BRF - 1 Peter
Finally, there is a quiet moment for me to sit down, think, and type about what I learned from 1 Peter!! Jonathan worked all night and little D cried all night and is down for a much needed nap. So it's quiet and here I am! And I actually kept notes while I read so I should be able to collect my thoughts a bit better.
1:7 says that my faith is more precious than gold. Do I honestly think of my faith as being that precious? Do I take care of my faith, nurture it, guard it, so that when it is tested by fire it won't perish? Will my faith survive trials and temptations? Will it be found to glorify Jesus Christ? Hmmm. I think I have some things to work on here.
1:15 says that I am to be holy in ALL my conduct. All. I don't think that this is just a suggestion...sounds like a command to me. I can't just be 'holy' at Sunday services, or if I am witnessing. I am to be holy, even when people aren't watching. What am I watching on TV? Is it holy? Does it glorify God? Or does it glorify the world? What music am I listening to? What message does it have? What jokes do I tell or laugh at?
1:25 says, "But the word of the LORD endures forever." I don't think it can be said more clearly than that. It endures forever. It does not change. So why do people think that they can change the Bible to adapt to their lifestyles, their 'needs', or just take the parts that work for them and ignore the parts that 'offend' them?!
2:2 says that I should desire the milk of the word...If I am serious about my faith, and desire to grow as a Christian, I should be reading my Bible. And I should want to!! (Thanks to BRF for getting me back on track with this!).
2:4 talks about being rejected by men, but chosen by God...As a Christian I should expect to be rejected and persecuted. A friend once told me that if I am not being persecuted for my faith, I am not saying enough about what I believe.
2:11 says to "abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul." To abstain means to STAY AWAY. I am constantly realizing how de-sensitized I am to the things of the world. I realized that I wasn't bothered by shows that had some bad language in them or rude storylines, I wasn't turning off songs that had rude stuff in them, I wasn't shocked when someone swore around me. The argument that "it doesn't affect me, I'm not going to start swearing or anything" is STUPID. The Bible tells us to stay away from that stuff. And if we think we are strong enough to not let it affect us, we are fooling ourselves and mocking God. And I don't think we want to be mocking God...
3:1 talks about being submissive to our husbands. So many ladies find this offensive, that we are weak or something. But God designed us with this is mind, it's a special role He has for us. And if we do it properly the way He intends, we will be blessed!
3:8 tells us to "be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous...". Being of one mind does not mean being open-minded or inclusive of other religions.
3:14 says that "if you should suffer for rightesousnes' sake, you are blessed." What am I afraid of? Let's be honest, chances are no one is going to do physical harm to me if I witness to them. They may not like me and may say cruel things, but that's probably as bad as it will get. And that is NOTHING compared to what Christians in other countries are facing. So why do I keep my mouth shut? It's time to start talking...
3:15 is a verse that haunts me. It says to "be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you..." First of all, do people see hope in me? Do I live my life in such a way that they notice something different? And do I have a defense ready? Can I clearly explain what salvation is all about? If I say I believe it with all my heart, I should be able to explain it. And lately I started to think of this verse in a new way...I should be ready for more than just the big explanation of salvation. I need to be ready to graciously explain why I don't watch certain movies, or listen to some music, or enjoy some jokes, or why I choose Church on Sundays over sports...BE READY. And I need to do all that with 'meekness and fear.' NOT powertripping, or rude, or self-righteously.
5:5 says, "...younger people, submit yourselves to your elders...and be clothed with humility."
There are a lot of dying churches becuase of people in my generation. Young people are leaving churches and heading to bigger churches where the music is more contemporary, the dress code is relaxed and more exciting programs are happening. The biggest thing I see happening has to do with the music. Churches now have their 'worship team,' as if singing is the worship part of the service. EVERYTHING we do is to be honoring to the Lord. God is not glorifed by people who are singing their guts out with their arms raised high, when they are busy living like the world all week long. Sort of went off topic there...oops. Anyways, we have so much to learn from our elders. But I think the elders need to step it up a bit too. They are supposed to be teaching us, holding us accountable, setting good examples for us. We need to learn from them so that when it's our turn to help lead the church, we will be ready!!
So there ya go, there are my thoughts on 1 Peter. Random and scattered, but I did enjoy reading this book and I'm now enjoying 2 Peter!!
