http://www.esvbible.org/1+Peter+5/
Peter instructs spiritual leaders. He says that they should watch over their flock as God does. Don't serve because they have to but because they want to. They should do it to serve and not out of greed. They are not to be rulers over the people but examples to them.
Then, to the young Christians, Peter instructs that they should submit to the spiritual leaders. They should serve one another because God favors the humble. Turn over all anxiety to God because the devil is on the prowl, and he's looking for someone weak to devour. Be firm because other believers are going through suffering as well. God is with you as you suffer for a short time, and He has all the power!
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
1 Peter 4
http://www.esvbible.org/1+Peter+4/
We all suffer for our faith, and Peter says that we should take the same attitude that Jesus took in His suffering. That way, we won't give into our sinful nature but stay in the things that God desires for us. Once, we too did the things that nonbelievers do and led sinful lives. We are no better than them. Now, they insult us because we want to do what is right. Do not worry about them because it is up to God to judge them on their final day. They will have to give an account for everything that they've done. Peter repeats what He says about love. We must love each other with warm sincerity. Love even has the power to cover up sin. Then, as a final thought to all of this, Peter reminds us that we all have Spiritual Gifts, and we are called upon to use them in the name of God. We must speak of His Word. We must serve with His strength. In this way, He receives all of the glory.
Just as Paul said, Peter repeats that all Christians will suffer in the name of Christ, but when this happens, we should not feel alone. How much better do you feel knowing that people suffer for the name of Jesus all around the world, from all different backgrounds, and for all different reasons? When you suffer, embrace it. Know that you are sharing some of what Christ felt. It should even make you joyful because it means that the presence of the Lord rests on you, and Satan os trying to drive you away from God. Therefore, it is important in times of testing to stand firm in faith. When you suffer for God, praise Him.
We all suffer for our faith, and Peter says that we should take the same attitude that Jesus took in His suffering. That way, we won't give into our sinful nature but stay in the things that God desires for us. Once, we too did the things that nonbelievers do and led sinful lives. We are no better than them. Now, they insult us because we want to do what is right. Do not worry about them because it is up to God to judge them on their final day. They will have to give an account for everything that they've done. Peter repeats what He says about love. We must love each other with warm sincerity. Love even has the power to cover up sin. Then, as a final thought to all of this, Peter reminds us that we all have Spiritual Gifts, and we are called upon to use them in the name of God. We must speak of His Word. We must serve with His strength. In this way, He receives all of the glory.
Just as Paul said, Peter repeats that all Christians will suffer in the name of Christ, but when this happens, we should not feel alone. How much better do you feel knowing that people suffer for the name of Jesus all around the world, from all different backgrounds, and for all different reasons? When you suffer, embrace it. Know that you are sharing some of what Christ felt. It should even make you joyful because it means that the presence of the Lord rests on you, and Satan os trying to drive you away from God. Therefore, it is important in times of testing to stand firm in faith. When you suffer for God, praise Him.
Monday, June 25, 2012
1 Peter 3
http://www.esvbible.org/1+Peter+3/
Wives can win their husbands over to Christ by submitting to their authority. They should also never let their beauty be something external because true beauty comes from the inside. This is how truly beautiful women have always shown their beauty. Peter also had to remind the men of his time that their wives were equally people, and they receive the same love from God that men do.
Even in today's world, people struggle with the last thing that 1 Peter 3 says. In this part, Peter says that we should live in harmony with other people. We should never repay evil with evil but should repay it with blessings because we have something so much greater than them, and we need to share it with all people. People shouldn't want to make you suffer when you do good, but if they do, just think about how much God has in store for you if your suffering is His will. Keep your conscience clear. When you were baptized, it was not so that the dirt could be washed away but so that you could have a clear conscience. Jesus didn't sin but He died and came back to life. His actions speak volumes more than any of us ever could, so we have to at least stay out of the way if we're not doing good.
Wives can win their husbands over to Christ by submitting to their authority. They should also never let their beauty be something external because true beauty comes from the inside. This is how truly beautiful women have always shown their beauty. Peter also had to remind the men of his time that their wives were equally people, and they receive the same love from God that men do.
Even in today's world, people struggle with the last thing that 1 Peter 3 says. In this part, Peter says that we should live in harmony with other people. We should never repay evil with evil but should repay it with blessings because we have something so much greater than them, and we need to share it with all people. People shouldn't want to make you suffer when you do good, but if they do, just think about how much God has in store for you if your suffering is His will. Keep your conscience clear. When you were baptized, it was not so that the dirt could be washed away but so that you could have a clear conscience. Jesus didn't sin but He died and came back to life. His actions speak volumes more than any of us ever could, so we have to at least stay out of the way if we're not doing good.
