Number One Priority

DEVOTION 1 PETER NUMBER ONE PRIORITY 1 Peter 4:1-6 4:1 Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. 2 As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. 3 For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do — living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. 4 They think it strange that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation, and they heap abuse on you. 5 But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to men in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit. NIV Another very long dissertation which is one continuous thought that I dare not break up, but yet could deal with a many individual ideas within. How is it that we who believe can actually be done with sin while we live in the physical form? Is it actually possible to be completely free from committing one single sin for the rest of our life? Or is this just making the point of what is the main goal of our life? Do we live simple to sin, or do we live to please God? Being human, how do we escape some of those desires, which are called evil here? If we can forego debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and idolatry would then all else not count? Or is this just the idea of which direction we live for? Surely even if it is our highest desire to live for the will of God, it does not mean we are not going to fail at times, and get catch up for a moment in some attitude or action which is not pleasing to Him. Is this making an excuse, or provision for being human? Or is this just being realistic? It would seem some believers actually think they never sin anymore, which in itself is the sin of pride, thinking more highly of themselves then they should. But still we are to turn from the former way of living and not be involved in the horrible lifestyle which includes the absolute lack of reverence for God and His will for our lives. I know those who believe when they die, they simple cease to exist, but that is not true, for they will have to stand before God and give an account of their refusal to accept Him and His ways. I also know some who think if they live simple being good, they will escape judgment, and will enter into heaven. But we who know, it is through Jesus Christ and Him alone do we escape this judgment, even if we fail, even if we still have sin in our life, even if we are not perfect, for Christ is our righteousness, as we can never be righteous enough in our own strength. But our main focus in life must be to live for God and not for self. That must be our number one priority.

He Has The Power

DEVOTION 1 PETER HE HAS THE POWER 1 Peter 3:20-22 21 and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also — not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand — with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him. NIV I know we all talk about having Jesus in our heart, but I am so glad he is not in my heart, but rather he is at the right hand of the Father in heaven. It seems rather strange to say he is in my heart when he is in heaven. Now it is true the Spirit of Jesus is in our hearts, that is His nature, His ways, and even the Spirit of God dwells within us, but not actually Jesus the person, the son of the living God. It is far better for us that Jesus is in heaven, sitting at the right hand of the Father, for He is always making intercession for us. The Father has placed all the angels, all the authorities on earth and all miraculous powers, miracles under His authority. This is why He told us if we ask anything in His name, it would happen. He has the power, the authority to give it. Of course, the Father has given the Son that authority and if we remember Jesus even said that He must go, and if He goes, He will send the Spirit. The Father did not send the counselor, Jesus did. What a Lord and Savior we have, what power and authority He holds, and it is this same Jesus who submitted Himself to such pain and suffering for us, even to the pain and disgrace of the cross. He was treated as a criminal, killed by men, so we could live. This is real power, real authority, and real love. And it is in this same spirit of power, authority and love that we should live our lives. If we say we have Jesus in our heart, we are saying we have this same spirit, this same demeanor, this same attitude toward serving others over self every time, all the time. If we study the list of the results of being an overcomer in the first three chapters of Revelations we see just how much we will be given when we get to heaven, much as in the same way Jesus was given all he was. We will eat from the tree of life, we will not be hurt by the second death, we will have authority over the nations, we will be dressed in white and our names never blotted out of the book of life, we will be pillars in the temple of God, and we will be given the right to sit on the throne of Jesus with Him. All of this will be given to us by the power and authority of Jesus. Aren’t you glad He is in heaven? He has the power!

In Or Out

DEVOTION 1 PETER IN OR OUT 1 Peter 3:17-22 17 It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. 18 For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, 19 through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison 20 who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, 21 and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also — not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand — with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him. NIV I should just leave this alone for it appears there is just so much here that I could not possibly deal with all of it, yet I cannot separate it either. There is no question about the fact Christ died for all our sins, past, present and future and that we need not have to bring any type of sacrifice to God for our sin for Christ was and is the ultimate sacrifice. The sticky part is this going and preaching to the spirits in prison who disobeyed long ago. Some would use this to teach Jesus descended into hell to preach to those lost souls waiting for the last Day of Judgment, but they would be incorrect in that teaching. While the whole of the passage includes Noah and thus this is talking about those people God in his mercy who had already condemned them to perish in the flood, waited patiently for them to repent giving Noah the Spirit of Christ to preach to them. In the original language it is not Christ preaching to the spirits , but the Spirit of Christ preaching to those in prison, those who had already been condemned by God to die in the flood. It is certain the Ark is a for shadowing of the cross. God was showing the world that only those within the safety of the Ark would be saved and thus only those in the safety of the cross will be saved. As He waited patiently for them to repent, He waits now, for more to repent, and as He closed the door to the Ark, He will close this door someday and those who refuse to repent and enter the safety of the cross will perish, not in a flood this time, but in the destruction of fire, the burning lake of sulfur. The other sticky point is the being saved by through baptism, which some would claim is true. Once again, this would be adding something to Jesus, Jesus plus. This is not the case in which God is making His point through Peter. It is about the Ark on the water and those it were saved, the ark was not a submarine. It is about having a good conscience before God. Being in Christ and following Him. As Noah was saved because of a good conscience, he found favor in God sight, so as we enter the cross, through faith in Christ, we find favor in Gods sight and are saved. It is simply and plain, either we are in or out.

In The Spirit

DEVOTION 1 PETER IN THE SPIRIT 1 Peter 3:13-16 13 Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? 14 But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened." 15 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. NIV The Word of God always sets people apart from others. Those who believe are different from those who do not believe, and in some cases those unbelieving people would slander and attempt to discredit those who believe. The unbeliever may even attempt to cause some kind of harm, perhaps not in the physical sense in our cultural but in the emotional or social sense. Why do they dislike us so much? Does our faith threaten them? If they do like us, maybe it is because we are not that different them. But if we are living out the Word of God in our lives and are living with this hope of eternal life and do not fear death or anything which would cause harm to us, even in a social sense, they will surely have a certain distain for us, for they fear what they do not know. They fear life itself, and all the complications and troubles it could bring, they work so hard trying to develop a secure life, a secure future, striving for what they think will keep them safe. We have nothing to fear of life, and all its problems, for we serve a higher power who has secured our future, our eternal future. What can man do to us that would cancel that out? We have such a security in Christ that anything man could say or do against us means nothing. But at the same time we should always be ready to share our faith, the reason we live with such joy, even in the difficulties of life. We should always have the Word of God on the tip of our tongue. Sure they may not like to hear our answer as it even may make them dislike us all the more, but if we say it with love and respect, not is a harsh and authoritative manner, just maybe they will hear the words. It goes back to do not repay evil with evil here. We need to stay the course of life in Christ, sharing the Gospel in gentleness and with love even in the face of strong opposition. That may be their ultimate goal anyway, to get us to become violent in nature, argumentative, anger that they will not listen or do not believe the Word. We know who we are, and we should be strong in the Spirit, but gentle in the world, giving them nothing to slander. We need to live in the Spirit.

