1 Peter 5:6-7 - “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”

The New Year is an opportunity to start over. It is time to clean our mortal house and eliminate things that make our lives weary and miserable. What better way to do it than to surrender them all to God. This is the message of our devotional today.

The struggles brought by the Pandemic have caused various negative results in our lives. These affected everyone, including all believers. We have seen many spiritual casualties who have returned to the world, and others have become too weak to get back into their usual excitement for the ministry.

I have observed people so faithful in serving the Lord who can no longer take a step of faith even to come in and worship in the house of God. We all wonder what has caused this change. We must admit that we are all affected in one way or another.

One reason is that we have allowed ourselves to be burdened with “cares” and “mental and emotional baggage,” causing tremendous stress in our spiritual lives. The very foundation of our existence was tested, and we find ourselves wanting.

Others became proud of their success from the past that they have failed to prepare themselves for the future. They have not learned from the “ants.” They thought they were somewhat invincible that when troubles came, they were not prepared. Pride has ruled their hearts.

The Apostle Peter could relate to this particular behavior. He made many impulsive and prideful statements to the Lord that he regretted. In this epistle, he begins by saying we need to start within - to humble ourselves before the Lord.

Spiritual cleansing begins within. Let us search our hearts by taking inventory of everything brought by the past and surrender everything to God, and He will determine what should not be there, especially pride. Without getting rid of pride, there is no desire to let go of things that feed it.

When we free ourselves of pride, we become willing to let go of all the cares we think we can handle by ourselves and the weights that are besetting us. These are things that God allowed to add spiritual muscles to our stature, but we decided to keep them for selfish reasons.

Before 2024 comes in, we must cast all our cares “upon Him.” It means all must be surrendered to Him and not hoard anything to allow God to determine and sort out what needs to be taken and what has to remain according to His plan for us.

Peter said we must give God our “cares,” for He “cares” for you and me. This is not a play of words but a wisdom from our loving Savior through Peter that what we often think is benevolent and helpful can become a burden when we believe we are the only ones who can do it.

I have seen people with generous hearts and a genuine desire to help and later become so overwhelmed that they lose the joy and the spirit of faithful service. Their cares did not produce joy!

When Apostle Peter said and committed his many mistakes, he meant to help and express his love and care for Christ, but he did it with pride and arrogance that he later regretted.

How many of us started with a clear motive and ended up miserable? What could have been care turned into a curse.

Our Prayers for today!

Our gracious God, we desire to please you by trying to help and care for others, but too often, these cares become burdens that overwhelm us and make us miserable. It is because we think we are the answer and not You! What we manifest is not your cares but ours. Not Your Love but our love. We forget that we are only your channels, and You are the source. Please forgive us. In Jesus Name. Amen!