1 Peter 4:7 - Part II

“The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray.”

Last time we talked about how to live like the end is near. I ran out of space to talk about the rest of the verse, so we’ll hit that today.

First, Peter tells us to be clear minded. What does that mean? It means that we should be of sound mind, self-restrained, and sober. In other words, we should be the exact opposite of the vices listed in 1 Peter 4:3. Because the end is near, we should be focused and serious about the tasks God has given us. We tend to forget that we are not guaranteed tomorrow – we could die at anytime. So while Jesus may not return anytime soon, we are going to go see him…

Second, Peter says that we should be self-controlled. Would you describe yourself as self-controlled? How about your parents? Your friends? To live the life of Christ, we must learn to control “self”. If you want to succeed in anything: school, work, getting in shape, or learning a new hobby – you must be disciplined. Discipline is the ability to do what you need to do, whether you want to or not. To follow Christ, we must discipline our minds and bodies to do what Christ calls us to.

Finally, the purpose of being clear minded and self-controlled is so we can pray. Prayer requires discipline. I don’t know about you, but prayer is the one thing that I have to make myself do. I know prayer is good, I know it draws me closer to God, I know it helps the people I’m praying for…I know all of that, yet still I often must force myself to pray. Why is that?

I think other than our fallen nature; the main reason we struggle in prayer is spiritual warfare. The enemy knows how powerful prayer is. He knows that prayer is our direct connection to the God of the universe. He will do anything to keep us from that relationship. He will throw distractions (I’ll pray after I check my email), feelings of futility (I feel like I’m just talking to the ceiling), my old friend procrastination (I’ll do it later), and anything else that keeps us from conversation with God. When you are struggling to find time to pray, realize that you may be under spiritual attack, and respond with…prayer.

So, the first commandment of Peter is: Be clear-minded. Realize that the end is near (the worlds or yours) and act accordingly. The second commandment is like it: be self-controlled so you can pray. Prayer is the best thing you can do for your relationship with God, the best thing you can do for others, and the thing our enemy wants to keep you from doing. Pray, pray, pray!

I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go.” – Abraham Lincoln

1 Peter 4:7 - The End is Near

“The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray.”

Peter gets very practical from this verse till the end of the chapter. There are ten direct instructions that Peter rattles off in rapid succession – often called the 10 commandments of Peter. I’ll sum them up when we finish the chapter, but until then, soak up these valuable insights.

When I was growing up, my folks would leave my brother and me at the house while they went to the store, to dinner, or whatever. Before they left, they would say something like, “We’ll be back around 8:30 pm, make sure the dishes are put away and the living room is picked up before we get back.” So what would we do from 5:30 till 8:20? Absolutely nothing. But at 8:20, we started cleaning and putting things away like crazy. That worked out just fine most of the time.

But every once in a while, my parents would come home sooner than expected. When we heard the garage door open at 8:05, we would shoot off the couch like it was on fire and get as much done in the 2 minutes it took them to get into the house. We would get the “don’t wait until the last minute” lecture and then my parents would watch TV while we finished cleaning up. Good times.

We don’t know when Jesus is coming back. He could come back this very hour, or he may not come back for a thousand years. Because it’s been 2000 years since the promise, we often live as if Jesus isn’t coming back in our lifetime (or at all) instead of living accountable, obedient, and faithful lives. We feel that we can trash the house, ignore his instructions, and live like we please because there will be plenty of time to straighten up later.

Peter thought that he was living in the last days. Paul thought the same thing. They believed that Jesus was coming back at any moment – and it impacted the way they lived.

- They didn’t care about acquiring earthly wealth or influence because Jesus was coming to take them to heaven.
- They didn’t worry about what others thought of them because their righteous judge was coming to justify them.
- They lived only to do God’s work because they wanted to be found faithful when Jesus arrived.

As I typed those words, I was struck at how wonderfully simple their lives must have been. They only had one goal – glorify Christ. Because of their belief that Jesus was coming back soon, they didn’t get distracted by anything. To Peter, Paul, and the early church, their parents were coming home at any minute and they had stuff to do – they were focused, intense, and passionate.

Do those three words describe your Christian walk? There are millions of people who have never heard the name Jesus. There are millions of children who are starving or dying from curable diseases. There are countless people who are hurting and need a word of encouragement and comfort. Are you focused and passionate about meeting those needs? If you and I don’t meet those needs, who will?

As we sum up, the instructions that Peter gives us are predicated on the fact that the end is near. The only question is this: do you believe that the end is near? If so, live as Peter instructs. If not, live how you want and hope you don’t hear the garage door open sooner than you expect…

“But understand this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You must also be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” – Luke 12:39-40

1 Peter 4:6 - For this Reason

“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.”

Just so you know, today’s devotional will be a little longer than usual. This is a difficult passage and I’m using it as an example of how to dissect a passage of scripture for your personal study. I’ll take you through my thought process so you can see how I arrived at my conclusion and maybe it will help you as you work through challenging passages.

The first step when you encounter a challenging passage is to take the verse in context of the surrounding verses and the book as a whole. Peter wrote this book to encourage the persecuted church, or the church that was about to persecuted. Not that an author cannot change themes in the midst of a book, but it gives you a place to start.

Commentaries are a great help for this. I prefer to think and pray through the passage before I use outside help – the Holy Spirit teaching you in the best commentary. But reading the thoughts of Godly men and women who have spent their lives studying the bible is a very useful tool. Here are a few on-line resources for bible study: biblos.com, biblegateway.com, studylight.org, and bible.org. Each site is a little different and while I cannot vouch for every commentary, they seem solid at an initial glance. By the way, commentators are human, so don’t take what they say as the gospel truth – even the best scholars get things wrong.

Second, “For this is the reason…” is a good statement to begin with. Anytime a reason is explicitly stated, you have a great head start. The gospel was preached so that those who are now dead might be judged. 1 Peter 4:5 tells us that Jesus will judge the living and the dead. Have you thought about that? The reason the gospel is preached is so that we may all be judged in the light of God’s gospel. Those who believe will be judged righteous and have relationship with God. Those who refuse to believe will be judged accordingly.

Third, you have to decide if “preached to those who are now dead” means those who are dead physically or spiritually. Your answer to that question will take you down very different paths. Since Peter just finished talking about people who were physically dead, we can safely assume he is still talking about the physically dead.

Fourth, its time to tackle the big question. Did Jesus preach to the disembodied souls in Hades who died before having the opportunity to hear the gospel? It’s very possible. Peter just finished talking about preaching to the disobedient spirits from Noah’s time. Or is Peter talking about Christians who had died after hearing the gospel preached? The gospel was preached to them, they accepted it, and have since died.

Of the two, I lean toward the second statement simply because it fits with the theme of 1 Peter – encouragement to the persecuted church. This would be an encouraging message to people who could be facing death at any moment for their faith in Christ.

To finish out the verse, if you are “judged according to men in regards to the body”, or if non-believing men kill you for your faith, Christ, as your ultimate judge, will declare you righteous in regard to your eternal spirit. Those who have died bodily in the faith live on with God in Spirit. If you are killed bodily for your faith, you will live eternally with God in the Spirit. That is good news – especially for those who face persecution.

