1 Peter 5
1 Peter 5:1-14
1 The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed:
2 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly;
3 nor as being lords 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 does not fade away.
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.”
6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,
7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.
10 But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.
11 To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
12 By Silvanus, our faithful brother as I consider him, I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God in which you stand.
13 She who is in Babylon, elect together with you, greets you; and so does Mark my son.
14 Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to you all who are in Christ Jesus. Amen.
From the one who was told that loving Jesus looked like feeding His sheep, we are shown that the humility that draws us close to the Father will be evident in humility towards each other. There is humility to be shown from whatever position we find ourselves in. As those who have developed in this new life, there is a need to humbly shepherd His body with no concern for self, while those who are younger are in need of humility before those who might seem less capable in their maturity. The overriding necessity is remaining safe under the mighty hand of God where the pride and selfishness that the enemy uses to entice is effectively resisted and overcome. After enduring what is not unique and impossible, but quite common among all those in the family, there is an actual encounter with the great Shepherd, the one who showed us the way to overcome in humility. As we’ve been shown, so our lives can be direction to others, continually walking as He did.