FINISH TOGETHER

Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. 

1 Peter 3:8-9 (NIV)

My oldest son was a long distance runner in high school and college. In high school he was captain of his cross country team. He wasn't the best runner in the league but he fully understood that in cross country it's all about getting more people to finish high together. So, he and his friends started using the slogan "ohana" no one finishes alone. The team took first in league. My son wasn't first as an individual runner but, the team was. The team grew from around thirty kids to over one hundred within a few years because the culture was all about helping each other finish as best as they could. 

My point is that as Christians we should be more concerned about loving others with the same forgiveness, grace, mercy and love that Christ first loved us with than winning any argument, being right about some particular issue or making sure that we have been treated fairly. It is not up to us to change anyone. We are called to love as Christ loved us. 

Father, help us to be thankful for your love toward us and to humbly love each other. Praise be to you in us today!

VINDICATION BY DEATH

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

  “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. “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” For “you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

1 Peter 2:21-25 (NIV)

When Christ was being crucified he entrusted himself to him who judges justly, his father. And we entrust ourselves to Jesus who is the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls. 

Think about this: Christ entrusted himself to him who judges justly to ensure justice, via the grace to be made possible by his death on the cross, for us. Now this may be hard to hear but, the example we need to follow is dying to ourselves. It's not so much about God vindicating us, but about us being like Christ even when, or especially when, we are suffering unjustly. Trusting God that he has us where he wants us, even when we are being treated unjustly, requires that we die to ourselves. Our need to to live for righteousness where we are at. 

This hits very close to home for me. Actually, it's a bull's eye. Because I can not see the end from the beginning, as God can do, I must die to myself and wait upon him, trusting that he has me where he wants me. It's not where I want to be, but where he wants me. My choice is to live by faith and love others within the circumstances. It's hard. It's killing me. But I entrust myself to the Shepherd and Overseer of my soul.

Father, help us to entrust ourselves to you, the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls. Give us a glimpse today. Praise be to you in us today!

God Chose...

God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”

1 Corinthians 1:28-31 (NIV)

MURDERERS AREN'T MARTYRS

For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God. 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. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

I Peter 2:19-21

There is a big difference between suffering for doing what is right and suffering the consequences for doing something wrong.  If you do what is right, trying to love others with the love of Christ and people oppose you that is different than committing a crime, ending up in prison and complaining that you don't get to see your family. 

I recently finished reading the book 7 Men and the Secret of Their Greatness by Eric Metaxes. One of the men was Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He was a pastor and dissident anti-Nazi. He ended up in prison and killed for his beliefs and stand against Hitler. The apostle Peter describes that a commendable. 

Dennis "Macho" Colon was convicted of murder and sentenced to life and prison in June of 2012. He complained to the judge that the sentence was too harsh because he would not be able to see his family. That is not commendable. 

So, what is the point? If I live to please God I will try to do what is loving and serve others. That is commendable. That is what I should seek to do. Go back to verse 16 which tells us to use our freedom to live as a servants of God, not as a cover-up for evil. Honestly, it's not that complicated. I remember my mom once saying, "If you don't break the law, you won't get chased by the police and you won't have to worry about how hard they  tackle you." 

Father, help us to enjoy our freedom in Christ and to live lives of love, serving others. Praise be to you in us today!

ARE YOU FREE TO JUMP OFF A BUILDING?

Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.

1 Peter 2:16-17 (NIV)

Being free is an interesting proposition. Does it mean being free to do anything? No, because I could freely choose to jump off the tallest building in downtown LA, but with out a parachute, I'd just die. Freedom does mean thoughtlessness or lawlessness. As a Christian, I am free from sin to serve God which means to live as I was created to live. 

Peter immediately speaks of respect. I have worked in some pretty tough neighborhoods and respect is a big thing, especially among boys and men. For many people respect is more like fear, just fear. But respect is not one person being afraid of another person doing something foolish and hurting them. That is just being afraid of someones lack of self-control displayed in a violent act. Respect is beyond treating someone as you would want them to treat you (also known as the golden rule). Respect is treating someone as a fellow child of God, created in his image. Respect is treating someone as Christ would treat them and remembering that Jesus died for them, just as he died for you. That is godly respect. That is true respect.  