Am I 100% positive that is the proper interpretation for that passage? No. It could mean several other things. But this interpretation fits with the theme of 1 Peter and with the Bible as a whole. That brings me to the final thing to remember; hold your interpretation loosely because you might be wrong. It’s okay to be convinced and to stick to your guns, but you should never use your interpretation as a hammer to bludgeon others into submission. Humility is the best way to approach bible interpretation…

So what is the take away from this verse? Regardless of your interpretation, this truth remains. God is the God of the living and the dead. Once you die, you are not free of God’s dominion – is the God of everything, everywhere, and at every time. We will all be judged in the light of our response to the gospel of Jesus Christ. How will you be judged? How about your friends and family? Why not use this holiday season to find out…

1 Peter 4:4-5 - The Company You Keep

“They think it strange that you do no 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.”

The Bible is God’s truth; every last word of it. But some truths seem “more true” than others don’t they? To me, this is one of those statements. The bible isn’t hiding anything, if you choose to do God’s will instead of living a life of debauchery, lust, drunkenness, etc – those around you will abuse you for not living the way they do. Count on it.

Just because we know the abuse is coming doesn’t make it easy to take. And sometimes we don’t even take the abuse; we just give in and go with the pagan crowd (to use Peter’s term). Why is it so hard to do right when everyone else is doing wrong? In short, because one of our most basic needs is to be accepted. If the choice is between standing by myself with only my convictions to keep me company or leaving those convictions at home to be part of the group…you can see how some choose poorly.

I don’t know if this will help, but the choice isn’t whether you will stand all by your lonesome or go with the crowd, the choice is whether you will go with the crowd or stand with God. Many of our choices boil down to this: will I choose God or will I not choose God. And when you choose God, you never stand alone. You are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses cheering your courage and commitment.

I realize that the great cloud of witnesses doesn’t give you someone to go bowling with on Saturday night. God knows that too. If we are faithful to follow Him, He will provide what we lack. A brief testimony:

When I moved to Houston to work at the church (where I lived before the ranch), I didn’t know a soul. So I prayed for some good friends…and left it to God. Several months later, I looked around and realized that God had delivered. I had expected friends that had no connection to the church; guys I could work out with, go to the movies, watch the game, and things like that. God gave me five guys, four of whom were married with kids, and all either worked at or went to the church. They couldn’t have been more different from what I expected, but they were exactly what I needed.

God WILL supply your needs, maybe not how you expect, but better than you expect. Here’s what I mean… As the single guy, I hung out with those guys and their families all the time. I didn’t realize it, but I learned so much about being a husband and a father during those days. God knew I was going to be married in a few years and have kids soon after – He not only supplied my need for friends, he was preparing me for the next stage of my life. God is good…and He is gooder than we think!

Does a verse come to mind as you read this? How about, “Seek first His Kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be added to you…” It’s not just an often quoted verse – it’s the truth for your life and mine. God knows your needs and is ready and able to provide for them – if you will let Him. All it takes is faith to believe it and courage to act on it.

To finish with the passage, those who give you grief for not living a lifestyle of debauchery will one day answer to God Almighty. A scary thought. This promise (not all of God’s promises are positive) applies to us as well – be careful that you do not abuse another Christian for the way they live their faith…

And to sum up, when you live for Christ, you will be ridiculed and abused for not living like everyone else. But when that happens, God Himself will come to your defense. You may lose some friends in the process, but God will provide above and beyond your needs! Will you choose the crowd or God today?

** One of God’s names is: “Jehovah-Jireh”? It means, “The Lord will Provide”. He is named, “Provider” – you can trust in Him.

1 Peter 4:2-3 - God or Not God

“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.”

I love to snow ski – it’s one of my favorite things to do. Several years ago I was skiing with some friends, one of whom was very fidgety. By that I mean, at the top of every lift, he would take off his gloves to readjust his boots, fix his hat, clear his goggles, put his gloves back on, try to zip up his jacket, fail, take his gloves off again, zip up his jacket, put his gloves back on, put the straps of his poles around his wrist, and then he was ready to ski. And that is a short example…

Every lift was like that. He would also need to stop about 10 times on every run to take off his jacket, tighten his boots again, get a granola bar, dig in his pockets for a Kleenex, loosen his boots, and on and on – it was maddening! We wasted so much time messing around with useless activity that could have been spent skiing. I get frustrated just thinking about it!

I get even more frustrated thinking about all the time and resources I’ve wasted on selfish desires when I could have been living for God’s Kingdom. If you are living for yourself instead of for God’s will, you are standing at the top of a ski lift, adjusting your goggles and fiddling with your skis when you could be skiing. You are wasting your life, one precious minute at a time.

Living for God’s will does not mean that you must be a preacher or a missionary. You can live for God’s will as a student, a banker, or even an attorney. The point is not what you do, but the spirit in which you do it. A receptionist who is a light in her workplace can be every bit as effective for Christ as a missionary in Mozambique. Living for God’s will means being obedient to Him wherever you are.

A buddy of mine is a financial advisor – a challenging job in this economy. His clients ask him, “What is the absolute safest place to put my money that will guarantee a good return on my investment?” My friend doesn’t suggest bonds, gold, or mutual funds. He says, “The only guaranteed investment is to pour your resources into the Kingdom of God. The returns are guaranteed, and they will multiply and grow for eternity. Everything else is a gamble.” I doubt many of his customers what to hear that, but it is the most basic truth in the world.

How do you want to spend your life? Do you want it to matter? Do you want to build something that will last forever? Or are you content to chase the banalities that the pagans chase: sensual pleasures, drunkenness, idolatry, and frivolity? You are free to choose – but there are only two choices, you will either serve God or “not God”. What is your choice today?

“But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” – Joshua 24:15

Today

My Dallas Cowboys are struggling this year. The quarterback is injured, the coach was fired last week, and they’re in last place instead of challenging for the Super Bowl as expected. Not a good year.

But yesterday, they played an inspired game for their interim coach and spanked the hated New York Giants (ha ha!). After the game, the interim coach, Jason Garrett, was asked what message he communicated to his team in the week leading up to the game. I cannot remember the exact quote, but he said something like,

“Let’s not worry about being a great team, let’s concentrate on having a great practice on Wednesday. And then let’s have a great practice on Thursday. And once we string a few great practices together, we have the opportunity to play a great game on Sunday.”

In other words, don’t worry about things you can’t control – focus on what you can control.

Garrett’s words also apply directly to our Christian life. We spend far too much time worrying about “what is God’s will for my life”, or lamenting that we make the same mistakes over and over, or wonder why we aren’t where we think we should be spiritually. As we give more and more attention to those thoughts, we become self-focused instead of God and others focused. There is a time for introspection and self-examination, but it shouldn’t be all the time and it should always lead to action.

Instead of wondering and worrying, spend that time and energy doing what you know God has called you to do. We have our marching orders – love God and love others. If you need specific instruction: make disciples of all nations, care for the poor, the widow and the orphan, and work for justice and mercy. Focus on the things you can do today, and those other things will come about in His time.

Don’t waste your life worrying about things you can’t control. Leave your unanswered questions and concerns in God’s capable hands and go out and have a great practice today!

