(1 Peter 5:5 ESV) Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
Clothes do matter. Oh, yes, I said it out loud.
An inside joke around our house: One of my foibles is confusing expressions or words to songs. I once mentioned to my wife something about being a “clothes dog.” She pointed out that possibly I was referring to a “clothes horse.” Oops.
But back to our thought. Sometimes we don’t receive grace because we don’t have the right clothes on.
Peter teaches us that at least at times we need to dress for grace. We need to clothe ourselves with humility.
A distinction: Some people try to put on the clothing of humility but they miss the point.
Which is: Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another.
We want to be humble before God, but we are so arrogant before our brothers and sisters in Christ. This is like wearing something that really should have been laundered but it doesn’t look too bad so we wear it anyway but it stinks.
Some Christians smell when they try to dress in humility because they are not directing their humility “toward one another.”
But if we put on clothes of humility toward one another, we smell good before God and other people.
And God opposes the proud. I wonder if this means he points out a “stinker” to the group?
One moral of the story: Don’t be a stinky, proud Christian.