So, freely live, freely love and freely respect all who God puts before you.

Lord, help us to love and respect everyone, even those who don't love and respect us. Praise be to you in us today!

CAN YOU SPELL WAIT?

The LORD is faithful to all his promises
   and loving toward all he has made.
The LORD upholds all those who fall
   and lifts up all who are bowed down.
The eyes of all look to you,
   and you give them their food at the proper time.
You uphold your hand
   and satisfy the desires of every living thing.
 Psalm 145:13b-16

"at the proper time"... A teacher from Capernwray Bible School used to say that waiting on God was one of the most difficult things for us as Christians to do. "I'll bet you can't even spell it! W-A-I-T, WAIT!" he would repeat throughout the semester. I wish I could say that I have learned to wait on God with more faith and trust than I did then. Maybe I have, but, it doesn't feel like it most of the time. 

The important truths to remember are that God is faithful and he is loving toward all he has made, including us. Maybe the vernacular for "at the proper time" is "wait for it...". 

Since God's ways are not my ways and his timing is not my timing I often find myself wondering what God is doing. I do know what God has said in the Bible. I do remember the times when God has worked, even when I thought it was impossible. My job is to wait on him, with open hands.  His promise is to uphold me, lift me up, give me my food at the proper time and satisfy my desires "at the proper time"...

Father, we wait with open hands and open hearts. Satisfy our desires with good things. Praise be to you in us to day!

TRUST GOD WITH THE WORLD

Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. 

1 Peter 2:13-15 (NIV)

There's a great saying, perhaps you've heard it, "Tell the truth and you won't have to worry about having a great memory." One of the fruits of trying to live by faith in Christ is peace. Peace with God and peace with others. Now, I know that I am an enemy of the world because I am a follower of Christ. But, when I know that I am in Christ, I'm good to go. 

Father, help us to live by faith in Christ. We trust that you will work all things for our good. Praise be to you in us today!

YOU WERE NOT, NOW YOU ARE

Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

1 Peter 2:10 (NIV)

When I first started teaching I was single. One of the guys I worked with was married, we'll call him Mr. P. The school I worked at was in a rough neighborhood, so there was a high turnover of teachers. Mr.P., although married, would make it a point "to get to know" some of the new teachers.  He was married but didn't act like it. He, of course, eventually got divorced, which he blamed on his wife and mother-in-law. 

The point is that Mr. P. seemed to forget that he was married, so it was no surprise that he ended up divorced. Peter reminds us that once we were not the people of God, but now we are his people and we have received God's mercy. We need to remember, throughout the day that we are the people of God and we have received his mercy.

Father, help us to live in your mercy as your people. Remind us of you love for us. Praise be to you in us today!

NOT JUST A PART OF THE CROWD

The Lord is gracious and compassionate,
   slow to anger and rich in love. 
The Lord is good to all;
   he has compassion on all he has made.
All your works praise you, Lord;
   your faithful people extol you.
They tell of the glory of your kingdom 
   and speak of your might,
so that all people may know of your mighty acts 
   and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
   and your dominion endures through all generations.
Psalms 145:8-13 (NIV)

The Lord is good to who? Not just everyone, you! 

I don't know about you, but sometimes I feel like I am just one guy in the crowd, in the back, hidden behind some giant of a person. But God sees me and knows me. He sees you, hidden where you are, but not out of his sight. His grace and compassion is not just for everyone else, it is for you. 

A FEW WORDS ON SELF-CONTROL

So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. 

I Thessalonians 5:6

He who guards his lips guards his life,

   but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin. 

Proverbs 13:3

A wise man fears the LORD and shuns evil,

   but a fool is hotheaded and reckless.

Proverbs 14:16

A quick-tempered man does foolish things,

   and a crafty man is hated.

Proverbs 14:17

A patient man has great understanding,

   but a quick-tempered man displays his folly.

Proverbs 14:29

YOUR CHOSEN, DON'T BE FROZEN

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

1 Peter 2:9 (NIV)

One of the amazing things about our relationship with God is that he chose us. He chose us knowing everything that would happen in our lives! The victories and the failures. As my pastor loves to remind us, "God's not surprised. I may be, but he's not!" 

