Category: 1 Peter

Re:Verse passage – 1 Peter 1:10-17 (day four)

The Holy Spirit was at work in our world long before Pentecost.  The message that the prophets delivered, of salvation, was given to them by the Holy Spirit.  They searched and discovered that it was given for you and me and it comes with a command.

The word, ‘therefore’, in verse 13 is a cause and effect word.  Because of verses 10-12, our response should be…prepare our minds and fix our hope on the grace of Jesus.  The command given is repeated from the book of Leviticus…”You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

Holiness is not an option in the Christian life.  We cannot ‘pick and choose’ how we will live our lives.  We are to be like the Holy One who called us.  How then will we live?  We have the call of the Spirit and the example of Christ…Peter tells us not to be conformed or compromised by the world…be HOLY!

Re:Verse passage – 1 Peter 1:10-17 (day three)

“If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay.”

The Bible has much to say about fearing God. The Bible says these things not because God intends to frighten you, but because your every instance of wanting power or preference over fellow human beings leads you to ignore God, and when that happens, the world is a very dangerous place indeed. The earth and the heavens are a complex system that conform only to the limits that God has set. They won’t be pushed beyond those limits without disastrous consequences. You need God’s wisdom in order to live in harmony with God’s creation. The same is true with fellow human beings. The fear of God will lead you to live in harmony with people.

Re:Verse passage – 1 Peter 1:10-17 (day two) Therefore, prepare your minds for action…vs. 13a

The opening statement in verse 13 stood out to me as I re-read this passage today. It doesn’t say be prepared for action, but rather prepare you mind. There is so much that confronts us every day and we must react, avoid, challenge, or correct at any given moment. It can be staggering, really, but Peter reminds us that there is a mental component to our faith journey. We must remain agile so as to be prepared in season or out to give an accounting of our faith. This kind of spiritual exercise is accompanied by the assurance of the grace that comes from following Jesus. Stay agile, stay sharp, stay with Jesus.

Re:Verse passage – 1 Peter 1:1-9 (day seven) 

…who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit. 

Don’t you love being chosen? Do you remember the feeling when you lined up at recess and one by one people were chosen to be on the different teams? Do you remember waiting through all the picks just hoping you weren’t the last one chosen? We all wanted to be wanted. The same is true today. We hope our boss chooses us for a special assignment. We want to be chosen for the grant we applied for. We want to be wanted. We want to be chosen!

Before time even existed, God chose you! The creator of the universe chose you to be a part of His immaculate plan. He chose you to partner with Him in His ministry. God wanted you and continues to want you even when you don’t want Him. The next time you are passed up or forgotten, rest assured that you were already chosen for something greater.

Re:Verse passage – 1 Peter 1:1-9 (day 6)

⁸ You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. ⁹ The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls. 1 Peter 1:8-9

Have you ever considered that your faith in Jesus comes by way of the testimony of others? From faith to faith, we have been the recipients of the greatest story in all history, of a savior we have never seen with our own eyes. The Apostles, like Peter, were the first of us, although he saw Jesus with his own eyes, and the prophets before him. Even now, their testimony leads us, all the more, to love and trust so great a Savior.

And so it is with us, our most powerful and compelling testimony, is not our colonnade of theological truths, but the story of knowing and loving Jesus, the Son of God who became a man, and then a servant, furthering humbling himself by dying on a cross for the sins of the whole world.

Do you love him? Do you trust him? And does his story pass from your lips into the hearts of others? If not, remember, from the very beginning his story was to travel from faith to faith, even yours.

Re:Verse passage – 1 Peter 1:1-9 (day five) 

“to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

It’s one of the most annoying questions ever asked of parents. Trips, errands, vacations, and simple excursions all give opportunity for that dreaded question, “Are we there yet?” While the question can reveal a lack of patience, what if it in fact, pointed to other concerns- Safety. Direction. Uncertainty. Unfamiliarity. All good reasons to ask that question. So, does the question focus more on the future, or the present?  (Might be an interesting conversation for a long car ride)

Peter addresses both those perspectives- an imperishable inheritance (future), and God’s protection (present). We face many of those concerns as believers. Peter helps us when we lose patience or get overwhelmed in our circumstances as he describes our future that will never crack or fade or be destroyed. He also helps us in our uncertainty, doubts, and troubles as he reminds us of God’s powerful protection presently in action.

Re:Verse passage – 1 Peter 1:1-9 (day four)

One of the most difficult doctrines to understand has historically been the doctrine of the Trinity.  In our passage this week, as we set out on a study of 1 Peter, we see a picture of the combined work of each person of the Trinity.  God the Father has established the work of salvation for the redemption of man.  Jesus Christ, the Son, has given His blood as sacrifice for our sin, and we are to follow Him in obedience.  The Holy Spirit provides the sanctifying work so that we can be presented blameless before God.  God in His mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope.  Following our trust in Jesus, we gain an inheritance in heaven that is secured and held by the Holy Spirit.

Love, hope, faith…the inexpressibly valuable gift of salvation is ours through the work of our Trinitarian God.  We must never despair, regardless of the trials, that we serve a mighty God.

Re:Verse passage – 1 Peter 1:1-9 (day three)

“…to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away…”

What’s the difference between Peter’s words and pie-in-the-sky-by-and-by? I mean, when life sucker-punches you, will it really help in the moment to say to yourself that, well, a better life awaits me after I die? No. But that’s not what Peter’s getting at. He’s not dispensing trite platitudes for life’s misfortunes. That’s what Facebook is for. What Peter is doing here is cultivating a certain kind of life in you. That takes a while. It’s a life that involves mourning and grieving and a revelation, gradually, that your pain is familiar to Christ – a life that will lead you to discover, as Christ himself found after his own darkness, that joy has not in fact died, but will wait for you for as long as it takes.

Re:Verse passage – 1 Peter 1:1-9 (day two) In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials…vs. 6

You may be one of those people who read the last chapter of the book first, or perhaps you read on IMDB the whole plot of the movie or show before you watch it. I think you are monsters, but that is not the point of this blog.  In literature and cinema you will miss the twists and turns and not be fooled by the red herrings if you know the outcome first. There is a certain amount of satisfaction in knowing the ending at the beginning. It’s just not why I love to read.

Our faith journey is different. Knowing the outcome helps us navigate the interim setbacks, the catastrophes, and all the heartache. Not only can we endure, but we can have peace and, as Peter tells us, we can have joy. So, I will concede, in this instance I am so grateful that I know that the Lord will not let a trial be in vain. Keep reading!