Just Do It

DEVOTION 1 PETER JUST DO IT 1 Peter 3:8-12 8 Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. 9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. 10 For, "Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. 11 He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. 12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil." NIV Certainly a lot here, but I dare not split it up as it is all one continuous teaching in which God inspires Peter to quote from the writer of the 34th Psalm. Yet to live in harmony with another is quite a mouthful in itself. It is interesting God is not staying with just the husband and wife here, but with all of us. We all need to live in harmony with one another. Now exactly what does that mean? Looking into the Greek we find the word which means like-minded. Would this not fly in the faith of denominational differences? Would this not speak directly to anything which would keep us from agreeing? Harmonious living within the body of Christ would imply no ill feelings at all about anyone in the church. No feeling better about self over another, no judging their failures, no envy, no jealousy and no prideful attitudes. All that would be impossible if we were being sympathetic and loving everyone as brothers. This would also prevent any retribution other than blessing each other. How easy it is to get an attitude when someone lets loose with an insult. Of course an insult is only an insult if the receiver has a prideful attitude instead of being compassionate and humble. Who in their right mind would want their days to be bad? We all would love to have our days good, filled with the fruit of the Spirit, enjoying the blessings of God, having Him listen attentively to our prayers, and bringing the answers in such a wonderful way. But there is a standard, a condition so to speak. It is right there, for our reading and understanding, plain and simple, no confusion or hidden symbolism. Watching our language means just that, how we talk to each other. Turning from evil means turning from evil, doing good means doing good, seeking peace means exactly that. What is so difficult about understanding this? It is plain and simple, all we have to do is do it.

Listen Up

DEVOTION 1 PETER LISTEN UP 1 Peter 3:7 7 Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers. NIV It seems a little unjust after spending so many words about wives to simply tell the husband to be considerate of his wife and treat her with respect as the weaker partner. It is surprising many women do not consider this a slam, calling them the weaker partner, especially in this modern era. Perhaps this is implying only in the physical sense as in most cases men are the stronger and could inflict great physical damage to a women. As I have often stated, I believe men and women are truly equal in the eyes of God, but have different responsibilities. So here us men must not dominate our wives, forcing them to submit under fear of physical pain, but we should be considerate of them, giving them the respect and honor they are due, for they are co-heirs of the gift of God. We have nothing more or less than them and they have nothing more or less them us. We should therefore always think of them with respect in our heart for who they are as a person, as our partner in life, as a fellow believer in Christ, and as our wife, which in many cases also includes being the mother of our children. It would be unwise for us men to think of ourselves as the king of our castle and expect to be treated as a king not by our wife but by our servant. Great kings have always had great queens. It has been said if you want to be treated like a king, treat your wife as a queen. Partners are partners which in itself imply equality. If we ever expect God to hear and answer us in our times of conversation with him, our prayers, we need to heed this counsel. Men we need to listen up.

The Lost Art

DEVOTION 1 PETER THE LOST ART 1 Peter 3:1-6 3:1 Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, 2 when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. 3 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. 4 Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. 5 For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their own husbands, 6 like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear. NIV What could I say that would not make me out to be a chauvinist? Yet in a cultural, in a society which has place so much attention and importance upon the equality of women in all aspects of life, this concept spoken of here may be a lost art. Has the thinking of the world infiltrated the body of Christ? Do believing women conduct themselves in their thinking and actions as the world would have them or as God would have them? This whole concept of so much attention to the outward beauty has surely diminished the idea of inner beauty, which Matthew recorded about what Jesus said about it in regard to the eyes reflecting what is inside, and what God inspired Peter to pen here. Perhaps many believing women simply cannot come to terms with being under the authority of their husbands because they have adopted the philosophy of the modern cultural of the United States. Perhaps one of the reasons believing women have so much trouble with living as God would have them, is due to the lack of men living as God would have them. Have believing men lost the art of being responsible? Have they relinquished their position of head of the house to their wives? Have they given over the raising of children in the ways of God to their wives? God is going to speak to men next, but I think it is worth consideration that this is a two way street. Both the husband and the wife may have lost the art of being the family God intends them to be. It is a fact God holds the man responsible for his family and so with responsibility comes authority. Men need to step up, and women need to step up as well, to the standard God has set. A women’s true beauty in within her, her loving caring spirit which nourishes a relationship in the home far exceeds any makeup upon her face, polish on her nails and fancy hair style on her head. A women’s true worth is in God, rather than what position she holds at some company or within this society. A women’s true worth is how God sees her rather than how other women view her.I know there are many different situations and perhaps some where men abuse their position, or even abuse their wives. This should never be tolerated, I am convinced God will judge accordingly. But it still remains God desires women to live in a manner which pleases him. I hope believing women have not lost this art.

