“God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 1 Peter 5.5
I think it would be hard to find a clearer statement about God than that above. It’s stated in one way or another at least five times in the Bible. I wonder if that means it might be important?
I think so. Do you really want God to oppose you, to resist you? This is actually a military term that communicates that God Himself takes the fight to those who are proud. Someone has suggested that the image here is that of God putting on His boxing gloves and stepping into the ring to take on all comers. Do we really think we want to go 15 rounds with God?
Pride, you see, gets God riled up. Arrogant self-sufficiency, self-promotion, or foolish independence is in direct opposition to God’s design for us. As a good friend and mentor of mine has said, pride is the mother of all obstacles to the experience of God’s grace. The proud proclaim to God that they do not need Him and He often agrees with their proclamation.
Humility, however, is a God magnet because God loves to show Himself to those who know they need Him. God created us to work in league with Him and it is His grace flowing to and through the humble that magnifies and multiplies the impact of each submitted life. As a ray of light passes through the prism and bursts forth in all the colors of the spectrum, so the grace of God works with humility to manifest the beauty of the character of God in the life of the humble. This is what we see and love in Jesus.
Fight with God or flow with God? The result a simple attitude can have on our lives is truly amazing!
The Grace Link 