Ramblings from Retirement – Stand Firm

Ramblings from Retirement – Stand Firm
By Lee Hemen, Retired Pastor
March 26, 2021

I like watching the wild birds that come to our feeders in our yard. Their music is sweet to listen to as is their antics. Some are very protective of their feeding grounds and chase other birds away while other seem oblivious and just enjoy the fellowship of the other varieties of birds that show up to feed. Some seem extremely skittish and flit from here to there at any sound.

In Peter’s letter he writes, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen. (1 Peter 5:6-11 NIV)”

Far too many believers in our day and age are acting like the little birds that come to our feeders that are frightened by any and everything, flitting from here to there over anything that comes along. Notice however what Peter writes and the first thing he related were for his listeners to humble themselves under God’s mighty hand. What does he mean by that? If you think he means to debase, degrade, humiliate, or demean yourself you are wrong. I know this to be true because of what he tells them next that when they do humble themselves that it is an opportunity for God to lift the up in due time. In other words they are to stop flitting from one thing to the next and willingly submit to the Lord. This is why he next tells them to “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

Our next question should be, “How in the world can I do that?” and Peter gives us the answer. We are to be “self-controlled and alert”. Resting in God doesn’t mean we not remain alert because our “enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour”, instead we are to remain vigilant and “resist him, standing firm in the faith”. We are to remain in Jesus; abiding in him. Remember Jesus told his followers, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. (John 15:4-6 NIV)” When we do not remain in Jesus we become burned out, stressed out people flitting from anything that happens to frighten us. We are to resist and stand firm in Jesus.

Other believers throughout this world have a whole lot tougher time than American Christians and are enduring horrendous persecution. We must stand in our faith because “the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” Therefore dear child of the Lord stand firm instead of flitting around today.

This article is copyrighted © 2021 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen, and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission.

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