1 Peter 1 — Greeting, Born Again, Called to be Holy
1 Peter 2:1-12 — A Living Stone and a Holy People
1 Peter 2:13-25 — Submission to Authority
Thoughts about serving others
This link includes a list of posts about Serving the Least, the Lost, and the Lonely.
My prayer is for you to join me on this journey. Subscribe to this blog below to get an email when a new post is available.
Let the Word evoke words. May your life encourage lives.
We come now to Peter’s writings, one of my favorite characters in the New Testament. He’s a favorite because he’s one of the best known and least likely to be an Apostle carrying the flame of Christianity. One who spoke first and thought later, his youth seemed to be: “ready, shoot, aim!” Peter was given a new start on life following by Jesus himself over a breakfast barbecue (see John 21:15-19). We know Peter betrayed Jesus in his time of great trial, but he was forgiven and went on to be a principal player in the building of the church. That give me hope. That gives us all hope. Let’s listen for God in the words of these short writings of Peter.
Peter encourages his readers to get excited about “a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:3), an excitement that comes from genuinely knowing Christ, “though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy” (1:8). Hope is the missing ingredient in all those who act selfishly. If we have hope, we will continue to seek an answer. Hope is what we must offer the world, one by one. It’s not ours to keep! Lord help me to spread the hope of the gospel to all those I see, help us to “be holy all all [we] do” (1:15). Indeed, help us to “have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart” (1:22), to show the love of Christ to all. May we rid ourselves completely “deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind” (2:1) and become the fully mature followers you have called us to be.
Peter exhorts us all to do good, all the time, “Live such good lives among the pagans that, thought they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God” (2:12). My dad used to say, “kill them with kindness,” and that’s how he lived his life. He was a model example of Peter’s command, “For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people” (2:15). He was a good man, following Jesus the best way he knew how. And Christ himself does not disappoint, “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” (2:23). We have been shown the great example, “by his woulds [we] have been healed” (Isaiah 53:5). Lord, help us to stay on the path you have provided for us, though it is difficult and hard to follow at times, do not let us stray! When we do (not if), guide us back the your ways and in so doing, remind us to talk to others about your grace and forgiveness. Help us to show the “inexpressible and glorious joy” of our salvation! We are not the “frozen-chosen” we are free in Christ and that should be evident in all we say and do!