1 Peter 2
http://www.esvbible.org/1+Peter+2/
More warnings from Peter. We should get rid of anything evil that we have in our lives. It can come in so many forms that we may not even realize it, but we are examples of Christ for the non believers in the world, so we must be different. Peter calls Jesus the cornerstone, which is a common analogy because building are build based on where the cornerstone is laid. It is the most important stone and the most glorified. Jesus plays that role in life. He says that people rejected this cornerstone, but we as Christians are running towards it. The prophecies said that the stone builders rejected became the cornerstone and people tripped over it and found offense. People did not like Jesus. They had Him executed, but He is the cornerstone of Salvation. People trip over Him because what He calls us to do is difficult and they take offense to Him because they do not want to do what He tells them to do. A reminder: we were once not God's people, but He accepted us as His people in time. Keep the corrupt nature's desires at bay because they constantly attack our good nature. We are foreigners to this world because as Jesus said, we don't belong here any more than He did. We must live in a way that the unbelievers find weird. They will think what we do is bad when we truly do good.
Place yourself under the authority of the government. This pleases the Lord. Peter tells the people of the time ti obey the emperor because he has the highest authority. In the US, that translates to obeying the president. MOST people don't have a problem with this; however, God calls you to obey him whether you believe in his policies or not. God wants you to silence fools by doing what is right. How can you set the right example if you do what is wrong? Keep in mind that Peter even wrote this when Nero outlawed Christianity. He's saying obey the laws but God does come first in all things. Don't use faith as a means to do what is illegal. He tells slaves to submit to their masters and show them respect. People in that time could've come to know Christ in that way. Obey not only the kind one's but the unfair ones as well. God loves it when people remember how great He is and continue to obey Him while they suffer. Remember, you get no credit for enduring suffering for doing what is wrong, but God is pleased when you endure suffering for doing good. We have to suffer because Christ suffered for us. He left us here as His examples to the world to follow in His footsteps. Christ suffered, yet He did not sin or do anything even remotely wrong. He healed us through His wounds.
More warnings from Peter. We should get rid of anything evil that we have in our lives. It can come in so many forms that we may not even realize it, but we are examples of Christ for the non believers in the world, so we must be different. Peter calls Jesus the cornerstone, which is a common analogy because building are build based on where the cornerstone is laid. It is the most important stone and the most glorified. Jesus plays that role in life. He says that people rejected this cornerstone, but we as Christians are running towards it. The prophecies said that the stone builders rejected became the cornerstone and people tripped over it and found offense. People did not like Jesus. They had Him executed, but He is the cornerstone of Salvation. People trip over Him because what He calls us to do is difficult and they take offense to Him because they do not want to do what He tells them to do. A reminder: we were once not God's people, but He accepted us as His people in time. Keep the corrupt nature's desires at bay because they constantly attack our good nature. We are foreigners to this world because as Jesus said, we don't belong here any more than He did. We must live in a way that the unbelievers find weird. They will think what we do is bad when we truly do good.
Place yourself under the authority of the government. This pleases the Lord. Peter tells the people of the time ti obey the emperor because he has the highest authority. In the US, that translates to obeying the president. MOST people don't have a problem with this; however, God calls you to obey him whether you believe in his policies or not. God wants you to silence fools by doing what is right. How can you set the right example if you do what is wrong? Keep in mind that Peter even wrote this when Nero outlawed Christianity. He's saying obey the laws but God does come first in all things. Don't use faith as a means to do what is illegal. He tells slaves to submit to their masters and show them respect. People in that time could've come to know Christ in that way. Obey not only the kind one's but the unfair ones as well. God loves it when people remember how great He is and continue to obey Him while they suffer. Remember, you get no credit for enduring suffering for doing what is wrong, but God is pleased when you endure suffering for doing good. We have to suffer because Christ suffered for us. He left us here as His examples to the world to follow in His footsteps. Christ suffered, yet He did not sin or do anything even remotely wrong. He healed us through His wounds.