“I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” – 2 Corinthians 6:2b

1 Peter 4:1 - I'm Done with You, Part II

“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.”

Not too much to add today, but I wanted you to see this. It’s another contribution from Hard Sayings of the Bible (it’s a handy book!):

“The Christian who has suffered has made a decisive break with sin. This happens totally when the Christian goes to the extent of Christ and dies; but it happens in part when the Christian suffers in any way. The act of suffering for Christ makes the attractiveness of sin hollow. The believer has put all his eggs in one basket, that of Christ, and has paid too great a price to turn back now.

This explains why it is an attitude with which believers are to arm themselves. It is the attitude seen in Christ; if Peter’s readers have this attitude their own suffering will result in their “not living the rest of their earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God.

While we have chosen Christ and are solidly against sin and are making good progress in the battle, we have not yet died. We may be longing for a perfection (completely done with sin) that will only be ours in resurrection, not that very real maturity (which doesn’t mean sinless) that is possible in this world.”

To sum up, “being done with sin” doesn’t mean that you won’t sin anymore. It is a change in attitude and purpose in life. When you are done with sin, you are following Christ full-tilt regardless of the outcome because your goal in life is to do His will. If suffering comes, so be it; you don’t care about the things of the world anymore. Your focus is doing God’s will as you go to school, as you go to work, as you spend time with friends and family – you are a Christ follower…not in name, but in practice.

Honestly, I’m not there yet. I still care too much for the trappings of the world – possessions, comfort, and the opinion of others. But I hope I’m making progress and I look forward to getting there one day…how about you?

“All human sin seems so much worse in its consequences than in its intentions.” – Reinhold Niebuhr

1 Peter 4:1 - I'm Done with You

“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.”

I find the term “done with” very interesting. I searched the phrase, “done with you”, its most common usage, and came up with some goodies:

- A Papa Roach song titled, “Done with You.” I checked out the lyrics, some classic lines: You made my life completely miserable, you drove me to the edge, you’ve caused me all this pain, you can’t help me, you can’t save me, and my favorite, I’ve got a bad liver and a broken heart.

- There is an episode of the Hills called, “I’m done with You.” I think the story-line is that Heidi caught Spencer at a nightclub with another girl…oh no he di’ent!

- There was an insightful article titled, “A Few Signs He’s Done with You.”

- And naturally, there’s a Facebook page titled, “I don’t hate you, I’m just done with you.” It has 370,660 fans, as I write this.

Being done with someone or something is a common attitude. I’m done with school, I’m done with work, I’m done with laundry, I’m done with traffic, etc, etc, etc…we are “done with” things when we make the decision to stop continually pouring time, energy, and emotion into something without getting anything (except annoyance, pain, and heartache) in return.

We can’t always be done with things that we would like to be done with. You can’t be done with school when you have 18 more hours to graduate. You can’t be done with traffic when you have to commute to work. You cannot be done with the weather, even though it’s too darn hot, cold, humid, rainy, snowy, etc. Some things we cannot control…but some things we can.

For example, relationships (romantic, friends, whatever)… at some point; we need to be done with relationships that are not working. The first step in that process is to see the relationship for what it is, not what you imagine or hope it to be. It doesn’t matter if the person in question is the best looking, coolest, most popular person in the world – if they are not treating you well, cheating on you, or not holding up their end of the relationship – you have to cut them loose (or move them down the importance ladder). You need to get to the point where you are done with putting your time, energy, and emotion into a relationship that only disappoints.

And that is exactly what must happen to our relationship with sin. Sin is the ultimate all promise, no deliver relationship of all time. Have you realized that this is true in your life? Sin creates an appetite that it is incapable of filling. It starts out as fun, but eventually the fun wears out and all that is left is a hollow pit in your stomach and a trail of painful consequences.

The Papa Roach song could easily be about sin, “You made my life completely miserable, you drove me to the edge, you’ve caused me all this pain, you can’t help me, you can’t save me.” That is what sin does in our lives. Sin only destroys; it never ends in anything good. Are you done with it yet?

I’ll finish up next time – until then, spend some time thinking and praying about whether you are done with sin. Are there sins in your life that you hold onto? Are there attitudes that you are unwilling to let go? Jesus will not make you give up your sins – that is your job. Are you done with sin?

1 Peter 3:19-22 - Umm, what?

“…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.”

This is one of the most confusing verses in the whole Bible, specifically verses 19 and 20. I have a book called “Hard Sayings of the Bible” and this is their take on this passage:

“We can now summarize what the passage is saying. The Christians in Asia Minor were facing persecution and possible martyrdom. Peter calls them to look at the example of Jesus. He was, from the human point of view, killed. Yet, in fact, he rose, not simply to renewed natural life, but to transformed life in the spiritual world, and in that world he proclaimed his victory to the fallen angels who were disobedient in Noah’s day. This may have been during his ascension, for while this text does not tell us where this prison was, some Jews located it in the “second heaven” and thus on the way between earth and the heaven where God dwells. Whatever the case, in the end of this section in 1 Peter, Christ is in heaven with all spiritual beings subject to him.”

The problem people have interpreting this passage is not that it is unclear. Peter is perfectly clear – Jesus preached to the spirits in prison who disobeyed long ago – nothing foggy about that. The difficulty is that we don’t know what to do with it. How do we reconcile this statement with our experience? Who are these spirits? Are they fallen angels? Demons? Where did Jesus go to preach to them? Why did he preach to them? This passage prompts many questions that we don’t have answers to.

But just because I don’t understand something doesn’t mean that it isn’t true. For example, I don’t understand how a camera captures an image on film, but that doesn’t stop me from taking pictures. And just because you don’t understand every passage in the Bible doesn’t mean that you can’t read it and live your life by it. There will always be an element of faith in dealing with God and His Word.

To be totally honest, I have no idea what to do with this passage – apparently there are things going on in the spiritual realm that I have no idea about. (Which is a good reminder...) And while that is frustrating at times, I’m okay with it. I don’t have to know everything because I know that I cannot know everything. God is good and I am content to put my lack of understanding in His loving hands.

When your experience doesn’t have an answer for what God’s word says… it is your experience that is lacking, not the Bible. Look at it as an opportunity to exercise a little faith – which is what God wants from you anyway. Maybe THAT is one of the purposes of passages like this one…

“Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror, then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” – 1 Corinthians 13:12

1 Peter 3:18 - Sufficient

“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…”

The sufficiency of Jesus’ sacrifice is the bedrock of the Christian faith. Christ died for all sins, once and for all – that is all that needed to be done. Which is why the Apostle Paul got so angry when the churches began to believe that to be saved, they had to believe in Jesus AND be circumcised (discussed in Galatians, 1 and 2 Corinthians, among others).

To add circumcision, or anything else, to the sacrifice of Christ means that His death and resurrection wasn’t enough to save. Paul vigorously defended against that teaching, as should we. Which leads to a question: Is there anything that you feel is necessary to add to the sacrifice of Christ for your salvation?

Are you sure? What about church attendance, bible reading, tithing, helping the poor, praying… anything at all? Whether we articulate the thought or not, we often feel we must do something to earn God’s favor. The things “we do for God” – going to church, reading the bible, and sharing our faith – are often ways we try to appease God instead of being our response to the love He has already offered us.

