Tag Archives: 1 peter

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Hope In Suffering

Leave a comment

Our Daily Bread

1 Peter 1:3-9

In this [living hope] you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials. —1 Peter 1:6

When I opened my Bible to read Jeremiah 1 through 4, the subhead ascribed to the book startled me: “Hope in Time of Weeping.” I almost cried. The timing was perfect, as I was walking through a season of weeping over the death of my mom.

I felt much the same way after hearing my pastor’s sermon the day before. The title was “Joy in Suffering,” taken from 1 Peter 1:3-9. He gave us an illustration from his own life: the one-year anniversary of his father’s death. The sermon was meaningful for many, but for me it was a gift from God. These and other events were indications backed up by His Word that God would not leave me alone in my grief.

Even though the way of sorrow is hard, God sends reminders of His enduring presence. To the Israelites expelled from the Promised Land due to disobedience, God made His presence known by sending prophets like Jeremiah to offer them hope—hope for reconciliation through repentance. And to those He leads through times of testing, He shows His presence through a community of believers who “love one another fervently with a pure heart” (1 Peter 1:22). These indications of God’s presence during trials on earth affirm God’s promise of the living hope awaiting us at the resurrection. —Julie Ackerman Link

Does Jesus care when I’ve said goodbye

To the dearest on earth to me,

And my sad heart aches till it nearly breaks,

Is it aught to Him? Does He see? O yes, He cares! —Graeff

We need never be ashamed of our tears. —Dickens

Bible in a year: Ezekiel 22-23; 1 Peter 1

Insight

The apostle Peter wrote his letters to a church that was enduring persecution for their faith. Though the “various trials” they were experiencing (1 Peter 1:6) may not be the same type of trials we must endure, the source of the strength to endure is the same. We are not alone in our trials, and our endurance in them is not due to our inner strength. It is God Himself who strengthens us to endure. We are kept by the power of God (v.5), so that our faith praises, honors, and glorifies Christ (v.7).

 

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — We’re Safe

Leave a comment

Our Daily Bread

1 Peter 1:3-5

[God] has begotten us . . . to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you. —1 Peter 1:3-4

The United States Bullion Depository in Fort Knox, Kentucky, is a fortified building that stores 5,000 tons of gold bullion and other precious items entrusted to the federal government. Fort Knox is protected by a 22-ton door and layers of physical security: alarms, video cameras, minefields, barbed razor wire, electric fences, armed guards, and unmarked Apache helicopters. Based on the level of security, Fort Knox is considered one of the safest places on earth.

As safe as Fort Knox is, there’s another place that’s safer, and it’s filled with something more precious than gold: Heaven holds our gift of eternal life. The apostle Peter encouraged believers in Christ to praise God because we have “a living hope”—a confident expectation that grows and gains strength the more we learn about Jesus (1 Peter 1:3). And our hope is based on the resurrected Christ. His gift of eternal life will never come to ruin as a result of hostile forces. It will never lose its glory or freshness, because God has been keeping and will continue to keep it safe in heaven. No matter what harm may come to us in our life on earth, God is guarding our souls. Our inheritance is safe.

Like a safe within a safe, our salvation is protected by God and we’re secure. —Marvin Williams

For Further Thought

What about your salvation brings you the greatest joy?

How does it make you feel knowing that

your salvation is kept safe with God?

An inheritance in heaven is the safest possible place.

Bible in a year: Ezra 6-8; John 21

Insight

Peter begins his first letter with a complex greeting. After addressing God’s “elect” who are strangers in the world and scattered throughout different areas (v.1), Peter uses the struggles of this life to highlight the glory and security of heaven. He speaks of the permanence of their home and inheritance in heaven—it is “kept” (v.5) and can never spoil or “fade” (v.4). Peter reminds them that they are shielded by God’s own power. He reiterates the confidence Jesus gave His followers in John 10:27-29: Those who belong to God, the elect, are held safe and secure in His hand.