1 Peter 1
1 Peter was written by the disciple Peter. We have seen a lot of him in the Gospels because he was very close to Jesus. He was a huge influence as a leader of the early church. Fun fact: my Bible tells me he was married, which means Jesus called him away from his wife for three years. In 1 Peter, he discusses hope, suffering, family life, and how to act like a true Christian. When he wrote this, Nero had outlawed Christianity, and Peter was eventually crucified upside down because he did not even feel that he was worthy enough to be executed in the same way as Jesus. But in the letter, he is able to point to how Jesus handled suffering since Peter witnessed it first hand. Here is 1 Peter: http://www.esvbible.org/1+Peter+1/
Peter uses a different greeting than Paul. First, Peter says he writes to the temporary residents of the world. I really like that because as Christians, we know that our time on Earth is brief. CS Lewis says it's a breath. Going on, he says that God chose them long ago to live with the Holy Spirit and be obedient to Jesus. Then, he and Paul similarly bless the lives of the readers.
Peter talks about what great joy comes from worshipping the One, True God. He gave us new life through Jesus. We can be confident in this new life because Jesus came back to life; therefore, death cannot hold back God. He can truly do anything. In this new life, we have an inheritance from God that cannot be destroyed. In fact, nothing can happen to it because it is kept safe in Heaven. God will give it to us when we die. The gift is Salvation. The gospels all did research about Salvation, and they found their answers in the prophets. God spoke what is useful to Christians through the prophets, and it was not until the Gospels that people could make sense of some of the things that the prophets said God told them. It is through the Holy Spirit that we can now understand the things that were once a mystery. This salvation is something to rejoice about. We rejoice even though we have not seen Jesus. Despite that, we are so happy that we cannot even express in words how great God has been to us. That just further shows the power of God. He can still do work through Jesus without a physical body present on Earth.
A warning: live a holy life because we are now of Jesus, and He lived a holy life. Not only that, but He commands us to live holy lives as He did as an example. We must spend our temporary time on Earth keeping in mind that Jesus will judge the Earth at the end of all time. He will judge each and every one of us as we die. We didn't gain freedom from death by paying money or because we come from a certain lineage. We have only gained life because Jesus, blameless and perfect, shed His blood in our place as the most holy sacrifice so that no sacrifices were needed after that point in time.
Peter echoes what Jesus tells as the second greatest command: love your neighbor. He tells us that we should love fellow believers especially because we are all family through Christ. Because of the Word, we are saved for all eternity because the Word lasts forever. Meanwhile our human selves will die like the grass and the flowers. When you think about it that way, doesn't all this petty hate seem pointless?
Peter uses a different greeting than Paul. First, Peter says he writes to the temporary residents of the world. I really like that because as Christians, we know that our time on Earth is brief. CS Lewis says it's a breath. Going on, he says that God chose them long ago to live with the Holy Spirit and be obedient to Jesus. Then, he and Paul similarly bless the lives of the readers.
Peter talks about what great joy comes from worshipping the One, True God. He gave us new life through Jesus. We can be confident in this new life because Jesus came back to life; therefore, death cannot hold back God. He can truly do anything. In this new life, we have an inheritance from God that cannot be destroyed. In fact, nothing can happen to it because it is kept safe in Heaven. God will give it to us when we die. The gift is Salvation. The gospels all did research about Salvation, and they found their answers in the prophets. God spoke what is useful to Christians through the prophets, and it was not until the Gospels that people could make sense of some of the things that the prophets said God told them. It is through the Holy Spirit that we can now understand the things that were once a mystery. This salvation is something to rejoice about. We rejoice even though we have not seen Jesus. Despite that, we are so happy that we cannot even express in words how great God has been to us. That just further shows the power of God. He can still do work through Jesus without a physical body present on Earth.
A warning: live a holy life because we are now of Jesus, and He lived a holy life. Not only that, but He commands us to live holy lives as He did as an example. We must spend our temporary time on Earth keeping in mind that Jesus will judge the Earth at the end of all time. He will judge each and every one of us as we die. We didn't gain freedom from death by paying money or because we come from a certain lineage. We have only gained life because Jesus, blameless and perfect, shed His blood in our place as the most holy sacrifice so that no sacrifices were needed after that point in time.
Peter echoes what Jesus tells as the second greatest command: love your neighbor. He tells us that we should love fellow believers especially because we are all family through Christ. Because of the Word, we are saved for all eternity because the Word lasts forever. Meanwhile our human selves will die like the grass and the flowers. When you think about it that way, doesn't all this petty hate seem pointless?
