New King James Version 1 Peter 5:5
Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”
Sadly, summer is waning, the days are getting shorter as nightfall comes more quickly. While it is always a little sad to watch summer fade into autumn, still autumn brings its own plethora of enjoyable activities! I think about fall colors and watching the leaves change into vibrant shades of burgundy, gold and violet. My butterfly bush is awash with color as the monarch’s, viceroys, painted lady’s and even some cabbage butterflies and whites find a delicious treat. The fragrant aroma of hot cider by the fire pit with friends can only be enjoyed when it gets cooler. All the sales as children go back to school and moms and dads scurry for uniforms and supplies. Oh, and let’s not forget our own fall wardrobe shopping!
I have received many catalogues and flairs announcing sales on fall clothes! I sit and page through them checking to see if I ‘need’ something. Not really. Do I want something? Probably I will find something that catches my eye. I write it down than wait a couple of days to see if I am still interested in it.
While we spend so much time, effort and even cash on our fall wardrobe, don’t neglect the ‘putting on’ of our spiritual wardrobe! The Bible clearly tells us to put on our armor, and most of us are aware of the ‘pieces’ of armor we need to protect us from the enemy in Ephesians 6:10-18.
How about other parts of our wardrobe? Armor is easy to see and identify but, some of the other parts of a wardrobe are not!
For example, humility. That is something we should be wearing, yet when we ourselves show it off-it is no longer humility! No, humility is a type of ‘undergarment’. No one knows you have it on-but they sure know when you don’t! It is a support garment, so the rest of the wardrobe has no malfunctions of pride jealously, lust or even hate.
Recently I was made aware of a situation where this ‘undergarment’ of humility was lacking in a person’s wardrobe. As a result, some anger and jealousy maliciously exposed itself at a most inappropriate time! Embarrassing for the individual and very revealing to those around that experienced the behavior.
Unfortunately, this ‘undergarment’ is often overlooked or flaunted. It seems that when you have a humble spirit, you don’t even know it. Come to think of it, when you don’t have humility, you don’t know that either!
So, what IS humility? It is the attribute in our character that allows us to be Christ like. He never thought of himself before anyone else. It is a demonstration of non-importance, even when you are the most important person in the room. It is an attitude that does not need to be seen or heard to be recognized as humility. The Bible tells us to ‘humble ourselves’ and He will life us up.
So, if you are like me choosing a fall collection of clothing means color, splash and even some bling. If I am choosing what to wear underneath, however, it is a quiet, unassuming and humble spirit. I’ll be working on that this fall-how about you?
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