It’s a very human need, to be good enough to merit at least a little bit of God’s good graces. But we cannot be good enough, we cannot earn the smallest mote of God’s favor – salvation is a free gift of God because that is the only way salvation can happen. God must give it because we cannot earn it. That is the freedom of Christ – we are wholly accepted because of Him! If we could understand that – really understand it – it would revolutionize our lives…

On to the final statement in this verse…The Romans killed Jesus’ body, but He lived on in the spirit and by the spirit. My grandmother gave me the best picture of the difference between body and spirit. We were eating dinner one evening several years ago and she said,

“You know, I guess it really is our spirit that keeps on living because while my body is old and breaking down; I still feel like I’ve always felt on the inside.”

Even though she is old, she’s 92 now, her spirit, the essence of who she is hasn’t aged – she feels the same as she has always felt. That comment has always stuck with me…

Our spirits are eternal and our bodies are temporary. These bodies we walk around in are temporary shelters that will wear out one day. But our spirit will live on, in eternity with Christ if you believe in Him, in eternity without Christ if you don’t.

Everything that Jesus went through – the arrest, the mock trial, the beatings, the mocking, the crucifixion – were to bring you and me to God. He did the work already – it is our job to believe it and obey Him. When was the last time you thanked God for sending His son to die for your sins? Today might be a good time for that…as is every day.

1 Peter 3:16-17 - A New Way to Walk

“...keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.(17) It is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.”

“Does your walk match your talk?” That is a question that gets thrown around quite a bit, and rightfully so – it is absolutely critical in the Christian faith. If you talk the talk (which you should), people are going to watch your walk (which they should). If the two don’t match up, they will not only ignore your talk, they will completely discount the content of your talk.

As Gandhi once said, “I like your Christ; I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” As Christians, our refusal to take seriously our responsibility to live like Christ is something we will be held accountable for. (On the other hand, God isn’t going to give Gandhi a pass because the Christians around him weren’t living Christ-like lives. Everyone is responsible for their own relationship with God.)

Pardon that short rabbit trail…the original point was, live your life in such a way that if someone disparages your behavior, no one will believe them. There is another old phrase: “actions speak louder than words”; it too is true. Your actions will be your defense or your condemnation – feel free to jot that down and take it to the bank.

Verse 17 is a little odd. In one sense, suffering is suffering – it doesn’t matter why it happened – the suffering is still the same. While that is true, I believe the verse is pointing in a slightly different direction. I’ll share a quick story to illustrate my point.

A few years ago, I saw a young lady share the details of a negative experience in her past. Even as she was speaking, two or three young ladies walked up and put their arms around her and held her hand as she finished speaking. I was privileged to know that each of those young ladies had a similar experience in their past. When they saw someone suffering in the same way they had suffered, each of them moved forward to comfort and console.

Christ suffered innocently. He did nothing to deserve the suffering he endured. If we, who are selfish and sinful, have compassion on those who suffer as we have suffered, how much more will our perfect Christ console and comfort those who suffer in His name? To me, that is the point of verse 17. It is better to suffer for living like Christ, because if you do, Christ Himself will comfort you.

What a wonderful promise for the persecuted Christians in Peter’s time…and just as wonderful for us!

“The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth. The Lord has spoken.” – Isaiah 25:8

1 Peter 3:15 - Hope for a Reason

It was an amazing summer! We more guests than we've ever had before - we baptized several people in our hot tub - God was (and is) faithful! But I'm excited about the slower pace for a while and a chance to get back to 1 Peter - its like visiting an old friend!

“But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone for the hope you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,”

Peter instructs us to set apart Christ as Lord. His next statement is very interesting: “always be prepared to give an answer to everyone for the hope you have.” Peter predicts that when our hearts are set on Christ, our hope will be as evident as the clothes we are wearing. And why wouldn’t our hope be evident? Let’s take a look at our hope...

When Christ is set apart as Lord in your heart, you have an enviable hope for the present – God’s presence, guidance, comfort, joy, peace, etc – and an never-ending hope for the future – eternity in the perfect presence of God. We have a hope that all things work to good for those who love Jesus – no pain is left unredeemed and all joy is just a hint at the future joy we are promised. That is a lot of hope, and it is a hope that many around us do not have.

How do we live so our hope is obvious? I’ll answer that by focusing on the word “hope”. We are not talking about, “I hope I win the lottery…”, in other words, hoping for something that we know probably will not happen. That is an empty hope and is better defined as wishing. Biblical hope is a confident expectation of something that WILL happen. It is like hoping for summer vacation – we know without a doubt that it is coming, but it is not here yet. So we look forward to it, we plan for it, we talk about it, we live in expectation for it. That is the hope we have in Christ!

When you live your hope that way, people around you will notice and they will ask you about it. When those times come, Peter calls us to have an answer for the hope we have. Your answer should be your own, but hopefully it would sound something like this:

“The reason I have such hope is that in His great love for us, God sent His only Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for my sins. He was raised from the dead which defeated death once and for all and by accepting his sacrifice on my behalf, I am allowed relationship and fellowship with God for now and eternity. Even now, Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father, interceding on my behalf. God is no longer my enemy, but my friend – and if God is for me, who can be against me? No matter how bad things get, my hope and my eternal destination are secure, so what do I have to fear? Nothing. My life is defined and guided by confident hope, peace, and love; not guilt, shame, and fear.”

There are many things about our hope that I didn’t mention, so don’t think your reason needs to look just like my example. The main thing is this: have an answer.

And as Peter says, whatever you say, it needs to be said with gentleness and respect. Your attitude communicates as much about Christ as your words do – so don’t be a condescending know-it-all. I’m afraid the Christian attitude turns people off before they have a chance to hear the Christian message.

Your assignment for the week…take a few moments and write out the reason for the hope you have in Christ. It will be good to think about it because who knows, someone may ask you about it…

“The word which God has written on the brow of every man is Hope.” – Victor Hugo

1 Peter 3:15-16 - Set Apart

“But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone for the hope 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.”

We make hundreds of decisions every day. Most aren’t very important: what to wear, where to eat, whom to talk to, what to say, and on and on. Other decisions are very important: should I major in pre-med or accounting, should I get married to this person or not, should I take this job or that job. These are decisions that will affect the direction of your life for the rest of your life.

And as Christians, there are decisions that are even more important. Will I share my faith or clam up, will I give sacrificially to help those in need or buy more stuff for myself, will I stand up for my beliefs or go along with the crowd? These are things that make a difference in your life, the lives of others, and in the Kingdom of God for eternity.

The most important of those decisions is this: will you set Christ apart as Lord of your life? That is the key decision of your life. There is that moment in your life when you choose Christ for the first time and commit to living for Him – that is a one and done decision. But afterwards, you must continue to choose Christ. Every single day. Every single decision. Are you going to set Christ apart as Lord of your life? Or are you going to usurp God’s rightful place and crown yourself Lord?

In one sense, your life is the sum total of your decisions (thankfully the grace of God counteracts that statement). Are you making good decisions with your life? Are you spending time with friends who encourage you to do good things or bad things? Do you watch, read, and listen to things that encourage and edify you or tempt you to sin? Are you reading your bible, praying, giving, and sharing your life with others, or are you hoarding your life? These are critical decisions for your spiritual well-being.

