What A Deal

Remember the times when you got a great package deal. It came with this and that, and even more and you had a wonderful feeling about the deal you had received. That's kind of how I feel about this last chapter in 1 Peter. Let's take a look.

Scripture
1 Peter 5:5 "give grace to the humble"
5:6 "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may life me up in due time"
5:7 "Cast all my anxiety on him, for he cares for me"
5:9 "Resist the devil"
5:9 "Stand firm in the faith"
5:10 "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."

Observation
This is a great deal/package!!

Application
Let's see what's in this package deal.
1) I have to be humble because opposes the proud. I can do that because the last person I want opposing me is God-what do you think? For that I get more GRACE from God, and then God will lift me up. Good deal so far.

2)Cast all my worries/cares/concerns/anxieties on God. Take a look at that. It's not just give them to God, it is casting the net of everything that weighs me down onto the back of God. In movies, you see a big net fall down and trap the person under the weight of it, but get the image that we cast everything, daily/hourly, onto the back of God and it has NO effect on Him. He will carry it for me, because he cares for me.

3)Resist the devil by being in more faith, standing firm in the faith that God has given us. I could go into a long list of things to resist, but Peter has just told me to cast all my cares onto God, so much of what I should resist is to take the net of cares back over because the devil is telling me that God is not taking care of me, or I think that it is not happening fast enough, whatever. SO, I need to resist the devil in taking those anxieties back on, and stand firm in the faith that God has it covered.

4)Here's the whip cream. Do you all like whip cream on top? Fat Free of course. Wait back to the topic. The God of grace, will HIMSELF restore me and make me strong, firm and steadfast.
What a Deal. I follow the word, I act humbly before God not boasting with pride about myself, give ALL my anxieties( these would not be just your run of the mill small concern, these are the anxieties that I would have to take medication for, to get through the day) to God, he does the heavy lifting, and then He will turn around and restore me, strengthen me, firm me up and make me steadfast. It would seem like the person who is doing all the work would be the one who should get the "goodies". So why am I being restored, when my burden is light if I have given it all to God? The Bible tells me that God takes pleasure in having his children be free.
If I am free from all these anxieties, then I live a life pleasing to God, I worship and fellowship more with God, and that is exactly how God wants me to live; sacrificed to Him so he can me through his power, nothing on my own.

Prayer
Father, what an awesome package you have provided for me. I have the freedom to give you everything that bogs me down, and that is good enough, but then because I am in Christ you are going to make me even stronger because I have trusted in you. What a deal. Amen.