Cured

DEVOTION 1 PETER CURED 1 Peter 2:23-25 23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. NIV An continuation being commendable but in a far greater sense. It is not just being mistreated and at that it has to be due to our faith, and not our failure to do a good job, but it is more about the actually suffering we may have to endure because of our faith. Yet there is an even larger picture drawn out for us in these words Peter was inspired to pen. It is all about Jesus here and the result which totally influences our future. After so many years of being one of the flock belonging to the Shepherd and overseer of my soul, I cannot imagine once being astray, yet so many are. The question which seems to plague many believers is how we actually die to sin, when even as believers we still commit sin. Granted we no longer live simply for the pure pleasure of sinning, but rather attempt to live in a manner which pleases God, but fail in that effort all too often. It would appear sin is a sickness, a sickness of the disease of self. Now living for self instead of God is certainly going astray from the original plan God had for mankind. But Jesus heals that sickness, if we accept the cure God provided we will be healed. Are there still fragments of self still within, or have we been cured completely? Even with a few failures to live a perfect sinless life, we have been cured completely. We have been saved from the disease which would kill our souls. We have been cured from the sickness which would bring us to our ultimate peril, and perishing. Because of Christ who bore our sins on the cross we have been healed and are not a member of his family, his flock, his kingdom and he is our overseer. Could we get sick again? We may very well if we leave the protection of his divine watch. If we refuse to stay we may very well be subject to getting infected all over again with that dreadful disease. But, Praise God we are here, we are healed, we are now whole with no evidence of the sickness of self. God sees us through the blood of Christ and we are righteous in his sight. We are cured.

Commendable Before God

DEVOTION 1 PETER COMMENDABLE BEFORE GOD 1 Peter 2:18-22 18 Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. 19 For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God. 20 But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. 21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. 22 "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth." NIV Surely not one of us is a slave or a master, but it would appear in modern times we could substitute the words employee and employer in their place. It would seem rather natural for many employees to always complain about the boss. I have heard this type of moaning and groaning about how dumb or stupid the bosses are and how the employee could do so much better. I think the point here though is all about being a believer in a non-believing environment. It does not bring any glory to God if as an employee believers do a poor job. It does not bring any glory to God is a believer never lets anyone know they are a believer either. Now if we get reprimanded for doing poorly because we have done poorly it brings no glory to God. But if we work at the best possible manner we can, giving all of our efforts when at work to our work, being the best we can be, doing the best we can do, and all with an outstanding attitude for the good of our employer and his company, then we bring Glory to God, even if we are mistreated in any way. I think in most cases the unbelieving employer keeps a closer watch in those in his employ who are Christians, looking for any excuse to find some kind of fault so he can point it out, making an issue about Christianity. If that happens and we are reprimanded for no real reason other than being a believer, then praise God, we are doing the right thing and it is commendable before God. People should not hear about this unjust treatment either, people should not hear about how bad a boss we have, or how dumb or stupid they are, for that would be having deceit found in our mouth. Jesus was silent, he did not accuse nor did he defame anyone in his suffering. We need to work with all respect toward those who employ us and keep silent if dealt with unjustly due to our faith. I want to be commendable before God.

Servants of God

DEVOTION 1 PETER SERVANTS OF GOD 1 Peter 2:16-17 16 Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. 17 Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king. NIV It would seem the Jews who were opposed by the Romans though because they serve a higher power rebellion against Rome was an acceptable action to participate in. But how do we relate to this admonishment from God today? It is true that if Jesus has set us free we are free indeed, but that is from the power of evil, and not from the law of the land. Open rebellion against the Government is simply not acceptable. But again in this United States believers are not being opposed by government, at least not yet, and so once again I wonder how I apply this truth to life today. I could think that as we believers have been set free from sin, we should not use that freedom to act in any manner we think is right, but to continue to always be in the service of God. Could we believers be guilty of not showing proper respect for other people? Could this especially be true of those who reject the Gospel message? Is having any form of superiority toward the unbeliever evil? The place where the rubber truly meets the road is in loving the whole brotherhood of believers. I think sometimes there is more tension then love between those of different denominations of believers. It might be easy, or maybe not so easy to love everyone in the same church, but how do we love someone who disagrees over certain doctrinal issues? Yet are we not supposed to respect and love them too. Do we not all fear or reverence God? Sometimes I wonder if we believers forget to fear God and do things to please our own being, even if it is not pleasing to him. I think no matter the doctrinal differences all believers might have we should still respect each other and love each other. Unity in our faith in God is essential. I think that is living as free men and servants of God.

It is Right

DEVOTION 1 PETER IT IS RIGHT 1 Peter 2:13-15 13 Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, 14 or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. 15 For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. NIV Would it not make perfect sense that we believers should law abiding citizens of the land in which we live, even if we are aliens and strangers, with citizenship in Heaven. What would it do as a witness for God if we went around breaking the laws of the land? I would think it would be so silly for a believer to put some Christian symbol on the back of their car then speed down the highway passing everyone, or weaving in and out of traffic causing others to get upset. Is this not being disobedient to God? I suppose it would be alright to speed if they were going to be late for church. Yet a lot more is at stake here. Of course in the United States we, even believers have the right to voice our opinion regarding the wrong doing of those serving in government with the right to vote against them, replacing them with those who we believe would serve in a manner more befitting the country. But in many parts of the world believers do not have that right and still God expects them to live under the rule or authority of those governments. Although God did free His people from the oppression of evil pharaoh, He did not remove them from the grip of the Roman empire, when he inspired Peter to write this. All believers should live as good law abiding people so as to be a witness for Christ. We need to keep within the constants of the law in every manner. This excuse of refusing to obey some law because of serving a higher power has no basis for this higher power declares we live in accordance with this law of the land. It may not be easy, but it is right. Should the law forbid us to meet together to worship God in a public setting, such as church, what would we do? Right, never live in what if. Simple live for God for it is right.

Abstain

DEVOTION 1 PETER ABSTAIN 1 Peter 2:11-12 11 Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. 12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. NIV We are back to being aliens and strangers, which certainly sets the stage for our attitude and behavior here in this world. But here we are admonished to abstain from sinful desires. This is merely not acting out in a sinful manner, but actually not lusting after something which is not pleasing to God. That could be a whole host of things that we should really pay attention to. So what would be a sinful desire? Surely the list would be made up of things that war against our soul. Do I dare make a list? Is the list the same for every believer? Are there some more personal than others? The whole idea here is that we are either at home in the Kingdom of God or at home in the world. We cannot be both. We cannot find a comfort in the things of this world whether they be sensual in nature or in pursuit of personal gain and material possessions. If our desire is for these things it may well be the ruin of us for they do war against our soul. We can become entangled in the things of this world so easily for having a desire surely will produce an action in some manner or form. This process may be so incremental we barely even notice it happening, but it is and we may be ensnared in its grip before we are aware of it, trapped and caged. So we must be on a constant guard, an every watchful lookout for anything which could drag us from our home in heaven. Whether we realize it or not unbelievers watch how we live, and if we live the same way they do, they might think we are being a bit hypocritical, but for the most part don’t care. It is when we live for God out in the open and out loud, making waves in the world, spreading the Good News, doing things for God, that is when they get uncomfortable and start the attack. That is when they accuse us of wrong doing because we are exposing their sin. We simply need to live for God period and let the chips fall where they may. We need to abstain.