1:7 says that my faith is more precious than gold. Do I honestly think of my faith as being that precious? Do I take care of my faith, nurture it, guard it, so that when it is tested by fire it won't perish? Will my faith survive trials and temptations? Will it be found to glorify Jesus Christ? Hmmm. I think I have some things to work on here.
1:15 says that I am to be holy in ALL my conduct. All. I don't think that this is just a suggestion...sounds like a command to me. I can't just be 'holy' at Sunday services, or if I am witnessing. I am to be holy, even when people aren't watching. What am I watching on TV? Is it holy? Does it glorify God? Or does it glorify the world? What music am I listening to? What message does it have? What jokes do I tell or laugh at?
1:25 says, "But the word of the LORD endures forever." I don't think it can be said more clearly than that. It endures forever. It does not change. So why do people think that they can change the Bible to adapt to their lifestyles, their 'needs', or just take the parts that work for them and ignore the parts that 'offend' them?!
2:2 says that I should desire the milk of the word...If I am serious about my faith, and desire to grow as a Christian, I should be reading my Bible. And I should want to!! (Thanks to BRF for getting me back on track with this!).
2:4 talks about being rejected by men, but chosen by God...As a Christian I should expect to be rejected and persecuted. A friend once told me that if I am not being persecuted for my faith, I am not saying enough about what I believe.
2:11 says to "abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul." To abstain means to STAY AWAY. I am constantly realizing how de-sensitized I am to the things of the world. I realized that I wasn't bothered by shows that had some bad language in them or rude storylines, I wasn't turning off songs that had rude stuff in them, I wasn't shocked when someone swore around me. The argument that "it doesn't affect me, I'm not going to start swearing or anything" is STUPID. The Bible tells us to stay away from that stuff. And if we think we are strong enough to not let it affect us, we are fooling ourselves and mocking God. And I don't think we want to be mocking God...
3:1 talks about being submissive to our husbands. So many ladies find this offensive, that we are weak or something. But God designed us with this is mind, it's a special role He has for us. And if we do it properly the way He intends, we will be blessed!
3:8 tells us to "be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous...". Being of one mind does not mean being open-minded or inclusive of other religions.
3:14 says that "if you should suffer for rightesousnes' sake, you are blessed." What am I afraid of? Let's be honest, chances are no one is going to do physical harm to me if I witness to them. They may not like me and may say cruel things, but that's probably as bad as it will get. And that is NOTHING compared to what Christians in other countries are facing. So why do I keep my mouth shut? It's time to start talking...
3:15 is a verse that haunts me. It says to "be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you..." First of all, do people see hope in me? Do I live my life in such a way that they notice something different? And do I have a defense ready? Can I clearly explain what salvation is all about? If I say I believe it with all my heart, I should be able to explain it. And lately I started to think of this verse in a new way...I should be ready for more than just the big explanation of salvation. I need to be ready to graciously explain why I don't watch certain movies, or listen to some music, or enjoy some jokes, or why I choose Church on Sundays over sports...BE READY. And I need to do all that with 'meekness and fear.' NOT powertripping, or rude, or self-righteously.
5:5 says, "...younger people, submit yourselves to your elders...and be clothed with humility."
There are a lot of dying churches becuase of people in my generation. Young people are leaving churches and heading to bigger churches where the music is more contemporary, the dress code is relaxed and more exciting programs are happening. The biggest thing I see happening has to do with the music. Churches now have their 'worship team,' as if singing is the worship part of the service. EVERYTHING we do is to be honoring to the Lord. God is not glorifed by people who are singing their guts out with their arms raised high, when they are busy living like the world all week long. Sort of went off topic there...oops. Anyways, we have so much to learn from our elders. But I think the elders need to step it up a bit too. They are supposed to be teaching us, holding us accountable, setting good examples for us. We need to learn from them so that when it's our turn to help lead the church, we will be ready!!
So there ya go, there are my thoughts on 1 Peter. Random and scattered, but I did enjoy reading this book and I'm now enjoying 2 Peter!!
posted by Erin at
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
2 Comments:
Super good review, E-wok. Love it! It's a thinker and now I have even more to think about along with 2 Peter but that's good. i need alot of "smarten up" type moments these days but I think I'm coming around :)
Thanks for the review Erin. 3:15 is also a verse that convicts me,"am I ready to give a reason?" Your review has lots for me to ponder!! It was great to see you Sunday.
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