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Probing Questions

Leave a comment

Our Daily Bread

1 Peter 3:8-17

Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you. —1 Peter 3:15

While riding on a train a few years after the American Civil War, General Lew Wallace of the Union Army encountered a fellow officer, Colonel Robert Ingersoll. Ingersoll was one of the 19th century’s leading agnostics, and Wallace was a man of faith. As their conversation turned to their spiritual differences, Wallace realized that he wasn’t able to answer the questions and doubts raised by Ingersoll. Embarrassed by his lack of understanding about his own faith, Wallace began searching the Scriptures for answers. The result was his confident declaration of the person of the Savior in his classic historical novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ.

Probing questions from skeptics don’t have to be a threat to our faith. Instead, they can motivate us to seek a deeper understanding and equip us to respond wisely and lovingly to those who might question our faith. The apostle Peter encouraged us to pursue the wisdom of God in the Scriptures when he wrote, “Always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:15).

We don’t have to have an answer for every question, but we need the courage, confidence, and conviction to share our love for Christ and the hope that is in us. —Bill Crowder

Christ is the ultimate answer to life’s greatest questions.

Bible in a year: 1 Kings 3-5; Luke 20:1-26

Insight

Hebrew boys in the first century were taught the Old Testament. In today’s reading, we see how Peter, a fisherman of the working class, had at his command a familiarity with the Scriptures when he quotes from Psalm 34:12-16 (vv.10-12) and Isaiah 8:12 (v.14). Peter may well have recalled these passages from memory.

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — A Better World

Leave a comment

Our Daily Bread

1 Peter 2:9-12

[Keep] your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that . . . they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God. —1 Peter 2:12

In one of my favorite Peanuts cartoons featuring Charlie Brown, the always confident Lucy declares, “How could the world be getting worse with me in it? Ever since I was born the world has shown a distinct improvement!”

Of course, Lucy is displaying an unrealistic and elevated opinion of herself, but she makes an interesting point. What if we were to try to make the world a better place by displaying the love of Christ wherever God has placed us?

When Peter wrote to persecuted believers, he advised them to “[keep] your conduct honorable” (1 Peter 2:12) by doing good deeds that will ultimately bring glory to God. In other words, we can make our world a better place through our actions. Think of the difference that Christlike deeds of love, mercy, forgiveness, justice, and peace would make in our world. I’ve always thought that if we lived out this verse, people might say, “Our office is a better place because ______ works here.” Or, “Our neighborhood is a better neighborhood.” Or, “Our school is a better school.”

We can’t change the entire world singlehandedly, but by God’s grace we can let the difference Christ has made in us make a difference in the world around us. —Joe Stowell

Love is giving for the world’s needs,

Love is sharing as the Spirit leads,

Love is caring when the world cries,

Love is compassion with Christlike eyes. —Brandt

Everyone can do something to make the world better—we can let Christ shine through us.

Bible in a year: Judges 7-8; Luke 5:1-16

Insight

Peter wrote to encourage believers in Asia Minor (modern Turkey) who were being persecuted because they were Christians. Verses 11-12 contain the summary application of Peter’s exhortation: Christians are to live honorable and blameless lives and do good works before an unbelieving and hostile world so that those who don’t believe can be won to the Lord. Peter reminded them that they were chosen by God to be His people for this purpose of witnessing and testifying to God’s love (vv.9-10) and were to be ready to share the gospel when the opportunity presented itself (3:15-16). The apostle Paul also exhorted his readers to live godly lives (Rom. 13:12-13; Phil. 2:15; Col. 4:3-6; 1 Thess. 4:12; Titus 2:7-8; 3:8,14).

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Load Line

Leave a comment

Our Daily Bread

1 Peter 5:5-9

Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. —1 Peter 5:6-7

In the 19th century, ships were often recklessly overloaded, resulting in those ships going down and the crews being lost at sea. In 1875, to remedy this negligent practice, British politician Samuel Plimsoll led the charge for legislation to create a line on the side of a ship to show if it was carrying too much cargo. That “load line” became known as the Plimsoll Line, and it continues to mark the hulls of ships today.

Sometimes, like those ships, our lives can seem overloaded with fears, struggles, and heartaches. We can even feel that we are in danger of going under. In those times, however, it is reassuring to remember that we have a remarkable resource. We have a heavenly Father who stands ready to help us carry that load. The apostle Peter said, “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6-7). He is capable of handling the cares that overwhelm us.

