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.