1 Peter 5:6-14

6: Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, 
7: casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. 
8: Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
9: But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.
10: After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.
11: To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen.

12: Through Silvanus, our faithful brother (for so I regard him), I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it!
13: She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you greetings, and so does my son, Mark.
14: Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace be to you all who are in Christ.

*** 

Peter concluded this first epistle referencing what he just said—that they should all be clothed with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore, he said, to humble yourselves under His mighty hand so He may exalt you at the proper time. There is a proper timing to any recognition or exaltation in the lives of believers, and we need to leave it to God as to when that timing is. Self-promotion is never the proper time.

Peter encouraged his readers to cast all of their anxiety on God because He cares for them. Yet this doesn’t mean we are to sit back and not pay attention to what’s going on. We are to be on the alert, of sober spirit, because our adversary, the devil, is on the prowl looking for someone to devour. If he comes your way, resist him firm in the faith. As James said, “Submit yourselves to God, resist the devil and he’ll flee from you (James 4:7).

Peter wanted them to be aware that the same experiences of suffering were occurring among other brethren elsewhere; they were not alone in this. He opened the letter acknowledging that they had been distressed “for a little while” by various trials (1 Peter 1:6). He ended by saying that after they’d "suffered" for a little while God would perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish them.

While we cast our cares on Him, while guarding against the enemy, resisting him firm in the faith, God works in us to complete His work in us. He begins this work while we’re here on the earth, and the fulness of it will come when the Lord returns.

Peter sent this message through Silvanus (Silas) and testified that this is the true grace of God. He exhorted them to stand firm in it, and closed with greetings and peace.


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