1 Peter chapter 5

Christ suffered.  Christ is now in Glory with the Father.  When we share in Christ’s sufferings, we will also share in His Glory.  In 1 Peter chapter 5 Peter gives instructions intended to help us live just lives for God in Christ empowered by the Holy Spirit.

We are told to:

1)      Be Shepherds of God’s flock.  Jesus is Shepherd over all of His children.

2)      We are to shepherd and teach the small flock He has put in our lives and on our path.

3)      We are to be honest, not pursuing dishonest gain.

4)      We are to be Christ-like examples to those in our care and in our lives.

5)      We are to submit and respect our elders.

6)      We are to be humble not proud.  God shows favor to the humble,

7)      We are to cast our worries and cares on Christ because we know that He is always with us and always caring for our every need.

8)      We are to be alert and sober.

9)      We are to resist the devil and stand firm in our faith.

10)  We are to know that the body of Christ throughout the world is enduring the same sufferings and persecutions as we are. We all are to stand up in faith for what we believe.

The wonderful promise in 1 Peter 5:10 is “and the God of all grace, who called you (me) to His eternal glory in Christ, after you (I) have suffered a little while will Himself restore you (me) and make you (me) strong, firm, and steadfast.  To Him be the power for ever and ever. Amen”.  I have made this promise my own by inserting the pronouns me and I in place of the pronoun you.

We are chosen.

We are to stand fast where He places us.

We are to fellowship with each other in love.

Christ promises peace to all who are in Christ.

We must receive and make His Word and His promises our own.

I praise and worship the Lord and come to Him with thanksgiving for His Word, His promises, the gift of faith, my salvation, and my spiritual birth in Him.

1 Peter chapter 4

We must put on the mind (attitude) of Christ.  In 1 Peter chapter 4 we are told to arm ourselves with the same attitude as Christ.  Christ remained faithful and steadfast in His sufferings.  When we put on Christ, we put on life.  We are done with sin and death.  From the moment Christ is revealed to us and we receive His Spirit into our spirit we no longer live for evil human desires but we live to do the will of God.  In the past we did not know God’s will so we lived in and as the world lives.  Now, we have been transformed and no longer wish to join in to do what we know is wrong and evil.

We all will be judged.  Those living only in a body without a new spirit will be judged according to human standards.  When we live in God’s Spirit our accountability will be judged in body and in spirit according to our spiritual fullness, service, and obedience.  We are saved for good works, not by good works.  God’s Grace alone saves us.  Our good works and service are the result of our salvation.  We live a transformed life because our life is now IN Christ.  He abides in us and we abide in Him.  You cannot spiritually understand this concept just because it is told to you; a head knowledge.  You come to believe this by seeking and spiritually experiencing it for yourself; a heart knowledge.  I guarantee that you will never be or see things the same again.  Until one personally seeks for the truth of the gospel and receives it in his or her own life it will not be found.  

As the end of our lives, or the end of the age as we know it, approaches we are instructed to have an alert and sober mind so we can learn the things of God and be ready for that moment. 

We are told to:

1)      Love deeply

2)      Offer hospitality to one another graciously

3)      Use the gifts we personally have been given to serve others

4)      Be faithful servants and stewards of all we have been given

5)      Speak as God teaches and instructs us to do in His Word; in His strength with praise and thanksgiving

6)      God must be glorified in the world, in our lives, in our actions, and in all we say and do

We will be persecuted in the world for being faithful, being good, and remaining obedient to God.  I hold on to God’s promises in the Word.  I am told that if I share in Christ’s sufferings, I will also share in His Glory!  I will not be ashamed of my faith as I confess my belief in God the Father, Christ the Son, and in the Holy Spirit within me.  Judgment will begin with us; God’s people, God’s chosen.