But each of those decisions begins with this one: have you set apart Christ as Lord of your life? Or more correctly, are you setting apart Christ as the Lord of your life? Seriously – don’t give yourself the Sunday School answer, mediate on it for a while…

“But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, the choose for yourself this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” – Joshua 24:15

1 Peter 3:13-14 - Fear

“Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right; you are blessed. ‘Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened.’”

Human nature feeds on fear. I found a website that lists 530 known phobias; including:

Octophobia – fear of the figure 8
Papyrophobia - Fear of paper
Euphobia - Fear of hearing good news
Gallophobia or Galiophobia - Fear of France or French culture (insert joke here)
Kathisophobia - Fear of sitting down
Genuphobia - Fear of knees

Fear of knees? Really? We fear lots of silly things. But there are also some legitimately frightening things in this world: death, cancer, terrorists, natural disasters, loneliness, rejection, and the future to name a few. Our world can be a hard place with many things to terrify us.

But God says, “Do not be afraid!” As a matter of fact, that phrase is used 65 times in the bible – and just so you know, it is a command, not a suggestion. With all the fear-worthy things in this world, how can God tell us not to fear? I’ll let Matthew 10:28 answer that question for us:

“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”

Nothing on earth can harm our eternal soul – so why fear it? What if I die in a drive-by-shooting? Your spirit leaves this temporary shelter and resides in perfection with Christ for eternity. What if I get a debilitating illness? You receive the comfort of the Holy Spirit and when your troubled existence on earth is over, you reside in perfection with Christ for eternity. Do you see a trend here? If you are a follower of Christ – all stories end with, “perfection in Christ for eternity”.

This focus on eternity doesn’t mean that God doesn’t care about our struggles on earth. Jesus spent much of His ministry healing people, the bible calls us to care for the widow, the orphan, and the infirm, and He provides the Holy Spirit to minister to us. God cares deeply for our lives in the present, but He never loses sight that our life on earth is very, very temporary and eternity is…well…eternal.

As Paul says in Romans 8:18, “I consider our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” Paul’s point is not that our present sufferings are inconsequential – but the glories of God are so much greater than our suffering that there is no comparison. I challenge you to contemplate that truth for a few minutes – it will bring you an amazing hope!

God is the only person, place, or thing we should fear because He is the only one who can destroy both body and soul. God is God, He is Almighty, and He is able to do absolutely anything. The other side of the coin is His character: love, justice, and righteousness. We would be stupid not to fear His ability to destroy our body and soul, but knowing His character transforms that fear into loving, respectful awe.

So…what are you afraid of? God says there is no reason to fear – not because the thing isn’t scary – but because He is more powerful than the object of your fear. When we fear earthly things, we tell God that those things are more powerful than He is; the things we fear control us. Do you want to be controlled by a healthy, righteous fear of God or by your fear of knees?

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” – Proverbs 9:10

“The Lord spoke to me with his strong hand upon me, warning me not to follow the way of this people. He said: Do not call conspiracy everything these people call conspiracy; do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it. The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread…” – Isaiah 8:12-13 (This is the passage that Peter quotes in verse 14)

1 Peter 3:9-12 - Righteous

“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.”

Sometimes the bible is very complicated and difficult to understand. This passage is not one of those times. Do you want a blessing in your life? Then do not repay evil with evil or insult for insult – give a blessing instead. Pretty simple…

This promise reminds me of the passage in Matthew 6:14-15 that says you will be forgiven if you forgive others. And the passage in Matthew 7:2 that says you will be judged by the same measure you use to judge others (yikes!). If you forgive and bless, you will be forgiven and blessed. If you repay evil with evil, refuse to forgive, and judge others…not so much.

Keeping with the straightforward nature of this passage: Do you love life and want to see good days? Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from deceitful speech. Turn from evil and do good. Seek peace and pursue it. As Christians, we often think living a faithful life is not doing bad things – which is very true. But it is only part of the truth. Doing the good that God has called us to do is every bit as important. Staying away from bad and doing good are like the opposite sides of a coin – you must have both.

I love the picture painted in verse 12 – which is actually part of Psalm 34:12-16. I imagine God sitting across from me (today we are sitting in a couple of easy chairs in front of a cozy fire – yes, it’s snowing again). As we talk, He looks directly at me with his full attention and He is leaning forward listening intently to what I have to say. “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and he is attentive to their prayers.” When you are righteous, you have God’s full attention.

Unfortunately, I don’t consider myself very righteous. I may look pretty good on the outside (and I DO look good!), but I know the real me. I know my pride, my selfishness, my cowardice, my lack of faith, and dozens of other unrighteous things. Knowledge of self prohibits me from accepting the name “righteous”.

While that paragraph is true, there is another truth that supersedes it. A little truth that I often forget: all that unrighteousness was crucified with Christ. I am no longer defined by my sin and faults; I am defined by the Spirit of God who lives in me. When God looks at me, he doesn’t see my sinfulness; He sees the perfect righteousness of Christ. I am righteous because Christ is righteous.

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” – 2 Corinthians 5:21

“Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.” – Romans 10:4

“…not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ – the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.” – Philippians 3:9

Followers of Christ are new creations. Do you get that? You are not what you were. The old has passed; the new has come. If you follow Christ, you are the righteousness of God – right now. Salvation is a free gift; we can only accept it by faith in Christ. Righteousness is the exact same way.

So how does that affect your life today? One, it should cause you to drop to your knees and praise God for His mercy and goodness. Two, you should meditate on that truth and allow it to replace the lie that God is angry with you or thinks you are bad. And three, accept on faith the truth of this passage – you ARE righteous!

Now, go into the world and live like it…

1 Peter 3:8 - In Summary

“Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.”

This verse reminds me of Paul’s instructions for marriage in Galatians. Paul kicked off his discussion with the overarching instruction of “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” (Ephesians 5:21) Peter waits till the end till to give a similar thought. Let’s hit them one at a time.

- “Live in harmony…” Everyone means everyone – that means that as far as it depends on you, you should live in harmony with everyone you meet. Which means there is no room in the life of a Christian to hold grudges. Living in harmony means having “a like mind” when it comes to your faith and striving for the same goals – i.e., the glory of God and furtherance of his kingdom. A husband and wife should be on the same page, especially spiritually.

- “Be sympathetic…” We are called to live outside ourselves, or in other words, to get over ourselves. You cannot sympathize with others if you are focused continually on yourself. Peter calls us to move beyond self-interest and to care about the feelings of others. A husband and wife should look to the feelings of their spouse over their own feelings.

- “Love as brothers…” This does not mean that you should love as childhood brothers – beating and tattling on each other. Brothers and sisters are part of your life forever. They are around in tough times and in good times. If they need something, you help. If you need something, they help. You share a common history and blood relationship – as we do with other Christians. A husband and wife should love one another with the consistent love of a sibling or a close friend.

- “Be compassionate…” Sympathy calls us to feel for other people. Compassion takes it a step further and calls us to act on that sympathy. You must be in tune with other people to know when and how to act compassionately. A husband and wife should be “actively sympathetic” towards one another.

