even if it feels right...

February 28, 2013

1 Peter 2:10-11

V 11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to live without the constant fight within ourselves over what “we” want to do and what we know God would want us to do? I watch as my children learn that even though something “feels good” doesn’t necessarily mean it’s something you should do. It might “feel good” to hit back at someone who hits your first but that doesn’t make it right. It might “feel good” to do any number of things but that doesn’t make it “right.” It’s also pretty easy to convince ourselves that what “we” want to do is the right thing to do. We may even use seemingly godly reasoning to allow us to do god-less activities. Yet, this doesn’t make it right. Peter is telling us that we will have these struggles and not to give in. In the verse prior to this one, Peter reminds us that we have received the mercy of God, and that we are His people. If we are indeed His people then shouldn’t we try very hard to act like it!

He is worthy...

February 27,2013

1 Peter 2:8-9

V 9…may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light

From Genesis to Revelation there are verses that command our need, responsibility and what should be our desire to praise God. These verses remind us that God is worthy of our praise because of all that He continually does for us. As if sending Jesus wasn’t enough, He does more and more for us. He is worthy of our praise that is not in doubt but is He getting them? That’s the question is it not.

the cornerstone

February 26, 2013

1 Peter 2:6-7

V7 …the stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone

Thanks to our pastor, Bro Don, I know that this verse speaks of Jesus Christ. He was the stone that was rejected. He came to die for sinful men. He came and was ridiculed and spit upon. Yet, it is He that is the cornerstone of our faith. I also know, again thanks to Bro Don, that a cornerstone was the most important stone in a building. It is on the back of the cornerstone that all others are laid. The cornerstone makes sure that the building is straight and will stand. Actually a building was only as strong as the cornerstone that held it up. Since Christ is the cornerstone of our faith, that faith should be unshakeable!

what am I giving?

February 25, 2013

1 Peter 2:5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up…to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ

In the Old Testament, sacrifices were kind of a big deal. The OT saints were commanded to give different sacrifices depending on what they were celebrating/worshiping at that day. No matter what the particular sacrifice was they all had one thing in common. They were always to best. The best lamb, the best fruit, the best whatever. These OT believers were commanded by God to give Him their first crops; the very best they had to offer in order to show their love and devotion to Him. This verse in 1 Peter tells us that we, the NT believer, though we may not be tied to the sacrifices of the OT, we are called to give spiritual sacrifices. We are called to serve God and His church to the best of our ability, with our firsts our time, our money, and our devotion. Like the OT saints of old we are called to give to God the very best we have no matter if what we give is slightly different than what they gave. Are we giving God our very best spiritual sacrifices? I’m sure that those OT believers might have suffered some because they gave away the very best they had to God; they would have certainly had more money had they kept those fatted calves for themselves right, maybe (but that’s a blog post for another day!)? Again, I ask are we giving God our best? If not perhaps we should examine the reasons why we are not!

careful what we reject...

February 22, 2013

1 Peter 2:4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious

Jesus was scorned, and rejected. He was mocked and ridiculed. We come to Him as chosen and precious, in His sight, but not necessarily in the sight of the world. The world will never accept the things of God. They are in polar opposites never meant to meet. Yet, we, as believers, are always shocked when the world rejects the things of God. We should not be shocked; it’s rather expected that this will happen in fact. What should shock us and upset us more is when believers reject the things of God in favor of the things of this world; mostly when that believer is ourselves…

God is good...

February 21, 2013

1 Peter 2:2-3

V3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good

I can’t imagine that if a person is truly saved, really given their heart’s to God; that person wouldn’t know with absolute certainty that God is good. He is beyond good actually, but the least we should feel about Him is that He is good. Why shouldn’t we crave that goodness to seep into our hearts, minds, actions, and thoughts? Why should we try so hard to keep it out? Instead, we should drink from it; we should yearn for it, and want it more than we want our next breath. This is how “good” the Lord is to us.