1 Peter chapter 3

In 1 Peter chapter 2 Peter speaks about believers submitting to God in heaven and submitting to leaders and rulers on earth.  There is order in God’s universe.  I believe that we are given instructions about God’s order in Ephesians 5 and in 1 Peter chapter 3.  In talking about submission, Paul and Peter are giving examples of God’s order in His Kingdom on earth and in the world.  We are to submit to God.  He must be first in the order of things in our lives.  The next most important relationships are found in the family.  Here is where they both talk about submission and the order of family relationships.  Under God is the husband.  Under the husband is the wife.  Under the father and mother are the children.  As we see today, with the breakdown of the family comes the breakdown of society.  When God is eliminated from society there are no absolutes.   People live without order or accountability and anything goes.  Wives are to honor and respect their husbands and husbands are to love their wives as Christ loves the church.  When parents disrespect each other, children do not learn to respect their parents and in turn do not respect others in authority.  God’s commandment found in Exodus 20:12 tells us to honor our father and mother.  God has given us His Word to teach us how to live and be blessed.    

Christ loved us in submission to Father God.  We are to love and submit ourselves to each other.  Husbands and wives are to live, love, and submit in obedience to God’s order for God’s blessings and for our benefit. We are of great worth to our Creator.  Our worth and beauty are internal, not judged by any external adornment.  God honors our quiet loving internal spirit.  We are blessed by God to be a blessing to others.

The eyes of the Lord are on those who love rightly (live righteously in Christ).  The eyes of God, not the eyes of man, are what we should be concerned about.  We want to please God.  We are not to be ashamed of professing Christ or our faith.  Our ultimate judge will be God, not man.   Some day we will answer to how we lived on earth. We will be at God’s right hand in the attendance of angels, authorities, and powers; all under God’s submission.  We will know and do in heaven what God has taught us on earth.

1 Peter chapter 2

In 1 Peter chapter 1 we saw that once Christ personally reveals Himself to us, we love Him, believe in Him, and are filled with His inexpressible joy.  This magnified faith is not dependent on us visually seeing Him or on the fact that the circumstances of our life are free from suffering or trials.  1 Peter chapter 2 tells us that once Christ is revealed to us we are called to grow in our Salvation.  We become hungry and thirsty to know more about God, our faith, and God’s Word.  We feed on the Word of God and feed on God’s truths and His promises.  Our learning and spiritual growth is cumulative.  We never want to stop growing and learning because “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God” (Romans 10:17).  First, we feed on the milk of the Word.  When we are able to understand the basics of our faith we move on to being able to digest more and more of God’s deeper concepts. We can eat solid food and feast on the meat of the Word.  The more we taste and see that God is good, the more our lives change.   We are able to rid ourselves of evil behaviors because we want to please and obey our loving God.  We are chosen.  When we are called out of darkness others see the obvious changes in us.  God’s goodness is seen in us and His light is reflected through us. 

There is order in the world; in God’s creation.  We submit to God’s authority and obey the rules of the world which we live in.  As citizens under a government and as employees in the service of employers, we respect leaders and those in authority.  Life is not always fair and sometimes we must endure unjust suffering.  Christ suffered for us.  He is our Shepherd and the overseer of our souls.  He died for us.  At the cross He set us free and “by His stripes (wounds) we are healed”(1 Peter 2:24) and (Isaiah 53:5).  I am free and I have received the free gift of faith.  This gift is by God’s Grace alone, not by anything I have done.  I believe and receive Christ’s many promises for my husband, my family, and for myself.  Christ will be Glorified in our lives because of His blood and our testimonies.  I praise Him, worship Him, and thank Him for all that He has planned and is doing in each of our lives.  God inhabits the praise of His people and calls us to always live in an attitude of thanksgiving.  

August 7, 2017 1 Peter chapter 1

First Peter was written by Peter to Christians, God’s elect, God’s chosen.  These Christians were being persecuted for their faith. His letter was meant to encourage them.  He reminded them that Jesus suffered and died for each of them; for each of us.  Along with his encouragement, he also reminded them of how Christ wants His chosen people to live and conduct themselves in this unholy world.  We are to be Holy, as Christ is Holy.  This we cannot do in and of ourselves.  Christ saves us from sin.  When we believe the truth of the Gospel in our hearts we experience a spiritual rebirth.  Physical birth into the world is our first birth.  Spiritual birth is our second birth.  Now we are born again into the family of God.  When we are born again, the Holy Spirit enters into our physical spirit.  He is the one who now sanctifies us by planting His seeds of spiritual fruit into us and empowers us to grow in our holiness.  God wants us to be more loving, peaceful, joyful, kind, good, gentle, patient, faithful, and to demonstrate self-control  (Galatians 5:22-23).  We are sprinkled by Christ’s blood and sanctified by His Spirit.