God is Calling

DEVOTION 1 PETER GOD IS CALLING 1 Peter 2:9-10 9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. NIV A much debated portion of God’s Word starts off this declaration of who is what all because of this word chosen. What many people do not see is that from a direct conversation between God and Moses regarding the Israelites which is recorded for us in Deuteronomy 7:6 and Exodus 19:6. This is what God called them. He had decided they would be His people above all others in the world, and that they would be royal priests because they all sacrificed to Him and he was there King thus they were all royalty. They were one called out nation that was to worship but the one Holy God and not be involved with the gods of the pagans. Now we have to see this because these words now define all of us who are Christian. This is who we are because we believe. We now have become a chosen race, a favorite group of people declared to now be a royal priesthood and a holy community of believers who belong to God. We are the true Israel, as God declares through Paul, because of the circumcision of our hearts rather than of our flesh. We now are these people God spoke about to Moses which He is reminded us of through Peter. It is not that he elected or decided which one is us would be in this community of believers for he calls all people, He loves the world enough to send His son to die for them, and calls them all out the darkness into His wonderful light. But only a few will hear the call, and respond thus becoming His royal priesthood, His holy nation, His chosen or favorite people. It is without question we all were once in darkness, some farther in the darkness than others, but nevertheless all were living in the city of darkness, a place without hope and not under the mercy of God. It is a terrible place to live, where the grave which leads to the lake of sulfur awaits its residents. God is calling, did you hear his voice?

No Stumbling Allowed

DEVOTION 1 PETER NO STUMBLING ALLOWED 1 Peter 2:7-8 7 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, "The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone," 8 and, "A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall." They stumble because they disobey the message — which is also what they were destined for. NIV Surely it is far better to be one of those who is considered ‘you who believe’ then one of those ‘who do not believe’. Those who do not believe are in big trouble. Now I think this idea that Jesus causes them to stumble is a bit misunderstand. It is their own disbelieve which causes them to stumble over the Word. Rather than basis they life on the Jesus, making him their corner stone, they have rejected him thus making him their capstone, or in a place where one would stumble and trip over. It is their own choice do to this, but Peter reminds them God already knew and told them about it through the prophet Isaiah. He did not create them to stumble, He did not predetermine or actually destined them to stumble, but merely foreknew some of them would, just like some people today make up their own minds to no believe and because of their choice not to believe the Bible becomes a real stumbling block for them. They know deep down it is right and true, but they simple have to find some way to discredit it so they do not have to deal with it. They work so hard to try to find another belief system, whether it be evolution with no god or some god of their own making just to keep from accepting the truth. They stumble through life with no real direction or purpose. They stumble through life without any hope or real sense of contentment. Their refusal of or disobedience to the message causes them all sorts of hardships internally even though they may appear grand on the outside. God knew before he created them this would cause them to be this way. It is not that he created them to be like that, for He surely would rather they accept and obey, but it is not going to happen for some. They are stumbling through life now, and in the end will stumble even farther. It is so much better not to stumble and be counted as one of those who believe. We need not worry about stumbling, for our lives are based on the corner stone. There is nothing for us to stumble over, our course is set and the path is made clear. His light shines to illuminate the way for us to go. We who believe are blessed. We see the sign, “No stumbling allowed”.

Shame on YOu

DEVOTION 1 PETER SHAME ON YOU 1 Peter 2:6 6 For in Scripture it says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame." NIV Everything we believers base on entire life upon must be this corner stone. If we are the living stones being built by God into His temple then all of the construction is based upon Jesus Christ, the corner stone. How can we make any decisions in our life at all if we do not consider the basis for our life? How can we decide to live anyway if it is not built upon the corner stone? The question which arises from this premise has to be asked. Do we believers departmentalize our lives? Do we live one way based on our own understanding and desires for things, creature comforts, financial security and other personal agendas, in the physical realm, and then live another way or have our relationship with God only in the spiritual realm? If Christ is the cornerstone upon all else is built, then our entire life must be built on Him. Could it be if we do not trust Him with every aspect of our lives and we endeavor by our own strength to gain some form of success or security that we might be in danger of being put to shame? After all what does it mean to trust in him? What does it mean to be built into the temple of God using Jesus Christ as the cornerstone or foundation of that temple? I believe there must be a complete trust for every aspect of life if we are going to be never put to shame. Unbelievers are watching every move we make and as we confess our faith in Jesus, but live with the same desires for the things of the world as they do, is that not shameful? Do they not ridicule us and accuse us as being hypocritical? No, if we are living stones, and God is placing us where He desires and our lives are based on Christ, then we must live as living stones basing all we do and say upon the cornerstone. He sets the straightness of our lives. We cannot afford to be lazy about living for God. We cannot allow anyone but God to build us up into what He desires us to be. The world will only drag us down, God will build us up. Who every wants to hear those words, “Shame on you”?

His Not Ours

DEVOTION 1 PETER HIS NOT OURS 1 Peter 2:4-6 4 As you come to him, the living Stone — rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For in Scripture it says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame." NIV What does it mean to be a living stone? First, I think we have to come to terms with the simple fact a stone does not get to pick where in the building it is placed. The builder sets out all his stones and looks to see which one would be best in which location. Of course in the case God is the building and He is building His church, His temple, a place where He will reside so to speak. If we think for one moment that we have the freedom to choose how we will serve the Kingdom of God, I think we might me just a bit mistaken. Sure we have the free will to choose to follow Jesus, to accept Him as our Lord and Savior, but after that God makes the choice as to where we should be serving as a member of His church. He knows us better then we know ourselves and fits us together perfectly with other believers so that His temple is just the way He wants it. I think we get in trouble when we allow our feelings, our emotions, or our self-centeredness to rule over what local church we attend. Sometimes we are drawn based on the personality of the Pastor, sometimes we leave because of the same, or because something changed that we do not like, or that we were not being paid enough attention to by the pastor, or as host of other selfish reasons. What if that is where God had placed us as His loving stone? What if that is the precise location God wanted to do something wonderful in our lives? What if that is where He was going to use us for the advancement of His Kingdom, and we walked out because someone or something offended us? I do not think God allows all the stones to keep moving around in His temple until they find a place to fulfill their self-centered ego. I believe we need to stay focused on the task God has given each one of us in the place He has called or placed us within His temple. Perhaps the actual physical locations are not as important, maybe He does move us around from time to time into a newer better location within His temple, but the key is He moves us, not we move us. The point is we are His living stones, not ours.