- “Be humble…” Consider others more important than yourself. I believe that we can act humble, and do humble acts, but it takes the work of the Holy Spirit to create a humble heart. It is something we can ask for. But just so you know, God doesn’t zap you and all of a sudden you are humble; He works humility in you by giving you opportunities to be humble. In my opinion, marriage is the most fertile ground for humility to grow – well, the second most fertile behind parenthood. A husband and wife should serve one another with humility.

Imagine the type of marriage you would have if you and your spouse treated one another with sympathy, love, compassion, humility, and lived together in harmony. Wouldn’t that be an awesome life! That is what God has in mind for marriage – and He gives you the ability to have that sort of marriage – and other relationships – through the power of the Holy Spirit. Seriously!

1 Peter 3:7 - Husbands

“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.”

Ladies, aren’t you glad Peter finally turned his attention to the husbands?

Just like his instruction to wives, Peter begins teaching the husbands with; “in the same way…” which is important. Wives are to submit to God’s will by submitting to the leadership of their husbands. Husbands are to submit to God’s will by being considerate of their wives and treating them with respect as spiritual equals. They key in both situations is that husbands and wives are to submit, “in the same way” as Jesus submitted to God in humbly going to the cross (1 Peter 2). Consider that for a bit…

Always the realist, Peter acknowledges that wives are the weaker sex – meaning that they are typically weaker physically than their husbands and in the culture of the day, definitely weaker socially. Women had few rights and their main protection was through their husbands. When one partner has all the power, there is always the possibility for abuse. Actually, it is human nature for the strong to take advantage the weak – you see it in sports, politics, relationships, and especially children.

If Levi (my 16-month-old) has something Isaac (Nick’s 2-and-a-half-year-old) wants – Ike just takes it away from him. Ike is bigger and stronger and there is nothing Levi can do. (We have seen Levi do the same thing to smaller kids in the church nursery; all kids do it.) Of course Nick and Emily give Ike a-talking-to because they don’t want him to behave that way. Peter gives all husbands a-talking-to in this passage by saying, “you are stronger physically and socially, but that doesn’t mean you have the right to abuse your strength by taking advantage her weakness”.

While Peter acknowledges that women are weaker physically and socially, he states that wives are spiritually equal to their husbands because they are co-heirs of the gracious gift of life. Regardless of the cultural bias in that day (and in our day) wives are equal to husbands in the area that matters most – the eternal spiritual realm.

There are several New Testament passages that indicate that relational differences will hinder your prayer life (Matthew 5:23, 6:12,14-15). You can imagine that if you are mistreating your wife – God will not answer your prayers. We forget that God is not compelled to answer our prayers – if we are living in disobedience to His commands – he has every right to turn a deaf ear. If you want your prayers to be heard, you should honor, respect, and be considerate to your wife.

So guys, begin praying that God will prepare your heart so that when the time comes, you will be able to love and serve your wife and family like Christ loved and served the church. It takes the Spirit of God to be the husband you need to be…

1 Peter 3:5-6 - Submission

“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.”

As a very brief review of what we talked about last time, purity of life and a submissive spirit has always been a godly woman’s lasting source of beauty and attractiveness. Take a few moments to compare that to the world’s opinion of beauty… expensive clothes, hair care products, make-up, Botox, face lifts, other…ahem…enhancements – all basically say, “You need help because you are not pretty enough on your own.” That is the message our culture communicates to women every minute of every day.

The holy women of the past would scoff at such a lie. Each woman is beautiful because God made her beautiful. And if that woman is a believer, she has the Spirit of the Living God residing within her to make her even more beautiful. The holy women would say, “Put your hope in God and focus on your internal beauty – it is the only beauty that will last.”

“They were submissive to their own husbands.” Why should a wife be submissive to her husband? Because God made the husband the head of the household. In submitting to her husband, a woman is obeying and being submissive to God. The opposite is true as well, if a wife is not submissive to her husband, she is really being disobedient to God. It is a wonderful thing to have a husband you respect and can happily submit to – but even if you don’t, you respect him because God commands you to.

“…like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master.” Sarah obeyed Abraham and called him her master; that is she recognized him as the leader and head of their household (Gen. 18:12). In those days, the term “master” was a term of respect, like “sir” or “ma’am” – it doesn’t mean that wives are slaves and their husbands are their masters.

Sarah respected Abraham as the God-appointed leader of their marriage and family. Those who choose to follow her example will become like her daughters in righteousness. I know most of you are not married yet, but for now, follow Sarah’s example and put your hope in God – and store the rest away for later.

A word for the guys: while you are single, you need to cultivate your relationship with Jesus so that you are prepared to be the head of your household. A word for the gals: you need to consider the spiritual leadership ability of the guys you date. It may not be the most romantic notion, but it will save you a world of trouble…

1 Peter 2:3-4 - Adornment

“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.”

2000 years ago, women chased the latest fashions and spent inordinate amounts of money to look good and attract men. Sounds like today doesn’t it? I’ll ease your fears up front, Peter does not say that women are prohibited from taking care of themselves, dressing up, or looking nice; he says women should not fool themselves into thinking outward appearance is the source of their beauty.

Genuine beauty comes from the inside, not the outside. Actually, everything of worth comes from the inside – that is why God said to Samuel when he was selecting the new king of Israel:

“…The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” - 1 Samuel 16:7

I am confident that you know the truth of this passage. My question is this: do you really KNOW it? Too often we give mental assent to biblical truth without allowing it to change our thoughts and actions. Does the truth that your beauty comes from the inside change the way you dress, shop, and feel about yourself? It should.

You are beautiful because God Himself knit you together inside your mother’s womb. He made you like you are because it made Him happy to make you that way. He gave you talents and gifts to glorify His name and He allowed weakness so you would learn to rely on Him and on others. (Sin has created more weakness and faults in our lives but that is a topic for another day.) The more you embrace and cultivate that inner beauty, the more attractive you become – inside and out.

God created you – beautifully, I might add – to be of service in the Kingdom of God, in the world, and in the lives of others.

“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” – Ephesians 2:10

That is the purpose of your life – to do the good work that God has prepared for you. You get no extra points for wearing the most fashionable jeans, an amazing sweater, or the cutest shoes ever. I have a feeling that God is neither pleased, nor honored in the amount of time and money we spend looking good on the outside at the expense of cultivating the inside.

So how about it ladies; do you spend more time on your outward beauty than your inward beauty? Do you spend more money shopping for things you don’t need than you do helping those who are desperately in need? Do you spend more time getting ready in the morning than you do in prayer? Do you seek to look good in the sight of man instead of in the sight of God? Your beauty comes from the inside, not from outward adornment.

Allow God’s grace to wash away your need to compete and compare yourself to others. Spend time cultivating your inner beauty –which is Christ in you – and you’ll be shocked how quickly your concern for the latest trends will fade away. And that my friends, is called freedom.

**A quick word for the guys – do you perpetuate the myth that looks are all that matters? Do you affirm and encourage the internal beauty – the sweet spirit, the love for others, the servant heart – you see in your female friends, or do you only comment about the external beauty you see? A simple change in your attitude will really help your sisters in Christ.

1 Peter 3:1-2 - Submission

“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, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.”

