1 Peter 5:5-11

1 Peter 5:5-11
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  It's easy to forget who we are.
  As we are bombarded by thousands of messages a day, many of them telling us that we are the center of the universe, we can easily forget that we owe everything to others.  We owe our lives to God, and much of what we have learned we owe to the patience and sacrifice of those who raised us.  For this reason, we need to stay humble and remember to be ever grateful for the gifts others have poured into us.
  Also, we need to remember the danger that lurks.  The devil is ever-ready to pounce, and so we must be constantly on our guard, strengthening ourselves through the reading of God's Word and the practice of Christian community.  We need to pay attention to ourselves, noticing our weaknesses and faults, and looking at others to see if there are areas where we can lend our strength to encourage and support them.
  It's not easy to remain constantly ready to serve, constantly ready to love, constantly aware of our gratitude to others, but the struggle for faithfulness is worth it -- God gives us the ability to persevere, and in so doing we are given the eternal laurel wreath, and we share in Christ's victory over sin and death.