Though the testings of life may feel like a burden too heavy to bear, we can have full assurance that our heavenly Father loves us deeply and knows our load limits. Whatever we face, He will help us to bear it. —Bill Crowder

Heavenly Father, I sometimes feel as if I can’t go

on. I am tired, I am weak, and I am worn. Thank You

that You know my limits better than I do. And that, in

Your strength, I can find the enablement to endure.

God may lead us into troubled waters to deepen our trust in Him.

Bible in a year: Exodus 7-8; Matthew 15:1-20

 

 

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Coade Stone

Leave a comment

Our Daily Bread

1 Peter 2:1-10

Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious. —1 Peter 2:4

Throughout London, there are statues and other items made from a unique building material called Coade stone. Developed by Eleanor Coade for her family business in the late 1700s, this artificial stone is virtually indestructible and has the capacity to withstand time, weather, and man-made pollution. Though it was a marvel during the Industrial Revolution, Coade stone was phased out in the 1840s following Eleanor’s death, and it was replaced by Portland cement as a building material. In spite of that, however, there remain today dozens of examples of this sturdy, ceramic-like stone that have withstood the harsh London environment for over 150 years.

The apostle Peter described Jesus as a living stone. He wrote, “Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house” (1 Peter 2:4-5). Precious in the eyes of the Father is the sacrifice of the Rock of our salvation. Christ is the enduring stone upon which the Father has built our salvation and the only foundation for meaningful life (1 Cor. 3:11).

It is only as our lives are built upon His strength that we will be able to endure the harshness of life in a fallen world. —Bill Crowder

My hope is built on nothing less

Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;

I dare not trust the sweetest frame,

But wholly lean on Jesus’ name. —Mote

We have nothing to fear if we stay close to the Rock of Ages.

Bible in a year: Isaiah 47-49; 1 Thessalonians 4

 

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Testimony Begins with “Test”

Leave a comment

Joyce meyer

Consider it wholly joyful, my brethren, whenever you are enveloped in or encounter trials of any sort or fall into various temptations.—James 1:2

I’m sure you know people with amazing stories of the way God has worked in their lives. I always love to hear a great testimony, but I also know that behind every extraordinary account of someone’s life lies some kind of challenge or difficulty. No one ever has a testimony without a test.

We must pass all kinds of tests as we go through our lives, and passing them is part of never giving up. It’s vital for us to understand the important role that tests and trials play in our lives, because understanding them helps us endure them and actually be strengthened by them. Everything God permits us to go through will ultimately be good for us—no matter how much it hurts, how unfair it is, or how difficult it is.

When we encounter tests and trials, if we will embrace them and refuse to run from them, we will learn some lessons that will help us in the future and make us stronger.

One reason we must go through trials is to test our quality (1 Pet. 4:12). Often, we find ourselves wishing we had the faith of Sister so-and- so or Brother so-and-so. I can assure you, if they have a strong and vibrant faith, they did not develop it easily. Just as muscles are strengthened through exercise, firm faith comes from the furnace of affliction.

Sometimes people say to me, “Oh, I wish I had the kind of ministry you have, Joyce.” Well, I did not get it by wishing. These people didn’t see when I was feeling I couldn’t hold on one more second, begging God to help me to not quit or give up. They don’t know the tests and trials I’ve faced along the way.

No one who does anything worthwhile for God has traveled an easy road. Doing great things for God requires character, and character is developed by passing life’s tests and staying faithful to Him through the trials.

Trust in Him: God has a unique plan for your life. Trust Him when you go through tests, knowing that they are strengthening and preparing you for the great things He has planned specifically for you.

 

 

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Trusting Is God’s Gift

Leave a comment

dr_bright

“Because of His kindness you have been saved through trusting Christ. And even trusting is not of yourselves; it too is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good we have done, so none of us can take any credit for it.” (Ephesians 2:8,9).

Joe had asked Jesus to come into his life many times but was never sure of his salvation. “How can I be sure I’m a Christian and will go to heaven when I die?” he asked.

I explained that it was not enough to ask Jesus to come to live within us and forgive our sins. We must believe that He will do exactly what He promised to do. By faith, we must be able to say, “I know that Jesus is the Son of God, that He died for my sins, that He was raised from the dead and that He will come into my life and change me if I ask Him to. I know that He will make me His child and never leave me because all of these are promises from God’s holy, inspired Word. Therefore, I believe the promise of Ephesians 2:8,9 – that I attain salvation through trust in Christ.”

