standing firm...

June 27, 2013

1 Peter  5:11-13

V 12 …stand firm in it

All that was written in 1 Peter from showing hospitality to the sufficiency of scripture; we are to stand firm in it. We are to make decisions based on it. We are to represent it in our words and actions. In the world we live in today those who stand firm in God’s Word will stand out more than ever before. 

where is my focus...probably not where it should be

June 24, 2013

1 Peter 5:8 Be sober minded; be watchful. Your advisory the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour

Help me, Dear God, to keep my focus on You. Many times it’s so very easy to focus on our hardships, our pains, our tears or even our happiness and take it off your. In either situation, our hurts or our happiness, You reign supreme. It is in You that we should run for shelter from the storm and You that we should praise for every blessing. Sometimes we forget. Sometimes we focus on our circumstances and before we know it we are wallowing in our sin. Help me to remember where my focus should, must, be. 

So hurl away...

June 20, 2013

1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your anxieties on him because he cares for you

Casting is defined as “To throw with force; to hurl”. When you cast something you really want to get rid of it, you don’t want to go out and find it again wherever you through it. This is how we are to “Cast our cares to Him.” We are to hurl them at Him. We are to throw them with such force that we cannot retrieve them. He is perfectly capable of catching all of them. He can hold all of them. Most importantly He wants to catch and hold all of them God would much rather us look and focus on Him than on our problems. So hurl away…

humbly I bow...

June 19, 2013

1 Peter  5:6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you

I am nothing as I kneel before the almighty God. Yet, He, in His wisdom, chose to save me. He, in His wisdom, chooses to lead me, to guide me, and to hold me. He, in His wisdom, chooses to strengthen me. He cares for those who are His and He avenges those who are His as He sees fit. He is worthy of our praise, adoration, and devotion. He is certainly worthy of my humble kneeling and acceptance of His will for me!

who do we point to?

June 13, 2013

1 Peter 5:4-5

V 5…clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble”

Being humble. I mean real humility, not the fake stuff we sometimes throw on ourselves to look good in front of others is hard. It’s hard to make yourself take a back seat when really you want to ride shotgun. It’s hard to remember it’s not about me but about God and to point all things to Him. I mean really it’s all about Him. Even if our intelligence gave us the idea of solving a great preplacing problem; He gave us that intelligence. In all things we are to be a light that leads a dark world to Him. It’s hard to lead others to Him when we are pointing to ourselves. 

being an example...

June 12, 2013

1 Peter 4:17-5:3

V5:3 Not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock

Being an example…that’s a daunting task. That means that you have to be right in your conduct and your words, if you are to correctly lead anyone else. You have to be able to say “no” to your flesh when you really want to say “yes”. Being an example is not for the faint of heart; it’s for the heart that is fully entrusted to God and turned to Him. How very grateful I am that standing in the pulpit of our church is a man that is an example to all.