1 Peter 5:1-5 (NIV) -To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ’s sufferings who also will share in the glory to be revealed: 2 Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them-not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; 3 not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.
5 In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because,
“God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”
1 Peter fleshes out a couple of the roles, the gifts we saw in Ephesians 4. In this passage, he focuses on the main leaders of the church (”elders”) and those who follow (”you who are younger”). (So we are all covered.)
Read again the one that applies to you at this time in your life. Does it sound difficult, perhaps even impossible? If so, I know how you feel.
But praise God for the Chief Shepherd, who went ahead of us and calls us to follow Him in these ways. He will appear, and He is at work in His church until we see Him face to face. And thank God for the promise of verse 5b - that we can clothe ourselves with humility (the humility of Christ), and that God will then help us, show us favor, in these things He has called us to do and in the way He has called us to be.
Let’s pray for ourselves and for one another, that we will follow the Chief Shepherd well until the end. Let’s ask for humility and favor, grace and help, in our great need for Him.
- BR