A Delightful Taste

DEVOTION 1 PETER A DELIGHTFUL TASTE 1 Peter 2:1-3 2:1 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. NIV It does seem to be an extra ordinary delight when tasting something which is so very good. There is a savoring of the flavor, as it satisfies the taste buds of the tongue, sending signals of enjoyment to the brain. Then the desire to enjoy that taste more, and more until it is finished, but then a remembering and a waiting until once more that taste is upon the plate. This is how it is with the Lord, once we have tasted, experienced the Lord in our life, what else is there. That is the only taste which will satisfy our soul. We could spend out whole life in pursuit of other tastes and all would fall short compared to the flavor of the Lord. In fact, many people do pursue after those other tastes only to find no real enjoyment, no true goodness. Their lives are empty shells never truly filled to the brim with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control. The Lord is so good to us, he blesses our lives with so much deep within our spirits. It may be true some unbelievers have an abundance of material goods, but their lives are still empty, void of the taste of the Lord. They do not know real joy, the true peace, and the overwhelming love of God. It does not matter the amount of worldly goods we have, if we have tasted and seen how good the Lord is. He has saved us, He has given us new life, eternal life. What else could ever compare to that taste? And once we have tasted how good the Lord is, we desire more and more, we cannot get enough, we cannot wait until we can have more, but the truth is we can have all we would ever want, we can continue to taste and enjoy the Lord ever moment of every day, never having to give up that taste, never having to be without that taste. We can be filled to the brim with the good taste of the Lord. Perhaps some believers allow other tastes to filter in and dilute the taste of the Lord, or maybe just trying to mix in tastes of this world, trying new recipes and that is a shame, for He is the most delightful taste ever enjoyed.

Rid and Crave

DEVOTION 1 PETER RID AND CRAVE 1 Peter 2:1-3 2:1 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. NIV It seems like a fairly simply task to rid oneself of these feeling, these emotions, or behaviors. But yet it might not be as easy as just simply. The putting away is the part which requires effort or at least a choice not to allow those behaviors to reign supreme. I would think acting in a vicious manner would not be a part of any believer’s life, nor having any deceit, endeavoring to trick others into either believing or acting in any way contrary to the Word of God. I would not think any believer would even try portraying themselves as without sin, which I think is one of the greatest hypocrisies. And who would ever envy another if they love them, would they not want others to have the very best? And it goes without saying that any believer would ever say anything negative about anyone, right? So then it is easy to rid oneself of these after all. Once accomplished, which should only take a moment or two, we should be craving after this pure spiritual milk. I think it is so true as a person becomes a new believer this craving is so natural, thirsting after the Word of God, as if not able to get enough of it, but what happens, does that craving wear off? Do we begin to think we know enough about God, and His word that we no longer crave after it? Do we just kinds live a little about it, sharing it with the ways of the world? Do we learn enough to find places where we can use it to justify the way we think we should live? What is growing up in salvation? Does this imply we should be growing more and more like Jesus, and less and less like the way we used to live? Does this mean living by God’s principles rather than the world’s? The natural order of human behavior is opposed to God, but we must be opposed to the natural order of human behavior because we have been born again into a new life. So then it is rid and crave.

Preach it

DEVOTION 1 PETER PREACH IT 1 Peter 1:22-25 22 Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. 23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. 24 For, "All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, 25 but the word of the Lord stands forever." And this is the word that was preached to you. NIV In a sense this purification is only due to the choice to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. That is the obeying the truth spoken of here, for we all know there is not a single other thing we can do which would make us pure enough to enter the Kingdom of God. This purification of our hearts, this new birth has changed us from a people who did not love one another into people who do, and not just this fake out in the open love, this façade kind of love, but a love which drives us to action for the benefit of others. This deep love from the heart is what causes us to share the good news with them, so they will not perish in the lake of burning sulfur, but rather enter into the paradise of God with us. If we keep our mouths shut than I am afraid we really are not obeying the truth. Sincere love demands we share the gospel message, what greater expression of love could there be? If we have been born of imperishable seed, and allow others we know and meet to stay born of perishable seed, how is that love, much less sincere deep love from our hearts? We much preach it, teach it, speak of it, make it the main focus of our life, show our love by our actions yes, but also by our words. How can we stand idle and watch those we love who have not accepted Christ to simply go their merry way, without make every effort to explain the truth about Jesus Christ? Sure, they may reject him, but that is a choice they get to make, but if we do not share the Gospel we are making the choice for them and that is simply not loving them, but condemning them to perish. No we must preach it!

The Only Hope

DEVOTION 1 PETER THE ONLY HOPE 1 Peter 1:17-21 17 Since you call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear. 18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 20 He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. 21 Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God. NIV Has there been any one every raised from the dead by some god of men other than the almighty God who created Heaven and Earth? Not every recorded for man to read about is what I have to come conclude. Perhaps that is because it has never happened by one of these false gods. Maybe that is because they do not even exist as they are nothing more than gods created by men to deflect their minds, which have been deceived by Satan, from the one and true God. He is the God who raises people from the dead. He raised Jesus as the first born of all who will be raised who believe in him. God knew as he created man, he would create him with the capacity to make up his own mind, to have a choice in the way he would live, free will. God knew man would choose the wrong way. He did not stop him because he already had a plan to bring about a way for his creation to be redeemed through the blood of Jesus Chris. God has always had this plan and His plan will always succeed because is the one true God. The only hope anyone ever will have is to believe in God, the creator of all things, the one Holy True Almighty God, and not some god of their own making. No matter what men may say about their gods, they are not the God of the Bible. He is the God who is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They are just a god made by men. What have their gods planned for man? The God we serve is who all need to have faith in. He is the only way, the only hope.