Sunday, June 24, 2012
2 Timothy 4
http://www.esvbible.org/2+Timothy+4/
Paul encourages, as always by telling Timothy (and us) to complete the work set out by God. Teach the Word all the time. Be ready to point out errors, warn of judgement, and encourage. Be patient in teaching. In the future, people will not listen to accurate teachings. They will only listen to and do what they please. He warns to keep a clear head and endure the suffering. Devote yourself to your work. Endurance and devotion are the only ways to ensure salvation because it may seem like a long life, and you will have plenty of opportunities to walk away from God, but you must stay strong in order to fully fullfil what you were put on this Earth to do. Paul says that he knows his time is coming, and he isn't sad about it. He kept faith, and he knows his reward is coming. He will give the same reward to everyone who believes and keeps faith.
Paul encourages, as always by telling Timothy (and us) to complete the work set out by God. Teach the Word all the time. Be ready to point out errors, warn of judgement, and encourage. Be patient in teaching. In the future, people will not listen to accurate teachings. They will only listen to and do what they please. He warns to keep a clear head and endure the suffering. Devote yourself to your work. Endurance and devotion are the only ways to ensure salvation because it may seem like a long life, and you will have plenty of opportunities to walk away from God, but you must stay strong in order to fully fullfil what you were put on this Earth to do. Paul says that he knows his time is coming, and he isn't sad about it. He kept faith, and he knows his reward is coming. He will give the same reward to everyone who believes and keeps faith.
2 Timothy 3
http://www.esvbible.org/2+Timothy+3/
Paul warns that "in the last days" there will be a lot of corrupt people. They will be easy for the Christians to see because they will wear their disbelief plainly. They will act out against what God wants us to do. Nobody is perfect, but these people won't even try. They will go into people's homes and try to mislead them. At one point, Paul goes far enough to say that their stupidity in doing this will be there downfall because they oppose the truth. If two people who opposed Moses ended up having stupidity be their downfall, think how much more people opposing the very Word of God will be exposed by stupidity.
Paul tells Timothy that Timothy knows all about who Paul is, what he is doing, and why he is doing it. Following this, he says that Timothy knows that because of all of that, Paul is persecuted, and the persecution follows him. We can see a lot of this in the Book of Acts. Furthermore, Paul says that anyone who lives the life of a Christian will be persecuted. It's harder to understand that in a country like the US where so many people are followers of Jesus that we despise others for their meaningless differences in practice when all that really matters is that they are believers. In places like China, the persecution is so bad that if you are a follower of Christ, you will band with any follower of Christ you find because at least you have somebody. We can't separate the real believers who love the Lord with every fiber of their beings from the posers because the persecution is so little. I respect the believers in other countries where the penalty could be death because they truly experience what Jesus and Paul both talk about. Paul says that we should use the Scriptures because they are all useful in some way for teaching or correcting others. All Scripture was inspired by God.
Paul warns that "in the last days" there will be a lot of corrupt people. They will be easy for the Christians to see because they will wear their disbelief plainly. They will act out against what God wants us to do. Nobody is perfect, but these people won't even try. They will go into people's homes and try to mislead them. At one point, Paul goes far enough to say that their stupidity in doing this will be there downfall because they oppose the truth. If two people who opposed Moses ended up having stupidity be their downfall, think how much more people opposing the very Word of God will be exposed by stupidity.
Paul tells Timothy that Timothy knows all about who Paul is, what he is doing, and why he is doing it. Following this, he says that Timothy knows that because of all of that, Paul is persecuted, and the persecution follows him. We can see a lot of this in the Book of Acts. Furthermore, Paul says that anyone who lives the life of a Christian will be persecuted. It's harder to understand that in a country like the US where so many people are followers of Jesus that we despise others for their meaningless differences in practice when all that really matters is that they are believers. In places like China, the persecution is so bad that if you are a follower of Christ, you will band with any follower of Christ you find because at least you have somebody. We can't separate the real believers who love the Lord with every fiber of their beings from the posers because the persecution is so little. I respect the believers in other countries where the penalty could be death because they truly experience what Jesus and Paul both talk about. Paul says that we should use the Scriptures because they are all useful in some way for teaching or correcting others. All Scripture was inspired by God.
Saturday, June 16, 2012
2 Timothy 2
http://www.esvbible.org/2+Timothy+2/
Paul encourages Timothy to stay strong in the grace that Jesus grants. What Paul writes next, I interpret to mean that if you do not have teaching as a Spiritual Gift, you still have a great role to play. You could witness to someone who does, and then you play a part of their story when they become a teacher of the Gospel. Next comes some great metaphors of how to take suffering. First, take suffering like a soldier because a good soldier does not intermingle in civilian affairs for the pursuit of popularity with them. Instead, he serves the one who enlisted him. An athlete can only be victorious by playing the sport according to the rules. A hard working farmer gets the first of the crop. Then, I find it encouraging that Paul tells us the Lord will provide understanding for what Paul writes. Jesus came from the line of David, just as the Old Testament says and Paul suffers in chains for this Word, but the Word cannot be contained, so Paul preaches on. If we die for Him, we live with Him, if we endure, we reign with Him, if we deny Him, He denies us, if we are faithless, He is faithful.