This teaching has been misused and abused for hundreds of years. People have used this verse and others like it, to subjugate women and bolster men into demi-gods. The misinterpretation of this teaching (willful or otherwise), has caused no end of trouble for women and a stain on Christianity. But just because a teaching has been used incorrectly, doesn’t mean that we have the right to throw it out. This passage is part of God’s word, and as such, demands our understanding and obedience.

With that preamble out of the way, allow me a few comments:

- Wives are called to be submissive to their husbands, not to any and every man they encounter (“be submissive to your husband”).

- The word “submissive” means, “to be under authority”. While on earth, Jesus was under the authority of God the Father. We – everyone – are to live under the authority of Jesus. And in a marriage relationship, the wife is to live under the authority of her husband.

- God has placed the husband as the head of the house as a function of order within the family, not as a statement of worth. The husband is the leader among equals – like the foreman of a jury or a captain of a sports team. In Christ, all have equal value. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave not free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ.” – Galatians 3:8

- While all are equal in value, God has set up marriage so that the husband has the ultimate responsibility for the family. The husband is called to love his wife and family as Christ loved the church (Eph. 5:25). How does he do that? Jesus denied himself, became a servant, and sacrificed his life for the church; that is how a husband should lead his family. A side note for you future husbands, being head of the house has nothing to do with getting your way. Being head of the house means that you are responsible before God for the way you lead your family.

- If the husband does not do his job properly, or is not a believer at all, the wife is called to live her faith and love her family in such a way that the husband will come to Christ because of her example. The wisdom of this teaching is this: a hard heart will not be softened by argument or apologetics. Hearts are softened through love, service, and prayer. (And you’re right – it is not an easy task to love and respect someone who does not believe as you do.)

A man can rarely become the husband God called him to be without a supportive and encouraging wife. A woman can rarely become the wife God called her to be without a loving and selfless husband. Husbands and wives are partners, not competitors – store that away for when you get married.

“Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” – Matthew 20:26-28

1 Peter 2:25 - Distraction

“For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”

Sheep are not smart. If you have been in church for long, you have probably heard a pastor or teacher talk about how sheep and humans are alike – a comparison I often resent but cannot not refute. My favorite sheep example is that sheep are so stupid they will eat and walk, and eat and walk, right over a cliff. I don’t know if that is true or not, but I’ve heard it many times and it definitely communicates that sheep are not bright.

But I’ve been thinking, maybe sheep aren’t overly dumb, maybe they are just ultra-focused. Maybe they are so focused on eating that they lose track of where they are, where the herd is, and more importantly, where the shepherd is. Maybe they are often lost because they get distracted by their activities, not because they are stupid.

If that is the case, then sheep and humans are definitely alike. Are there any activities that distract you from our Good Shepherd? School? Relationships? TV, the internet, anything? The world we live in throws distractions our way every moment of every day – it wouldn’t be so bad if the distractions weren’t so…distracting.

Distraction comes in handy for Lynda and me right now. If Levi is getting into something that he shouldn’t mess with, all we have to do is say, “Hey Levi, look at this!” And shake something that makes noise or roll something at him – and he turns from the off-limits thing and chases after the noisy, shiny thing. It is amazingly effective.

Unfortunately, distraction is just as effective against us in our walk with Christ. We can have the best intentions and follow Christ as closely as possible. But then something comes up – a relationship, an emergency, an opportunity to be selfish, something noisy or shiny – and we start chasing that instead of Christ. It happens all the time – we don’t intend to drop Jesus – we just turn our eyes to other things and we lose track of Him.

Take a moment and think of two things that distract you from following Christ the way you would like to, or keep you from spending time with Him. It may take a few minutes to sort them out, but don’t give up – a little introspective thought won’t hurt.

Today is Ash Wednesday – why not give up one or both things for lent? If they are things you cannot completely do without, set limits on them. The point of this exercise is to remove the distraction for 40 days and replace the time usually spent on the distraction with Jesus – reading the bible, praying, serving others. It is a great way to return to the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls.

And who knows, when Easter comes, maybe your distraction will not be so distracting anymore…

1 Peter 2:24 - Our Salvation

“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.”

This verse provides a perfect opportunity to remind us of the truth of our salvation.

Sin is not a failure that we can correct if we try really hard. Sin is not an illness that will go away if we administer a vaccination. Sin is death. Sinful people are dead – not just physically, but spiritually…for eternity – so they cannot be cured, they can only be resurrected.

The only way to overcome sin is for someone else to pay the penalty for your sin – or die in your place. But how can that happen? Everyone sins. Your death cannot pay the penalty for my sin because your death pays the penalty for your sin. You see the dilemma. The only way someone can escape sin is for someone without sin to die for them – unfortunately, no one is without sin – so we’re all stuck.

But in His infinite mercy, God sent His Son, who did live a perfect life, and was nailed to a tree for our sins. Being sinless, He didn’t have to pay for His own sin, so His death pays for any who choose to accept His sacrifice for them. Those who accept his sacrifice are resurrected to life just as He was resurrected on the third day. Christ conquered sin and death, and by identifying with him, we too are conquerors through His victory.

That is our salvation. And that is the message that your friends and family need to hear. It is the message we need to remind ourselves of and never take for granted. There is hope! Sin and death have been defeated by Jesus Christ, so salvation comes through Jesus Christ alone. He offers it freely to anyone who would accept it – it is free for the asking because there is no way to earn it.

Thank God for His amazing grace today! And share that grace with a thankful and humble heart with everyone you meet…

1 Peter 2:22,23 - Entrusted

“He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth. 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.”

This verse reveals the crux of the matter. Let’s take a closer look at a few of these statements and how they fit in our lives…

- When you find yourself in a pot of hot water, do you ever fudge the truth or spin things to make yourself look a little better? That is deceit and it is something that Jesus didn’t do – and neither should we. Always tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

- When you are insulted, do you insult right back? An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth? That is not how Jesus reacted, and neither should we. Meet insult with silence and prayer…fighting back never gets positive results.

- When you are persecuted by another, do you say, “I’ll get you for this,” or “You’ll get yours”? Jesus didn’t and neither should we. Never threaten another, it only makes them angrier and makes you look childish.

We are called to be in the world, but not of the world. One way we can demonstrate our differentness is to respond to difficult situations with love, faith, and patience (like Jesus) instead of with deceit, retaliation, and threats (like the world). We can do this because we have a heavenly father who sees everything and judges justly. He will set everything right in His perfect time – believe it!

If you have trouble believing that, perhaps it is because you have never allowed Him the chance to defend you…

1 Peter 2:21 - Copy Cat

“To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.”

So sharing a verse every day hasn’t worked out so well…Mark and I spent all Friday afternoon trying to clear out a frozen sewer pipe. Mark definitely got the worse end of that deal. And by worse end – I mean really worse…imagine about 40 feet of backed up sewer line draining at your feet while in an enclosed area…oh dear.

Speaking of suffering, we continue with our discussion of Christian suffering.

The Greek word for “an example” literally means “a writing or drawing that a student reproduces”. Peter is saying that we are called to painstakingly copy the drawing of Christ’s life with our life. What does that mean? What do you think? Take a moment and consider the implications of the idea that we are to copy the life of Jesus.