He chose us to to represent him as priests of his holy nation, belonging to God. He chose us to declare his praise because he brought us out of the kingdom of darkness and into his wonderful light! 

Sometimes we sense the shadow of darkness rather than seeing his wonderful light and we forget that we belong to God and that in Christ he has made us righteous (1 Corinthians 1:30)! It is too easy to focus on our inadequacies rather than the finished work of Christ on the cross. But it is not about us, it's about his holiness in us and his light within us and his faithfulness in our lives! 

As a priest I can pray for my family, I can pray for people I work with and I can pray for all who I might connect with. And you never know what simple action might touch someone with the love of God. Yesterday, I just asked about his children and mention that it must be tough because he didn't get to see them all the time. He opened up a bit and was visibly thankful that I asked. 

Father, help us to be the priests you have called us to be. Praise be to you in us today!

LIVING, NOT ROLLING STONES

As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 2:4-5 (NIV)

Christ is the living Stone and he is making us into living stones. Living stones is not the metaphor you might expect. To me stones are dead, unmoving. Yet, Peter calls Christ the living Stone and teaches us that we too are living stones. 

The picture of being built together is the key. Things that are alive grow. We grow as Christ builds us together. He is building us into a priesthood. Not an unconnected collection of individuals out on their own but an interconnected priesthood, made  holy by his sacrifice. Made holy and made priests to offer spiritual sacrifices of acts of love in faith in Jesus Christ. 

I went to a men's study yesterday morning. I missed last week because I was sick last. One of the guys asked where I was and kind of gave me a hard time about using the "I was sick"  excuse. You know what? I appreciate that they were willing to hold me accountable. What is cool is that part of the group is sort of a new new mix, and we are starting to grow together. That's the Spirit of God building us together in Christ. 

Father, thank you for working in my life. Use me to build your kingdom. Praise be to you in us today!

GROW UP!

Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

1 Peter 2:1-3 (NIV) 

This school year I have been teaching sixth graders at a middle school. There has been a number of times that I have had to remind them they are no longer in elementary school. They have to grow up a little and learn how to deal with things responsibly and in a maturing way. 

Peter is reminding his readers that they should crave the spiritual in Christ rather than the desires of the sinful nature. He tells them to "crave pure spiritual milk". When I was a kid I used to love milk. I would drink it straight from the bottle (when no one was looking). Now we buy 1% or 2% milk. I can't stand it! It's like watered down powdered milk. Desiring pure spiritual milk is really about seeking the truth in Christ and being willing to hear it and deal with it maturely. The end is not to be a child but, to "grow up in your salvation". 

Once you see that the Lord is good you should want more. Maturity in Christ is the goal. I once heard someone say that the difference between a man/woman and a boy/girl is that a man/woman does what they have to do and a boy/girl does what they want to do. Often times even from a spiritual perspective it boils down to maturity and simply choosing to do what we have to do in Christ rather than what we want to do in our sinful nature. The good news is that if you do what you have to do in Christ you will taste and see that the Lord is good!

Father, help us to grow up in Christ! Praise be to you in us today!

MESSY OR NOT, JUST KEEP LOVING LIKE GOD

Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.

1 Peter 1:22-23 (NIV)

My youngest sons' latest thing is tennis. So, we were out in the back hitting balls against the wall. It's good practice learning to get your racket in position and developing your reaction time. He started taking lessons with the local city parks and recreation classes. I figure, if he likes it he might as well learn to do it right.

That is kind of what Peter is saying here. Now that God has given you a new heart and a sincere love, don't be afraid to really love others. Maybe we hold back because we are afraid of getting hurt. It might be that you are concerned about people, even or especially Christians being a bit unloving back. 

Here's the deal. The depth of God's love for us is not based upon how we receive his love, it's just about his love for us. Think about the love of a parent. Parents love their children now how messy of an eater they are. They just keep feeding them. God loves us no matter how poorly we receive or deal with that love. And that is what we do when we love others. We just love deeply, knowing that like us, the person we are seeking to love with the love of God may not fully perceive or receive it. But, like God, we just keep loving. 

Thank you, Father, that you just keep loving me. Thank you that no matter how much I miss, you still have all the love I need. Praise be to you in us today!

LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE!

Praise be to the Lord my Rock,
     who trains my hands for war,
     my fingers for battle.
He is my loving God and my fortress,
     my stronghold and my deliverer,
my shield, in whom I take refuge,
     who subdues peoples under me.
          Psalms 144:1-2 (NIV)

One of the realities of life is that sometimes it's a battlefield whether we feel like fighting or not. Actually, it's always a battlefield. It may be more like espionage at times, but the the enemy is always working in the world around us to weaken our faith, attacking in some form or another. 

The good news is that God has been working since before the beginning of time to save us and strengthen us in Christ! And as we daily enter the battle (I can hear Michael Buffer now, "Let's get ready to rumble!") remember that during the battle God is your loving God, your fortress, your shield, your deliverer, your refuge and he rescues you! 

Father, praise you for training us for battle! Praise be to you for the victories you will bring in us today! 

HELP! HOW DO YOU GUARD YOUR HEART?

Above all else, guard your heart;
     for it is the wellspring of life.
Proverbs 4:23

This is such a familiar verse and a very powerful verse. What I need is to hear how you guard your heart. So, if you would please let us know, in the comment section one way you guard your heart.

GOD TAKES CARE OF THE PATH

Trust in the Lord with all your heart 
     and lean not on your own understanding; 
in all your ways submit to him,
     and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)

It is so easy to worry if you are on the right path. "Did I make the right decision?" "Am I where God wants me to be?" Those are question we ask ourselves when we are seeking God's will. 

Here is the awesome truth: When we submit to him, he makes our paths straight! Do you get that? It's not about us making all the right decisions and being in the right place at the right time. The truth is that God prepares the path in front of us. 

Are you where God wants you to be? If you are submitting to him you are.

Father, help us to submit to you. Praise be to you in us today. 

IS HOLINESS DO'S OR DON'TS

As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

1 Peter 1:14 -16 (NIV)

When you become a Christian you repent from living one way and choose to live another. You do  a complete U-turn from living according to the rules of the world and begin to obey the Spirit in holiness. We learn that just as Jesus loved us and died for our sins, we are to love others and die to ourselves. 

Holiness, to me, isn't just about, or even mainly about not doing some things. Holiness is more about treating others with the same grace that God shows me in Christ. Someone once told me to leave people a way out. Don't put them into a corner from which their only exit is to fight their way out through you. 

Think about this: Christ is our way out. 

God does not sit us in a corner and just tell us how awful we are, even though it is true. He offers us a way out in the grace, mercy and forgiveness of Christ. We are to do the same for others. We offer the grace, God changes the heart. 

Now, if you are in a corner and you have sinned, forgiveness and repentance go hand in hand. Christ did not die that we could sin again. He died that we might be free from sin and death. Grace is to change your heart and mind. Remember, you are free to live in the forgiveness and love of God.

Father, help us to love and you have loved us and to be holy as you are holy. Praise be to you in us today!

ARE CHRISTIANS SIMPLEMINDED?

"For the waywardness of the simple will kill them,
     and the complacency of fools will destroy them; 
 but whoever listens to me will live in safety 
     and be at ease, without fear of harm.”
Proverbs 1:32-33 (NIV)

I recently responded to a post by an atheist. What I said was that I found it funny that so many people who don't believe in God talk a lot about a god. Of course there were a few "responses" that assumed things like I believed in a state endorsed church. What I did not read was a rational statement about what an atheist believes about anything. 

Here's the deal: if you reject God, the simplicity of your denial and the arrogance of your self assuredness will lead to self destructive actions, the end of which will be answering to God at the final judgement. 

In contrast, listening to God and living according to the truth will lead to peace and in the end eternal life in his Presence.  

To the world we may seem like ignorant fools, but, the fear of the Lord is anything but ignorance and the avoidance of knowledge. In Proverbs 1:29 (which sets the context for the verses 32-33) we are told, "Since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the LORD." Rejecting God and hating knowledge go hand in hand. Listening to God leads to knowledge, safety and peace. 

Listen to God. Fear God. Live according to the Truth. Be blessed.

Father, help us to live in the fear of the Lord, not the fear of man. May your Presence lead us in peace. Praise be to you in us today!