Present the Word with the Truth. It really speaks for itself. You shouldn't have anything to add or change. Steer clear from godless words because they will only serve to mislead others' faith. Paul gives two examples of people who thought that after their resurrection, they could go on doing what they want, and they upset the faith of some. The Lord says that He knows the ones who are His, and that those are the ones who depart from iniquity (sin). Paul gives a metaphor that their are many utensils in a house and some have a more noble purpose than others. If we cleanse ourselves of the ungodliness in our lives, we are opening ourselves up to more noble purposes that are wielded by the master of the house himself. Finally, do not partake in quarrelsome matters. We should show love and compassion, correcting our enemies with gentleness. In this way, they are more likely to repent and come to know the Lord and may even escape traps set by the devil.
Paul encourages Timothy to stay strong in the grace that Jesus grants. What Paul writes next, I interpret to mean that if you do not have teaching as a Spiritual Gift, you still have a great role to play. You could witness to someone who does, and then you play a part of their story when they become a teacher of the Gospel. Next comes some great metaphors of how to take suffering. First, take suffering like a soldier because a good soldier does not intermingle in civilian affairs for the pursuit of popularity with them. Instead, he serves the one who enlisted him. An athlete can only be victorious by playing the sport according to the rules. A hard working farmer gets the first of the crop. Then, I find it encouraging that Paul tells us the Lord will provide understanding for what Paul writes. Jesus came from the line of David, just as the Old Testament says and Paul suffers in chains for this Word, but the Word cannot be contained, so Paul preaches on. If we die for Him, we live with Him, if we endure, we reign with Him, if we deny Him, He denies us, if we are faithless, He is faithful.
Present the Word with the Truth. It really speaks for itself. You shouldn't have anything to add or change. Steer clear from godless words because they will only serve to mislead others' faith. Paul gives two examples of people who thought that after their resurrection, they could go on doing what they want, and they upset the faith of some. The Lord says that He knows the ones who are His, and that those are the ones who depart from iniquity (sin). Paul gives a metaphor that their are many utensils in a house and some have a more noble purpose than others. If we cleanse ourselves of the ungodliness in our lives, we are opening ourselves up to more noble purposes that are wielded by the master of the house himself. Finally, do not partake in quarrelsome matters. We should show love and compassion, correcting our enemies with gentleness. In this way, they are more likely to repent and come to know the Lord and may even escape traps set by the devil.
2 Timothy 1
http://www.esvbible.org/2+Timothy+1/
Paul starts out by greeting Timothy and declaring that he is the one who wrote the letter in the name of Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit.
Paul first tells Timothy how appreciative he is to know Timothy. He says he thanks God for Timothy in his prayers. Even beyond that, Paul says that he prays God will allow him to see Timothy again soon because that would make him happy. He remembers Timothy as a man of great faith, and he posses the same faith as his mother and grandmother. He urges Timothy to stay strong because within us dwells a Spirit of love and ferocity and power not a timid spirit. Furthermore, Paul says not to be ashamed of Jesus or even Paul as a prisoner because everyone who truly follows Jesus will experience suffering. Jesus of course was always rejected and eventually murdered in one of the most gruesome ways historically known. Paul suffered many times in prison for continuing Jesus' teachings. He tells us here that it's not an easy life to spread the gospel, and we all as believers are called to share our faith. We will be ridiculed and made fun of and rejected but if we stay strong in our faith, a wonderful, everlasting reward awaits us. When Jesus calls us to do something, it is not because He finds virtue in our works but because there is virtue in His plans for us. Why should we question God or be ashamed of Him when He sent His Son to die on the cross so that death could no longer hold us back from God? He made death into life but we are too afraid of humiliation to tell others about Him. We should all be ashamed of ourselves because we all at one time or another have backed down from sharing the Gospel. Paul writes that many people in Asia turned away from him, and in our lives people will turn away from us because of what we believe. But he writes that a friend sought him out while he was imprisoned in Rome. True friends through Christ are the truest friends that a person can have.
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