Through the years I have seen thousands of individuals profess faith in Christ after hearing or reading John 1:12, (KJV) “But as many received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God,” and Revelation 3:20, where Jesus promised, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him” (NAS). But not everyone with whom I have prayed has received the assurance of salvation. The reason? It is not enough to ask Christ into our lives; we must believe His promise, “For by grace you have been saved through faith” (Ephesians 2:8, NAS).

Bible Reading: I Peter 1:3-9

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: Have I been asking Jesus Christ into my life frequently through the years, but am not sure He is there, not sure of eternal life, or that I would go to heaven if I died today? If so, I will pray, “Right now, Lord Jesus, whatever may have taken place in my life prior to this moment, I want to declare that I believe in You as my Savior and wish to follow You as my Lord. So, for the last time, I invite You to come into my life. Forgive my sins; cleanse me; make me the kind of person You want me to be. By faith in You and in the authority of Your inspired Word, I now acknowledge that You live within me, and I believe Your promise, ‘I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you.’* Therefore, I will never insult You by asking You to into my life again, but will hereafter thank You daily that You indwell me, that I have eternal life and that through the enabling of Your power I can live a supernatural life. *Hebrews 13:5, NAS.

 

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – Tests are Temporary

Leave a comment

Max Lucado

All tests are temporary, limited in duration. 1 Peter 1:6 says, “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.”  Some tests end on earth, but all tests will end in heaven, right?

In the meantime, let God train you.  He watches the way you handle the little jobs. Jesus promised in Matthew 25:21, “If you are faithful over a few matters, I will set you over many.” Do you aspire to great things?  Excel in the small things. Don’t complain.  Let others grumble.  Not you. When you’re given a task, take it. When you see a hurt, address it.  Compassion matters to God.

This is the time for service, not self-centeredness. Cancel the pity party.  Love the people God brings to you. He will work in you what is pleasing to Himself.  And you will get through this!

From You’ll Get Through This

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Shrug Therapy

Leave a comment

Joyce meyer

Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully. —1 Peter 5:7

There are some things you can control in life—your choice of job, who your friends are, what you do for fun. There are others you can’t—what other people say and do, the fluctuations of the stock market, the flat tire you got this morning. How you react to things you can’t control helps determine your stress level and quality of health. People who regularly get upset over small things suffer in many ways. People who shrug them off do a lot better. The Bible calls it “casting your care.”

Shrugging doesn’t mean indifference; it simply means acknowledging that there is nothing you can do to change things at that particular moment. The flat tire has already happened; dealing with it by calling AAA makes sense, throwing a tantrum and kicking it doesn’t. The low-stress approach is to shrug things off. Life happens. God works in mysterious ways.

If you trust Him to work things out, you’ll navigate the dips of life with barely a blip. I spend time ministering in India and Africa, and I’m confronted with the terrible poverty and hunger I see there. I care very deeply for these people and do everything I can to alleviate it, but I realize I am only one person and can only make my contribution. I can let it burn me up and shake my fist at the unfairness of it all, but what does that accomplish, other than make me sick and possibly render me unable to do anything?

I do what I can, but I don’t get upset about what is beyond my control. Do your best, pray, and God will do the rest!

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Submit to Suffering

Leave a comment

Joyce meyer

So, since Christ suffered in the flesh for us, for you, arm yourselves with the same thought and purpose [patiently to suffer rather than fail to please God]. —1 Peter 4:1

It is important to understand the difference between suffering in the flesh and suffering demonic affliction. Giving up the selfish appetites of our flesh does not mean we are to suffer from sickness, disease, and poverty. Jesus died to deliver you from the curse of sin. But unless you are willing to suffer in the flesh you will never walk in the will of God.

When you get up in the morning, set your thoughts on walking in God’s will all day long. You might even say to yourself, “Even if I need to suffer in order to do God’s will today, I am setting my mind for obedience.” Tonight, purpose in your heart that you will face tomorrow with determination to please God no matter the cost.

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – He Cares About You

Leave a comment

Max Lucado

Maybe you don’t want to trouble God with your hurts.  After all, “He’s got famines and pestilence and wars. He won’t care about my little struggles,” you think.  Why don’t you let Him decide that?

