Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility" (1Peter 5:5b).
A naval warship was sailing in the black of night when all of a sudden the ship's captain spotted the lights of another vessel in the distance. Immediately he told the signalman on board to send a morse code message to the ship: "Alter your course 10 degrees north."
A few minutes later the signalman received a message back: "Alter your course 10 degrees south!"
The captain was angered; his command was being challenged. So he ordered his signalman to send a second message: "Alter your course 10 degrees north - I am the captain!"
Again, a few minutes later, he received a message back: "Alter your course 10 degrees south - I am seaman Johnson."
By now the captain was incensed since his authority was being challenged by a seaman having no rank. Immediately he sent a third message, knowing the fear it would evoke in the seaman: "Alter your course 10 degrees north - I am the captain of a navy battleship!"
A few minutes later the reply came: "Alter your course 10 degrees south... I am a lighthouse keeper!"
If there is one area I think we all struggle with in our Christian lives, it is that of submission. We all tend to think more highly of ourselves. One dictionary defines the word submit this way: "to yield, or surrender to the power, will or authority of another; to give up resistance." (The prefix sub- is a Latin word meaning "under" or "below"). God wants us to be submissive to one another (1Peter 5:5). This means that we should never think of ourselves as being better, greater or more important than others.
Although Jesus knew that He was the Son of God, He was humble and submissive. While He was on earth, He submitted to God, His Father (Luke 22:42); as a child, He submitted to His parents, Mary and Joseph (Luke 2:51); He submitted to the Roman authorities (Luke 20:25); and He submitted Himself to the Jewish authorities (Matt 26:59-64). In every area Christ practiced submission.
In your Christian life, humility, meekness and submissiveness are important Christ-like virtues that God desires to see in you. Are you coming up short in any of these? Look to Jesus! Through His Holy Spirit His grace is available to grow you and make you like Christ. "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" (1Pet. 5:5).
In His strong love,
Demitri
