Category: 1 Peter

Re:Verse passage – 1 Peter 5:1-6 (day four)

“…GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.”                                    1 Peter 5:5b

We all want God’s grace, don’t we?  Peter gives us two options:  pride…no grace; humility…grace!  Why is God so opposed to the prideful?  Pride does not acknowledge the authority to control our lives.  Pride seeks its’ own way.  Humility, on the other hand, is submissive and meek and acknowledges God’s position over us.  We yield to His authority!  No problem figuring out why God elects our humility over our pride…He is opposed to the proud!

So where do we fit in to the picture?  Are we on the proud side or the humble side?  Do we seek God’s direction and provision for our future?  Do we pray about even the small things in life?  Or, do we feel like we have a good grasp of what needs to happen in our life and we put God on the shelf, readily available, in case things get out of hand.  Pride is insidious and can creep into our lives before we recognize it.  Remember…God is opposed to the proud!

Re:Verse passage – 1 Peter 5:1-6 (day three)

“Shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily.”

When pastors are hearing the Lord’s invitation – “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” – they will invite, not demand. When pastors are watching the way Jesus builds fellowship – “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer” – they’ll turn toward, not away. When pastors and leaders are following Jesus’s concern for self-care – “Come away with me by yourselves and get some rest” – they will release, not control. Pastors will discharge their duties in the way that they experience Christ’s shepherding nearness in their own lives. An increasing knowledge of Christ’s character is necessary not so pastors can have a lot of information about Jesus, but so they can live with people like Jesus did.

Re:Verse passage – 1 Peter 5:1-6 (day two) and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another…vs. 5

“With malice toward none with charity for all with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right let us strive on to finish the work we are in to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan ~ to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.” Abraham Lincoln – Second Inaugural Address – March 4, 1865

President Lincoln had an uphill battle for which he would pay the ultimate price. His words resonate now as much as they did at the end of the Civil War. We are divided and fractious as a nation and even among believers we cling to what separates us rather than what unites us. The Apostle Peter has spent his entire letter clearly outlining how we are to treat other people as we all share in the sufferings of Christ Jesus. May we be a people marked by our charity and compassion rather than by our divisiveness.

Re:Verse passage – 1 Peter 4:12-19 (day seven)

Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler. vs 15

Just because you are a Christian and are suffering does not automatically qualify that you are suffering for Christ. Peter was quick to diagnose our natural thought process here and tell us that sometimes our suffering is self imposed. There are consequences for our actions. Christians are quick to claim that they must be suffering for Christ if they endure any type of hardship. Although we as Christians have the Holy Spirit within us and are to be walking with the Lord, we are not impervious to mistakes. Human responsibility is the reason we have free will. Sometimes our choices, even if not sinful, lead us into suffering. That does not mean that we are suffering for the Lord.

Re:Verse passage – 1 Peter 4:12-19 (day six)

14 If you are insulted because you bear the name of Christ, you will be blessed, for the glorious Spirit of God rests upon you.  1 Peter 4:14

That’s a strange thought, isn’t it? It’s not new; Peter heard Jesus teach the same thing, AND he experienced it first hand. This blessing, according to Peter, is not only a future reward but is experienced, in part, in the present because of the presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. In other words Christians endure suffering not only by clinging to promises of future glory in Jesus, but through God’s gracious Spirit in the present.

I think the Spirit of God blesses us in suffering by giving us glimpses of the beauty and majesty of Jesus. Steven, the first Christian martyr, by the Holy Spirit saw the throne room of God while being stoned. He was blessed for the glorious Spirit of God rested upon him.

What a wonderful promise, and what marvelous grace! We are not left alone in our suffering, but when we do, we see and savor Jesus more fully though the Holy Spirit.

Re:Verse passage – 1 Peter 4:12-19 (day five)

“So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.” v. 19

We all want justice, right? Or, maybe we just want revenge for when we are wronged. We all, typically, would like people to get what they deserve if they have done wrong in this world. There have been times when I have been wronged by someone or someone I love has been wronged, and I have wished for justice. There are times, though, that justice seems to be missed. Maybe it is when a criminal gets to go home because of a technicality. Maybe it is that the wicked seem to get richer or to not have anything happen to them after they have been known to be wicked in their actions. Maybe it is simply putting up with incessant insults or criticism for your faith.

Peter’s reminder, here, is for us to simply let God take care of all that. Our job is to continue to do good. We should never need revenge or worry about the justice part because God is a God of justice. He is going to take care of all of that. So, let us continue to do good while trusting that God is going to take care of us and take care of the judgement.

Re:Verse passage – 1 Peter 4:12-19 (day four)

Suffering is inevitable.  Peter tells us that we are not to look to God for relief if we are suffering for something we did and then received our just reward for our deeds.  Murder, theft, evil and meddling (whoa…did he have to include that last one?)  There is no relief if we deserve what we received.  Believers that suffer unjustly though should glorify God and identify with the suffering of Christ.

Verse 19 gives us a summary of all 1 Peter.  We (believers) do not suffer by accident or blind fate.  We suffer by God’s will.  Believers must entrust themselves to God’s safe keeping…He is our Creator and has cared for us from the beginning.  We are in good hands with our all-loving and faithful God.  Suffering for doing right, brings glory to God and purifies us for His service.

Are you in the middle of suffering?  Have you done something to deserve it or is God purifying you for a greater work?  “Lord, open our eyes to see as You see.  Cleanse us and make us useful vessels for You!”

Re:Verse passage – 1 Peter 4:12-19 (day three)

“To the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.”

When you’re suffering, and there is no end in sight, what do you need? You need someone who acknowledges your pain with an understanding so deep that you finally believe someone has actually entered into your suffering. That someone will speak out loud the very thoughts and fears that have been screaming in your head. No “if you’ll just try this” or “let me tell you about a similar experience I had.” Just someone recognizing, appreciating, and speaking your anguish. This is empathy, and empathy originates with Jesus. Jesus comes to you as a fellow sufferer. This is “sharing the sufferings of Christ.” And in his beautiful company, you will endure and rise.

Re:Verse passage – 1 Peter 4:12-19 (day two) …but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation. vs 13

Outside the love of Jesus Christ that verse makes no sense whatsoever. Peter can only make this bold of a statement with full assurance of the truth. He knows Jesus, and walked the path of a disciple that would ultimately lead to his own martyrdom. If Peter can make such claim we are wise to listen. Our present sufferings for the savior are an assurance of his promise. To be sure these sufferings are ones faced in opposition to the world and for the cause of Christ. As you put on the full armor of God there is a full expectation of resistance, but anyone who keeps the faith and fixes their eyes on Jesus will be reminded these obstacles are not the end. Faithfulness to Jesus will have its final reward in eternity.