Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.

Background
Another verse that is easy to take out of context — especially if you live in a Western culture.  In the West, you are taught that you are the master of your destiny.  And, in a sense, that is true.  But the question is, “Is that the best approach?”

There may some truth to it in managing your career.  But, if your career is focused on providing your purpose, you will likely find at the end of your life it was a hollow approach.

As you grow to understand what is really happening in this world, we realize our true purpose is found in the two greatest commandments.  And neither commandment is about exalting “self”.

As Jesus was getting close to the Cross, He prayed to the Father, “…glorify me that I may glorify you”.  In other words, Jesus asked to be glorified to draw attention to the Father and what He is doing.  Jesus was getting a tremendous amount of attention, but He knew that He needed to redirect that attention to accomplish something with bigger and lasting purpose.

What it meant to the original audience
They were in a culture that had a long history where victory and conquering went to the mighty.  At the time, the Romans ruled over the Israelites much to their dismay.  Slavery had been common for thousands of years across conquering nations.  But they had learned how to find peace and purpose in any situation.  They learned that if you “seek first” God and others, you find that becoming a tool in that hand of God provides ultimate purpose and peace.

For us today
Today, depending on the culture in which you live, the world teaches you where to seek purpose.  It may be exalting ancestors, self, family, wealth, etc.  But none of those compare to knowing that you are helping others to find the love and wisdom of our Heavenly Father, the only true source of peace and purpose.

Being an agent for something bigger than yourself is the most rewarding place to be.