Jesus cared enough about a wedding to provide the wine. He cared enough about the woman at the well to give her answers.  1 Peter 5:7 says, “He cares about you.”

Your first step is to go to the right person.  Go to God.  Your second step is to assume the right posture.  Bow before God.  Luke 18:7 reminds us, “God will always give what is right to His people who cry to Him night and day, and He will not be slow to answer them.”

Listen to the prayer in Psalm 25:1-2: “Lord, I give myself to You, my God.  I trust You.”  So, go…bow…and trust.  It’s worth a try, don’t you think?

Uncategorized

Joyce Meyer – Taking Responsibility for Yourself

Leave a comment

 

But they will have to give an account to Him Who is ready to judge and pass sentence on the living and the dead. —1 Peter 4:5

I once had an employer who took advantage of me. He required me to work so many hours that it kept me from spending proper time with my family. I was worn out and never had time for myself. He never showed appreciation and no matter what I did he always expected something more. If I even mildly indicated that I might not be able to comply with one of his requests, his anger would start to surface, and I would cave in and agree to do what he had asked of me.

As I was praying about the situation one day and moaning to God about how unfair it was, He said, “What your boss is doing is wrong, but you not confronting him is just as wrong.” This was hard for me to hear. Like most people I wanted to blame someone else for my lack of courage. Had I not been a people-pleaser and had I not been afraid, I would have saved myself about five years of being so stressed that it eventually made me very sick. My boss wasn’t my problem; I was my problem.

It is important to realize that God has given you authority first and foremost over your own life. If you don’t accept and exercise that authority, you may spend your life blaming others for things you should be doing something about. You should make your own decisions according to what you believe God’s will is for you.

On Judgment Day God will not ask anyone else to give an account of your life; He will ask only you (See Matthew 12:36 and 1 Peter 4:5)! What if Jesus asks you on Judgment Day why you never got around to fulfilling His call on your life? Are you going to tell Him people took advantage of you and you just couldn’t do anything about it? Are you going to tell Him you were so busy pleasing people you just never got around to pleasing Him? If you do offer those types of excuses, do you really believe they will be acceptable?

Uncategorized

Charles Stanley – The Blessing of Loving Others

1 Comment

 

1 Peter 1:22

If we responded simply out of natural impulses, we would probably be nice when people were kind. At other times, though, we’d most likely be vengeful, angry, or hurtful.

Yet Jesus clearly teaches us to love even when the people around us seem unlovable. And He lived out what He taught: Christ loved us enough to die for us while we were still sinners (Rom. 5:8). Surely, by acting out of His strength and with gratitude for what He did, we—His followers—can love others (1 John 3:14).

While it can certainly be challenging to respond to unkindness with love, such godly behavior can lead to great blessing. First, the Father is pleased; this realization should bring His children joy, peace, and a sense of accomplishment. Next, believers ought to feel excitement and anticipation to watch how God will move in the relationship. Finally, there will be an awareness that the Holy Spirit is working from within, enabling divine love to flow through yielded human lives.

John 13:35 tells of another important benefit: Jesus said, “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” Since unconditional godly love is uncommon in our world, people will notice.

Treating others the way that we want to be treated is what builds the deep, satisfying connections that all people desire. Without significant relationships, life lacks meaning—regardless of how many possessions or acquaintances we may have. So think about the people you come in contact with throughout the week. Are you treating them in the way that Jesus modeled?

Uncategorized

Joyce Meyer – Exchange Ashes for Beauty

Leave a comment

 

[Cast] all your care upon him; for he careth for you. —1 Peter 5:7 KJV

Do you know God wants to take care of you? It’s true. He wants you to give Him all your cares, your problems, your failures—your “ashes”—and in exchange He will give you beauty.

Many people want God to take care of them, but they continue worrying or trying to figure out the answers to their problems instead of waiting for His direction. They continue to wallow in their “ashes” and expect God to give them beauty. But it doesn’t work that way—God can only give you beauty when you give Him the ashes.

It’s a great privilege to be cared for by the King of kings, so give up your worries and concerns to Him and enjoy His protection, stability, and fullness of joy.