Strangers

DEVOTION 1 PETER STRANGERS 1 Peter 1:17-21 17 Since you call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear. 18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 20 He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. 21 Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God. NIV Is it not a wonderful thing to have a Father who does not treat one person any better and any worse than any other person? It is surely not like that here in the world of gods and men. Some men have a god who demands the death of those who do not worship him as they do. Some gods are nothing more than figures composed of various metals or stone that can do no judging at all. Other gods are those inanimate objects men decide to consider so valuable they spend their lives in pursuit after them, but all of them fall into the category of those perishable things. Our God is alive and well and He sees all men as equal in His sight. Each person who has ever lived has the same opportunity to accept Him as their God or reject Him and He will judge each man’s work or act, or by implication choice. This leaves those who have chosen to live according to His ways rather the worlds to live here as a stranger, as foreign resident, having no citizenship in this world. How many implications does that stir in our minds? We have been called God’s ambassadors, representing our sovereign King in a foreign land, speaking for Him. As such we are not subject the laws which govern the behaviors of this foreign land. We do not live as they do, we do not seek after the same things they do, we do not worship the things they do, we do not conduct the affairs of our life as they do and we do not use the same principles to guide our decisions as they do. Our life is different in every aspect from those who have rejected the Father for some other god of their making. We are not to live an empty life that was handed down to us by the way of the world. That is how we are admonished to live in the passage. The question we must ask ourselves, is are we? Have we allowed the world to infiltrate the way we think and behave or are we making every effort to infiltrate the thinking and behavior of the world? Are we in fact strangers here for our citizenship is in heaven?

Prepare Your MInd

DEVOTION 1 PETER PREPARE YOUR MIND 1 Peter 1:13-16 13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. 14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy." NIV Because he has given us a new birth, because it is into a new inheritance, because it is keep in heaven for us and it will never fade, spoil or perish, because we love him, because we are receiving the goal of our faith, the salvation of our souls, therefore. That is it in a nutshell, therefore, because of all this we need to prepare our minds for action. This would imply, not it outright declares we cannot just sit and soak in the pew of some church. We need to prepare, we need to diligently search the scriptures, we need to learn and grow in our faith making the Word of God so much a part of our thinking process that it dominates our every choice in life. This is so we will no longer conform to the evil desires we once had. This is even for those who think they have been believers since the time they exited the womb. No matter how young the conversion experience once every one of us lived in ignorance. So we all need to prepare our minds for action, we need to be actively involved in building our mental capacity regarding the Holy Scriptures. That would seem to me a never ending process. There is no such thing as arriving at the place where no more preparation is needed, they we have learned all there is to learn, and we have completely achieved a successful non-conformity to the old ways when we lived in ignorance. It would seem the reason for this preparation of our minds is so we can be set apart for God, so we can be pure, morally blameless and consecrated. There is an effect on our part in this life we live, a pattern of choices made each and every day we live for God. We can choose to think about what we think about. We can determine to think about God and how he would have us live, or we could think about the ways of the world and how everyone else who refuses God thinks. It is God we makes us holy, it is God who sets us apart, it is God who consecrates us, justifies us, sanctifies us, but it is us who prepare our minds.

Search

DEVOTION 1 PETER SEARCH 1 Peter 1:10-12 10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, 11 trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things. NIV It would appear these men of old, this prophets who heard from God, who were inspired by the Spirit of God to pen words of coming events, did due diligence to determine when all they knew was to happen, would in fact happen. As we see it was revealed to them that the time would be after the end of their time on the earth. But that mattered not to them for they were convinced of the salvation that would come. I think it would do us well to engage in due diligence searching the scriptures for the truth of God. If even the angels long to look into the truths of God and how all this is going to play out in the end times, how much more should we. Perhaps too many believers have a tendency to stay clear of the revelation to John claiming it is too complicated to understand. The prophets understood the words they wrote were about things that would happen later on and that they were surely serving those who would live after them. Would it not do us good to understand that which is going to happen so that we might share that knowledge with those who have not yet heard what is going to happen, thus not just serving ourselves, but serving them, as the prophets did? We need to study the scriptures, searching intently for the truths of God so that we might be able to serve those who need to hear. I am sure that is the main purpose so many believers have written books to help people, to guide people to the truths, or to inspire them to search the scriptures. This is why I write, not only for finding the truth for myself, but to inspire others to see the truths as well. Should not we all be engaged in the search and in the service to others, not only sharing the gospel with them, but what is to become of them if they accept or refuse? If the prophets and the angels searched then who are we not to? Are we so enlightened already that we need not search? I think it must be a daily, lifelong endeavor. Search!

Praise, Glory and Honor

DEVOTION 1 PETER PRAISE, GLORY AND HONOR 1 Peter 1:6-9 6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that your faith — of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire — may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. NIV What we are rejoicing in is from the last statement of our spirits being shielded by Gods power and having an inheritance that will never spoil or fade. Here we see that there may be times when in the physical realm troubles might well come our way. Within the Greek text it would imply these troubles are nothing more than temptations by which we are subject to because we are human and we need not grieve because they are opportunities to prove our faith. The unsaved are captive to these temptations, but we believers even though we may fall prey to them at times we are not lost within them, for we have a savior which shred his blood for the forgiveness of our sins. Perfection will never be attained and so failure to achieve a total sinless state only proves the need for Jesus Christ as Savior. It proves we need this faith because without it we are lost, doomed to perish. It is our faith which brings praise, glory and honor to Jesus at his coming. We will be like an army of his showing those who had refused him how great he really is, and that those who had faith in him were the right ones. This brings him honor, glory and praise. Our faith is not about us, but about him. Even though we will receive a great reward as a result of our faith in Christ, it is about him. We need to live demonstrating our faith and in doing so we might find some form of suffering which again is just a temptation to give up and give in to the ways of the world rather than stand for the principles of Christ. When Jesus comes back, we will have great and glorious joy because we will be ushered into the paradise he had prepared for us. Whether he comes or is revealed to each one of us as we die, or that is when he returns in the physical to gather his church, the time we are united with our bodies to meet him in the air, it all is to bring praise, glory and honor to him. The world may think we are stupid to believe in what we cannot see, and to love someone who cannot be seen, but we know the truth and it has set us free from the foolish thinking of this world. This too will bring him praise, glory and honor.

