son. 14Greet one another with a kiss of love.
Peace be to all of you who are in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Tooting Your Own Horn
Man Playing a Trumpet
I once had a business acquaintance who told me, “You have to toot your own horn because no one else is going to do it.” This is the opposite attitude from what Jesus is teaching in this parable. As believers, not only do we not have to toot our own horn, we are instructed NOT to toot our own horn. That is exalting oneself. Jesus tells us to have the heart attitude that He Himself had. That is the heart of humility. Scripture is full of instructions not to elevate ourselves over others. This doesn’t mean that we need to put ourselves down, but rather that we need to refrain from overpraising ourselves. Let God do the lifting. Let God do the praising.
Jesus analogizes it to being invited to a feast. He says when you arrive, don’t sit yourself at the head of the table. Let the benefactor of the feast do the arranging. That’s God’s way. As you go through life today, don’t be anxious to tell others about your many achievements or accomplishments. Just stay busy doing what you're supposed to be doing. Don’t look to others for recognition. Don’t expect others to cheer you on just because you're doing what you’re supposed to be doing. Put your head down and don’t expect to be given the credit.
It is incredible what we can get done when we aren’t concerned about who gets the credit. At the end of all we do, we should desire for God to get the credit and the glory because it is all about Him. It is not about us. If you’ve gotten into the habit of looking to others for praise and recognition, repent of that and ask God to help you become unconcerned about such things. Let Him place you at the table where He wants you to sit. Peter, the disciple, says it so succinctly, “6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your worries on him, because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:6-7 WEB) You stop being worried and anxious about what others think of you. Rely on God to give you the promotion when He sees fit.