如可克服忧虑
彼得前书五章5至7节
5你们年幼的，也要顺服年长的。就是你们众人也都要以谦卑束腰，彼此顺服；因为神阻挡骄傲的人，赐恩给谦卑的人。
6所以，你们要自卑，服在神大能的手下，到了时候他必叫你们升高。
7你们要将一切的忧虑卸给神，因为他顾念你们。
信息分享
你有没有留意，彼得的书信非常强调信徒要实践真理？他在昨天的经文劝勉教会的长老要牧养群羊；在今天的经文，他则提醒凡作领袖的要随时警剔，避免落入两个常见的陷阱，那就是骄傲和忧虑。
每个基督徒都应以谦卑束腰(5节)，因为神不喜欢骄傲的人。骄傲的人，必然是认为自己有某些过人之处，因此便瞧不起人。骄傲可算是一种最常见而又破坏力最大的罪。
当我们明白到，骄傲的本质就是叫自己得荣耀，而不是让基督得着荣耀，我们就知道它是多么严重的罪。我们若懂得凡事归荣耀给主，就能避免变得骄傲自大。
彼得提醒领袖警剔的第二个问题是忧虑(7节)。我们可能认为忧虑乃是人之常情，但忧虑其实也是一种罪，因为我们之所以产生忧虑，归根究底乃是因着我们对神的怀疑和不信。当我们发现，我们一直忧心忡忡的事情最终没有发生，我们便不得不承认我们没有完全信靠神。
我们通常为到甚么事情忧虑呢？不外乎是为家庭、工作、经济、健康，甚至是教会或本身的属灵问题。
我们该如何处理这些问题呢？我们要将一切重担，完完全全地一次卸给神。我们曾否试过这样做呢？我们既然下定决心卸给神，神就必赐给我们能力，使我们能按照祂的教导去解决问题。
我们必须记着，神顾念我们。正如有人说过：「神非常关心你」。基督教信仰的基础，正是在于我们相信有一位神，永不改变地一直爱我们和顾念我们。
反思：
翻阅以赛亚书二十六章3节，并立志信靠它。
HOW TO DEAL WITH ANXIETY
1 Peter 5:5-7
5 Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for
“God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.”
6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,
7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
Message
Have you ever noticed how often Peter emphasises the practical application of the truths he is writing about? He has given instruction to the elders and now he warns of two problems which Christian leaders continually face. The first is pride, the second is anxiety.
The clothes of humility (v. 5) should be worn by every Christian. God does not like proud people. To be proud means to think you are above everybody else in one area or another. Pride is possibly the commonest and worst form of sin.
When we see that pride is really the glorifying of self instead of Christ, we realise how wrong it is. The safest way to avoid pride is to continually give all the glory to Christ for everything.
The second problem Peter deals with is anxiety (v. 7). You can call it worry, or care or just plain sin. Deep in our hearts we know that worry is unbelief and distrust. When the circumstances are changed, we often acknowledge this fact when we say 'Father forgive us for not trusting you'.
What are some things we worry about? Family and business problems, finances, health, even matters in the church and our spiritual needs.
What should we do about these cares? We are to cast all our burdens on the Lord. It means to do it once and for all. Could we ever do this? When we resolve to do it, there will come from God the strength needed to do what he tells us to do.
And remember he cares for us. As someone said 'it matters to him about you'. The Christian faith is built on this great truth that we have a God who loves us and cares for us continually.
A VERSE FOR TODAY:
Turn to Isaiah 26:3 and believe it today.