Our earthly lives are temporary, like a blade of grass.  When Christ’s Holy Spirit lives in our spirit, our new spirit will live eternally (John 3:16).  Verse 23 says, “you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring Word of God”. 

In summary, the following are key words which I saw in 1 Peter chapter 1:

Salvation- Believing and receiving Christ into our hearts saving us from sin and giving us the promise that our born again spirits would live in eternity with Christ.

Savior- God’s Son, the promised Sacrificial Lamb, the Messiah, the Way to the Father.

Suffering- The temporary pain and trials which we face here on our earthly journey.  Christ suffered.  We will have pain and trials too.  In times of trial we cry out for answers bringing us into a deeper spiritual walk, greater faith, and increased spiritual understanding.  We prioritize our lives and realize what is important and what is trivia.

Sanctification- Our spirits being made Holy by the Spirit of a Holy God.

Spoken of by the Prophets- The Prophets in the Old Testament pointed us to Christ even though God’s plan wasn’t fully revealed to them at the time.

Strangers on earth- We are in the world but not of the world.  Our minds, hearts, and spirits are changed when our spirit is born again. 

Sincere Love- God is Love.  When we receive Christ into our hearts, love enters our hearts.  We begin to love others the way God loves us.  God’s commandment to love Him and to love one another becomes part of our character.  We demonstrate Agape love as it overflows from God, through us, to others.

Seeds in us- The seeds of the Spirit within a born again believer are imperishable: forever and eternal.  Prior to the new birth, the things of this world were temporary and perishable.

Stands forever- God’s Love and His Word endure forever. 

July 4, 2017 James chapter 5 Be in Fervent Prayer for Self and Others

What is your treasure?  Where is God in your list of priorities?  Who or what do you spend the most time with?  Gold and silver corrode and all things of this world are temporary.  As we wait for the Lord we must be patient and use our time on earth to help others, to Glorify God, and to establish our hearts.  In every believer’s life God is in the process of growing the gift of a new mustard seed size baby faith into mature Spirit filled great faith.  This journey is a process.  As the Holy Spirit fills us with His Fruit, our personal character begins to resemble, reflect, and reveal God’s character in our own life.  God shows us how we are to treat others.  He knows how we treat and love our neighbors.  We are accountable to Him.  As we wait for the Lord and wait for our entrance into eternity, we must self reflect and ask ourselves, “How have we treated others?”  We must use our time on earth to establish our hearts and our spiritual understanding.  We are all getting ready to someday leave the temporary and enter the eternal.  James 5:8 says “..be patient, establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand”.

In the Old Testament, the prophets are given to us as an example of patience and endurance in suffering.  God led me to the Book of Job during an intense time of suffering in my life almost 40 years ago.  God used the story of Job’s faithfulness and endurance to teach me and to grow my personal faith.  I knew that if Job was so beloved by God yet he was allowed to go through such trials; I absolutely knew that God loved me also.  He knew what I was going through.  He was walking with me through this time of pain and suffering.  He was not going to leave me.  I could not see my future but I knew He had a plan and purpose.  I chose to trust even though I could not understand the moment.  I have been in the Word these past 40 years and God has grown my faith into a mature deep believing faith.  I continually thank the Lord for His Word, for the gift of faith in my life, and for continuing to teach me, fill me, and grow me in Him!  

James tells us to keep praying and praising God in song and Psalms during times of cheerfulness.  We are also to keep praying, singing, and praising God in times of trials and suffering.  He tells us how important the church is to believers by showing us how important it is for believers to bring the sick to the church elders for prayer and spiritual anointing.  Verses 15 and 16 stress the power and effectiveness of the fervent, committed, believing, and united prayers of God’s people.  Elijah in the Old Testament is given as an example of earnest prayer being heard and answered by God.

We are to keep praying.  We are to pray truthfully with right motives.  We are to pray for the ability to know God’s will so that we will know how we should pray. Our prayers are to align with God’s purpose and promises in the Word.  We are to pray for results which will Glorify God in the answer and in our lives.  We are to be aware of others who are watching us in the trial; watching how we go through the trial, watching how we respond, and watching and waiting for God to answer.  God uses situations in all of our lives to bring us and others into truth and the knowledge of His saving Grace!   