Shielded

DEVOTION 1 PETER SHIELDED 1 Peter 1:3-5 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade — kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. NIV Imagine being shielded by the power of God! Imagine having God stand guard as a sentinel upon the wall of his great fortress keeping watch over those who love him and are within his kingdom. What enemy could possible mound an effective attack against such a guardian? We must continue in the faith that God is our mighty fortress. Faith is one of the weapons, one of the armor God has equipped us with. One of those weapons is the shield of faith, which is what he is, the shield which extinguishes the flaming arrows of the enemy who is trying to destroy our souls. But we have nothing to fear from Satan for God stands watch and He guards us against such things. Although I once lived outside the walls of this great fortress and did not have the power of God guarding over me, now I cannot imagine how horrible it must be to live outside the walls of His kingdom without the power of his shield. I cannot fathom being under the deceptive power of Satan, being exposed to his evil influence. Why would anyone stay outside the protection of God’s powerful shield? He is keeping watch over us within His kingdom so we will be safe until the day He reveals the salvation He has prepared for the last time. He has prepared a place for us, as we finish this phase of life and step into eternity into His very presence within His paradise. It could also been seen as the Day of Judgment when all believers will be ushered into the new city of Jerusalem. Whichever it happens to be I am absolutely fine with that, it only matters that I am going to be way ever He is, as has prepared for me to be with Him. In the meantime I am under the most powerful shield in all creation. We all are guarded, under the watchful eye of God against anything which would destroy us. Satan has no offense against God’s power, against His shield.

Resurrection

DEVOTION 1 PETER RESURRECTION 1 Peter 1:3-5 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade — kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. NIV What other gods that people worship can say their god died for them and was raised from the dead to be a living Savior? This is the core issue of our faith. Jesus is the firstborn of the resurrection. True he resurrected Lazarus from the dead, but that was to prove it is within the power of God to raise all of us from the dead. OH death where is thy sting! It would seem to me that as much effort the human race exerts in trying to extent their lifespans, cheating death or at least prolonging life and putting off the inevitable, they would see the wonderful truth of the resurrection. Death is not the end of life, but merely the next step in eternal life. The main difference between believers and non-believers is that those who believe have already begun their eternal life, while those who do not believe are only living a temporal life that will someday end. It is beyond me why they cannot see that. Or is it they have been so deceived by Satan they are blinded to the truth? If our inheritance will never perish, spoil or fade, it is obvious that their will. If ours is kept in heaven, theirs is not. If we are shielded by God’s power, they are not. What a horrible existence they must live, knowing they have nothing awaiting for them at the end of their lives. Maybe that is why they spend their days trying to satisfy the desires of their flesh, they have nothing else. They have no hope, no peace, and no joy. They will not be partakers in the resurrection. We, the believers in Christ Jesus have a living hope, he is alive and is our hope, as the living savior of our souls. God has shown his mercy and given us this new birth, we have been born again a new creation in Christ. We have overcome the ways of the world and accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior. We are once again in the paradise of God and able to eat from the tree of life, living forever. It does not depend on how good we are, or on how well we can keep from sinning, for that is impossible in these bodies we live in, yes we should try as best we can. But what it does depend on is our overcoming the deception of Satan and seeing the truth of God, accepting his mercy, accepting his salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. We are in the resurrection.

In Abundance

DEVOTION 1 PETER IN ABUNDANCE 1 Peter 1:1-2 1:1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God's elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, 2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance. NIV It is time to accept this grace and peace and to expect it receive an abundance of it. Of course this grace is that which is the one defined as the divine influence upon the heart and it reflection in the life of the one influenced. This has to be in a certain sense a partnership with the Holy Spirit. As much as he might be dedicated to influencing our hearts toward the truth of God, we must open our heart and receive or accept that influence. There is still a choice to be made each and every day of our lives as to whether or not we are going to paid attention to what he is saying. What greater influence could they be than his? It has to be clear that another is trying his best to influence us toward behaviors and beliefs that would offend God. He may be shorting loudly and is easy to hear, as the Holy spirit whispers softly and gently the right way to go. The picture of those two on each shoulder of a person giving advice as to which way to go, comes to mind. But they is only one good choice, accept the grace of God, resist the devil and he will flee from us. If conjunction which this divine influence comes peace or rest as well as a spiritual prosperity beyond anything the human mind could manufacture. Although people try to provide they own peace of mind or security by the accumulation of wealth for their future, it is a futile effort for they never have enough. The only true peace of mind comes from the knowledge of salvation through Jesus Christ. The only future which is secure is that which is in Christ. This rest is a true rest, a reality in which a person can find freedom from worry, anxieties, stress, despondency and a host of other debilitating feelings. Why another would refuse should a wonderful state of spiritual prosperity is beyond reason. How could any amount of this worlds wealth and pleasures replace this incredible influence and peace which comes from knowing God has sanctified, made us holy, through the blood of Jesus? I will take this in abundance.

He Knows

DEVOTION 1 PETER HE KNOWS 1 Peter 1:1-2 1:1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God's elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, 2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: NIV Having dealt with the elect I suppose it would only be fitting I should look into this word foreknowledge and of what. Of course there is nothing other than God already knowing everything there ever was, is and will ever be and that it can never be refuted he already knows what he is going to do and how he is going to do it. That is extremely difficult for the human mind to even comprehend because of our limits to a linear existence. We have a past, present and a future, remembering most of the past is not too difficult, being aware of our present is fairly easy, but it is absolutely impossible for us to know our future, with God that impossibility not only exists but He determines the future. He knows what he is going to do and how each person is going to react to his actions, of course still allowing each of us to make that choice as to how we react. Here in this passage he has declared that those Jews, his chosen people, although there is no word in the Greek text that could be translated chosen and most other translations do not include it either, will be sanctified by the Holy Spirit for the purpose of being obedient to Jesus Christ through his shred blood for their sins. Here it is in a nutshell, as we believers internalize this today. God had determined when he created man, knowing ahead of time that this complex being he created had to process through in order to understand his relationship with God. Adam simply could not just be a robot, God did not intent that, he gave him the ability to choose and choose he did as God knew he would. So God has already determined to lead his people through the process of sacrificing for disobedience so that when in the time line of our linear thinking, he sent Jesus to be the ultimate sacrifice, so we would understand. He knew ahead of time how he was going to make a way for us to return to a proper relationship with him. How incredible our God is. How loving and caring of him to make this way. He also knows some will never accept his love, his care for them, his sending Jesus for them. He knows who will and who won’t. I wish he would make everyone accept his way, but then he would not be God, he would be an evil dictator forcing his plan on all within his power. But because he is God is allows each to decide their own future. I am eternally grateful for his plan, and that I heard the voice of the Holy Spirit and listened.