So, what does it mean? I think it means that we are to live as Jesus lived. We are to consider others more important than ourselves, we are to humbly serve those around us, we are to teach the Word of God with the authority of the Holy Spirit, we are to give our lives up for others, we are to live only to please God, we are to do nothing except what God has told us to do, we are to love sinners and confront the self-righteous in love, and yes, we are to suffer for the sake of God’s Kingdom. We are to be little copies of Christ.

Jesus is always walking forward and further into the mess of this world so that the Glory of God will be known. Are you willing to walk in His footsteps? That is our call – He suffered for us, so we are to suffer for Him. That is your call as a Christian.

A little bonus for today. One of my commentaries says that the call to suffer is the final of God’s “Seven Sovereign Summonses”:

- The Call to Salvation (Romans 8:30)

- The Call to Sonship (1 John 3:1)

- The Call to Sanctification (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24)

- The Call to Service (Mark 10:43-44)

- The Call to Separation (2 Corinthians 6:17-18)

- The Call To Subjection

· Children to Parents (Ephesians 6:1)

· Wives to Husbands (Ephesians 5:22)…and I would add, husbands and wives should submit to one another (Ephesians 5:21)

· Employees to Employers (1 Peter 2:18)

· Citizens to Government (1 Peter 2:13-14)

· All Believers to God (Romans 12:1-2)

- The Call to Suffering (1 Peter 2:21; Philippians 1:29)

That is just a little bonus for you today. Those seven calls would be an interesting study all by itself…

“When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die.” – Dietrich Bonheoffer

1 Peter 2:20 - What if?

“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.”

A very similar verse to yesterdays; I probably should have included it in yesterday’s discussion. Instead of going over this same topic again, I want to mention a side topic instead; aren’t you glad we don’t live in a culture where people are beaten for doing good?

But there is a day coming when all Christians will face active persecution for the sake of Christ. Just as there are Christians hiding out in various parts of the world at this moment. I sometimes wonder if I would choose Christ if it cost me my job and my friends? How about you, would you choose Christ if your family would disown you or even kill you if they found out? It’s a tough question.

That is the reality for many believers today – I could tell you stories of daughters held captive in their homes, beaten by their father and brothers for accepting Christ; or sons who chose Christ and had to flee for their lives with nothing but the clothes on their back. But you know these stories as well as I do…

Please don’t forget about these precious saints who are persecuted for doing good. Please pray for them – pray that they will be bold in their faith and have the courage to endure this present suffering knowing that God will redeem them. It is their only hope…and ours too.

1 Peter 2:19 - Commendable

** Sorry about the lack of spaces between the paragraphs - I have no idea why it won't let me put them in...it drives me crazy!

“For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering, because he is conscious of God.”

The Greek word for “commendable” in verse 19 literally means, “grace”. In Luke 6:32-34 the same Greek word is used in the same way and can best be translated as “favor before God”. So those who are willing to suffer unjustly, or innocently, will find favor with God. That’s not all bad.

When I was typing out this passage, “because he is conscious of God” jumped off the page at me. Why would being conscious of God allow me to handle unjust suffering? We will delve into the answer to that question in a couple of days, but in short, those of us who are conscious of God – who know God and keep Him in mind daily – know that He is a God who judges justly. While we may be suffering unjustly at the moment, we know that God will make it right. Romans 12:19 sums it up:

“Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.”

So…are you conscious of God? Do you take Him with you when you leave the house, or do you leave Him on the nightstand with your bible? Is He part of your daily decision making? Do you leave room for God to defend you or do you leap to your own defense at the first hint of a slight?

Peter calls us to accept unjust punishment because he knows that God will defend us. It is our job to deny our rights, handle the poor treatment, and wait for God’s deliverance. Not an easy task…but in the end, we will find favor with God!

1 Peter 2:18 - Live On

“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.”

** These next few verses really compile one general thought. So I’m going to talk about each verse in consecutive days (in theory). Hopefully that will help us keep the overall thought in our minds. We’ll see how it goes!

Peter, always the practical one, doesn’t discuss the evils of slavery or gather his constituency to storm city hall and demand the abolishment of slavery. Knowing he could do nothing to change it, Peter taught his people how to deal with slavery in a Christ-like manner. You know, sometimes in our world we have to accept that things aren’t right and that life isn’t fair, and then live our lives according to God’s principals anyway. (And sometimes we need to work to make things better, while responding to the injustice in a Christ-like manner.)

Peter’s teaching on slavery falls right in line with his instruction on living under any authority: submit, respect, and do your best. Whether the master is good or bad – the Christian should act the same way. One cannot control how a superior treats you, but you can always control how you respond to your superiors.

We struggle with that in today’s culture. Too often we feel that if someone treats us poorly, that gives us the right to act anyway we want to. Instead of following the Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” we follow the American Rule, “Do unto others as they have done unto you.” Do you know Christians who act that way (perhaps yourself…)? If someone talks bad about them, they fire right back and trash the other person to anyone who will listen. Or if they are treated unfairly, they will treat others unfairly. While it is very human to act that way, it is not Christian.

As a Christ follower, we never have an excuse to disrespect an authority figure or treat anyone – and I mean anyone – poorly. If all the Christians lived as Peter instructs, do you think the unbelieving world would take note?

1 Peter 2:18 - Respect Everyone

“Show proper respect to everyone; love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.”

Peter was always a no-nonsense kind of guy. His writing is no different – there are no fewer than 825 commands in this little book. Okay, I made that number up – but the point is there are many pieces of practical instruction in 1 Peter, and this verse has four of them.

As one of my commentaries said, this verse can be seen as a four-point summary of Christian citizenship. I like that idea because it reminds us that, as Christians, we are responsible to God for the way we live.

- Show proper respect to everyone. Everyone you meet, good, bad, or indifferent, was created in the image of God. For that reason alone, we should respect everyone we meet – the humblest beggar on the street was created in the image of God, the person that annoys you to death was created in the image of God, and the worst criminal you can imagine was created in the image of God. EVERYONE you see today has eternal value and deserves to be treated with respect .

- Love the brotherhood of believers. While we are commanded to respect everyone, we are called to love our fellow believers. We are God’s family and we should love our brothers and sisters in Christ. It’s not always easy, but if we cannot love those who share the Spirit of God with us, how can we love the unbelievers around us?

- Fear God. This does not mean, “Here comes God – run for your lives!” The word for “fear” means, “awe or reverence that leads to obedience”. How is your attitude toward God? Do you fear Him? Or do you treat Him like a vending machine – drop in a few a prayers and expect Him to give you what you want? Is He the Mighty, Holy God who created the universe with a word? Or is he a benevolent old man handing out candy to anyone who asks? Our God is Magnificent, Glorious, and Almighty – we should treat him as such.

- Honor the king. While we are to fear God as our ultimate authority, we are also called to honor the king, or the other authority figures in our lives. We talked about this a couple of weeks ago so I won’t go into it again. But I find it interesting that he included “honor and respect” authority in this four-point summary of how Christians should live. Using my reasoning abilities, that tells me that how we treat our authority figures is very important to God. Perhaps because our attitude toward our earthly authority is indicative of our attitude toward our heavenly authority…just a thought.