  

James chapter 4 God is Able

Each of us is made up of body (flesh), mind (thought and intellect), and spirit (heart and inner core).   These three parts of our being come into conflict many times.  Inner battles arise as our flesh desires worldly pleasures and our re-born spirit desires to be obedient to God.  As we mature in Christ, the Holy Spirit within us empowers our inner spirit to become stronger. Ephesians 3:20 tells us that, “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think”.  He helps us to turn away from sin, double mindedness, gloom, and pride.  He enables us to turn to truth, kindness, love, peace, and joy.  James 4:7 tells us that we must submit to God and His will.  The Holy Spirit will empower us to resist our fleshly desires and the devil.  The Lord will quiet our internal war and strife.  The devil and evil desires will flee from us.  We must seek God’s Will, obey His Commandments, and be humble.  When we are seeking God’s Will before we pray, God shows us how we should pray.  He knows our motives.  He hears our prayers.  When our prayers ask that God be Glorified in the answer, we are not praying with selfish or self serving motives.  He answers our prayers when His will aligns with our needs and requests.  God is sovereign.  Christ is able.  His Grace is sufficient.  God is greater than all of our needs.  He is greater than all of our doubts.  I believe and trust God to direct me and give me strength in times of weakness, need, doubts, and trials.  I pray continuously.  I lift up prayers of praise and thanksgiving to my Lord and Savior in times of trial and in times of peace and joy.  God honors the praise of His people.  When I honor Him, He honors me.  He has been so very faithful in my life.  I remember His faithfulness.  These memories strengthen my faith for everything and everyone I am praying for today!          

James chapter 3 Wisdom

The Book of James has been called the New Testament Proverbs.  James gives us God’s words and instructions on how to live wisely.  In chapter 1 we are told to have faith, not be double minded, and not doubt.  We are to be humble, not proud.  We are to have the joy of the Lord even when we are in the midst of trials. There are reasons for trials in our lives.  In the midst of trials God teaches us endurance and patience and He strengthens our faith.  When God’s Spirit enters our spirit, He gives us His internal strength to resist sin and resist temptations from many sources.  We are specifically told that temptation is not from God.  God gives us perfect gifts. We are blessed by God to be a blessing.  As God gives to us we are to give, do good, and pass on the blessings to others.  Our faith has to be active.  As our actions are observed, the Holy Spirit’s fruit can be seen in our good works and become characteristic of who we are as a person.  God will be glorified in our lives.

The wise words in chapter 2 of James tell me to treat others equally and to love others in the same way that God loves me.  I am also told to love myself.  We are not to be unrealistic and think we are perfect or righteous in and of ourselves.  We have all sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God.  God’s judgment, mercy, and forgiveness are for all.  He teaches us to have mercy and forgiveness for others and for ourselves.  Our faith, demonstrated by our actions, should be visible.  Believers are righteous because Father God sees each believer through the filter of Jesus Christ.  When we receive Christ, He becomes our righteousness.  When we act out our faith, our good works and our right attitude are used in the lives of others.  Christ is seen in us and God is Glorified.

God instills wisdom into the believer.  The wiser we become and the more spiritual understanding we are given, the greater is our responsibility to use our knowledge and understanding wisely.  We must know how to control our tongue, our words, and our actions.  The tongue is like a fire able to spit sparks of burning hurt into someone’s life.  A horse has a bit and a boat has a rudder to be used to help give them direction.  We must learn to bridle, steer, and control the words which come out of our mouths.  God warns that we are not to be double minded by using our words to praise him and then using the same mouth and tongue to curse our neighbor.  The fruit of our righteousness in Christ will be seen as it is manifested in our lives and in our character.     

