Nougat 21

She was humiliated! This was to have been her moment and now to be accused of cheating two days before graduation! She remembered that there was a witness. Girding herself in prayer, she approached the witness …

He was at his wit’s end. No one could help him. He prayed. Then he thought of That person. He prayed again …

Two days later, she had to remind herself to avoid getting back at the person by naming them in her valedictorian speech.

The person said yes. In a matter of minutes, the foreclosure notice was removed and a reasonable payment plan put in place.

Today’s Holy Nougat invites us to think of the consequences of humility.

“So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor.” ‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭5‬:‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Godly Humility

Peter’s exhortation to elders and young men under his guidance, offers us food for thought. His words echoed Jesus’ words on humility in Matthew 23. In that instance, Jesus spoke about religious leaders of the day and warned against arrogance that could result from feeling better than others. Jesus said simply, ’Whoever exalts themselves will be humbled, and whoever humbles themselves shall be exalted.’ Not easy words to hear as we strive for excellence and recognition in our lives.

Peter’s take also invites us to adopt a humble approach in everything we do and say. We don’t need to compete with other people to the extent of adversarial behavior. And, humility is also about our willingness to recognize each other as equally precious to God. If no one is beneath our dignity, then our lifestyles will reflect that; especially since we hold ourselves to God’s standard.

Jesus was willing to drink water from a Samaritan woman. He defended a woman being humiliated by others who practiced open sexism. He also praised the widow’s offering and shifted understandings on what giving to God truly means. When Jesus saw the plight of the widow at Nain, Jesus was compassionate and responded with the resurrection of her Son: her source of survival.

Sometimes the humbling experience under God seems more like humiliation than affirmation. Yet, when we operate under God’s direction, we know that there’s more beyond. Peter’s instruction also means that our focus remains God, and we endeavor to please God, not others.

Finally, we could see it as treating others as we would wish to be treated. That’s its own reward. Then God’s reward becomes an additional treat. We don’t humble ourselves for the reward from God, rather we humble ourselves as a response to God’s love.

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May all we seek be found in Christ