Strangers

Taking a break from devotion in Proverbs for awhile and getting back to the New Testament I thought it would be good to have a look at the letters God had inspired Peter to write. DEVOTION 1 PETER STRANGERS 1 Peter 1:1-2 1:1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God's elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, 2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: NIV It might be a mistake to consider this as believers being elected by God, or special people being selected and others not. If this is viewed in the context of history it would be clear Peter is writing to all the Jews, who are indeed His chosen people, who were scattered throughout much of the known world because of the persecution of those Jews who had become believers that Jesus Christ was the Messiah. Peter was also including those gentiles who had become believers in those areas as well. It is well for all believers in Christ to consider themselves as strangers in the world, aliens, foreigners, not having a citizenship here, but in the Kingdom of God. There is another way I see this in the sense of the Greek word Ekelklois stands without punctuation directly between Christ and strangers. Could it be that Peter is simply saying “ Peter an apostle of Jesus Christ elect” meaning either Peter was chosen or that Jesus is Elect, special as this same word was used for angels. In either case is it well to know that God would have us all live as strangers here, not being a partaker in the customs of this world. If we were sent to a different country in the world to live as a representative or ambassador of our sovereign, our leader, we would be expected to remain faithful to the citizenship of our country, our cultural, our ways and not become as the natives of that foreign land. This is also true in the case of us believers and this world. How many of the ideas, the concepts of this world have believers adopted? Have we bought into the beliefs of unbelievers, accepting their ways as ours, justifying them in some manner? Perhaps this idea of being a stranger implies that we are not known by those in the world. This would mean we are not like them, not in the sense of values, morals, likes, dislikes, behaviors, or for that matter even in looks. We have a countenance which reflexes our Lord Jesus Christ which is surely missing in those of this world. We must live according to the standard of the Kingdom in which our citizenship lies. Strangers.

One or the Other

DEVOTION PROVERBS ONE OR THE OTHER Prov 15:21 21 Folly delights a man who lacks judgment, but a man of understanding keeps a straight course. NIV It certainly would appear the lack of judgment is all about accepting God, His Word and His provision for the salvation of His creation. With every article of knowledge a person has to judge whether to believe it or not. With every idea, theory, or concept a person needs to judge if they are going to accept it as true or false. In many cases people make judgments but lack the understanding to make a correct one. In this case it is incorrect to judge the ways of this world as good, reasonable and worthy of adopting. It is also poor judgment to dismiss the Word of God as an invalid source of truth inspired by God to men of faith so they may record it. When these types of judgments are combined, as they usually are, it provides the open door for folly to enter. God would consider those who make those kinds of judgments simply lacking in the ability to make judgments at all. They have no wisdom, no knowledge of the facts, no solid patterns of thinking and processing information, they are in essence filly with folly or silliness, as the Hebrew would imply. The Holy Spirit is here and is working in the lives of all mankind trying to reveal the truth to them, but some simply refuse to listen because the delight in the silliness of their lives. Others, however hear the calling of the Spirit and gain an understanding of how silly life is without God. They see the truth of the ugliness of sin as revealed to them by the Spirit, and repent, accepting Jesus Christ as their Savior. They have an understanding of the truth of God. The Spirit leads them into all truths about God and his plan for their lives and in doing so He directs their steps. Once a person has an understanding, having seen the Kingdom of God, he keeps a straight course set for that kingdom. Nothing will prevent those with that of understanding from their course. They have judged correctly because they have the understanding to do so. They have left behind the folly of this world and will not be distracted by it on their course of life now set. They will not waver in their faith, their belief in God. Nothing can persuade them from their course. It may be true the better they become at staying the course, Satan will try even harder to push them off course. But it is a worthless effort for these of people of understanding, knowing the truth, having the judgment to see reality. This is the good life. Everyone will have one or the othe

Bring Joy

DEVOTION PROVERBS BRINGING JOY Prov 15:20 20 A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish man despises his mother. NIV It would seem this saying deals with the relational behaviors within the family structure. But why wouldn’t a wise man also bring joy to his mother as well as a foolish man despising his father? One commentator of the eighteenth century would suggest young men despise their mothers because of the weakness of the feminine mind. This of course is absurd and could only be said because of the cultural views of men in those days. This only proves this has a meaning far beyond the earthy family relationships and how they have been perceived in certain times throughout history. I am confident God would have believers to honor both their parents equally and bring joy to both as any righteous child would. But as there is also a contrast between wise and foolish and father and mother there is also a truth about the creator and the created. There seems to be no question about those who do not believe being foolish by despising the true parent, God. They despise His truth because it exposes their disobedience. His Word shines the light into the darkness of their hearts and they cannot tolerate forsaking their passions so they despise Him. Because they hold Him in contempt they endeavor to remove any sign of Him from their view. They refuse to accept His very existence so as to be able to continue in their self-gratifying pleasures without any shame or guilt. But the believer who honors God, who honors the true parent of all mankind, brings great joy to the Father of us all. It is only the foolish who despise, while the wise that honor God. When we accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of our lives it brings a great joy to God for now he knows we love him and desires to live according to His plan for us. When we accept Jesus into our lives we are returning to the original desire of God to be in fellowship with His creation. We are once again able to walk and talk with Him in the cool of the day. We experience His care and concern for our well-being because He is a loving parent. It is truly a foolish thing to hold God in contempt as that will only result in a horrible unhappy life as well as a horrific ending to that life. Give God Joy and live!