James chapter 2 In God's Love for Me and My Love for Him, I Want to be Called a Friend of God

We are to love our neighbor.  We ask, “Who is our neighbor?”  Everyone is our neighbor.  We are not to choose which children of God we want to love and who we do not want to love dependent on their status or outward appearance.  God is love.  He loves us.   We love and care for others in obedience to God.   We are not to see a need and tell the person in need, “I will pray for you”.  James tells us that God wants us to do what we can to help that person.  Never tell someone you will pray for them and neglect to do so.  We read in James 5:16 that God honors our fervent prayers. In faith, we believe with our hearts, not just our heads.  God’s love and our faith are demonstrated by what we say and what we do.  Only God’s love is perfect.  Others must see His perfect love in our actions and in our words.  The more we love and listen to the Savior, the closer we walk with Him.  He becomes our friend.  Abraham was a friend of God because of His believing, righteous actions.

Now is the day of Salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2).  Everyone who has heard the Word will make an eternal choice to believe or not to believe.

Believing Christians will come before God to be judged and awarded by how we have lived out our faith while on earth.  The Lord knows how we love, what we say, how we treat our neighbors, how we care for others, and what we do as witnesses and doers for Him and His Kingdom. 

Jesus is my friend.  I am alive in Christ.  His Spirit is in me.  My faith is alive.

Lord, use my faith, actions, and words to your Glory each day while I live on earth walking with you.  Thank you for being my Lord and my friend.  Amen

James chapter 1, Believe and "Do" the Word

Pain and problems test our faith and belief systems.  God uses trials to perfect us.  It is during these times that we prioritize our lives.  We are more able to differentiate things of importance from the trivia we all tend to get caught up in.  As we question the situation we are in we become more open to what God wants to teach us.  God is more able to convict our open and hurting hearts because now we are listening and searching for answers.  He can teach us, touch us, and heal our minds, bodies, and spirits.  He wants to make us whole.  He gives us wisdom and spiritual understanding.  We become more aware of God’s love and goodness.  Knowing God’s love in all situations; in sickness and in health, causes us to trust Him and His Word and His promises.  We feel His love, His  goodness, and His healing.  We do not doubt.  Faith is a gift. Faith is an action word.  God is growing our faith from little faith to great faith as we walk the journey with Him through our trials.

We are not to put our trust in riches and things of this world because they are fleeting and temporary.  When we receive God’s Spiritual gift of faith and His Crown of Glory, it is forever.  The world tempts us into sin and death.  God does not tempt.  Good and perfect gifts are from God, not of this world.  We, as believers, are of the Word, not of the world.  We know we are created by God.  We are His first fruits.  When we know this we want to honor God.  The Holy Spirit empowers us to be slow to anger and to lay aside sinful behavior.

We are not saved by our own works but once we are saved God does have work for us to do.  We are saved by Grace and Grace alone.  In James we are told to be doers of the Word.  God has a plan and purpose for each of us.  He has given each of us talents to be used, not wasted.  Believers are to be used of God for His Glory.  Religion without faith and without actions is dead.  We are in the world but not of the world.  We should act differently.    Our life and actions should reflect our beliefs.  Others should recognize that we are Christians by our love, actions, and works.  We are to be doers, not just hearers of the Word.   

January 1, 2017 My New Year's Prayer

January 1, 2017            My New Year’s Prayer

Lord, “Fill me with the knowledge of your will” (Colossians 1: 9).

Yes Lord, fill me with the knowledge of your will; fill me with all wisdom and spiritual understanding so that I may walk worthy of you.

Lord, I also pray continuously for family and friends.  Bless them and fill them with the knowledge of your will.  May each of us walk worthy and be fully pleasing to you, and may we be fruitful in the good works which you have planned for us.  Strengthen us with all might according to your glorious power (Colossians 1:11).  Dwell within us and fill us with the seeds of the fruit of your Spirit so that we may grow in your love, peace, joy, goodness, gentleness, kindness, faithfulness, and patience, as you teach us self-control.  (Galatians 5: 22, 23).  Lord, teach us, touch us, fill us, and use us!  All to your glory!

Lord, I pray that we may prosper in all things and be in health, just as our souls prosper and grow in you (3 John 1: 2).  May we walk in truth (verse 4).   Let us do faithfully whatever we do for the brethren and for strangers (verse 5).  As we receive the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, may we become fellow workers in your Kingdom; living and reflecting the truth of the power of the Gospel in 2017 and beyond.  

I pray all in the precious name of Jesus;  my Lord and my Savior, Amen