Wednesday, August 17,
2016, 8:58 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “Your Lord is With You.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I
read 1 Peter 3:8-17 (ESV).
Genuine Faith
(Summary chapters 1:1-3:7)
Peter began his letter to the saints of God with praise to
God: In his great mercy, God has given us new birth into a living hope. Then,
he spoke a word of encouragement to those who were suffering grief in all kinds
of trials. He said that these have come that our faith, though refined by fire,
might be proved genuine, so we should rejoice in our sufferings. After this he
gave the charge to be holy, i.e. to be separate (unlike, different) from the
world, because we are being made into the image of Christ. He said that we, as
obedient children of God, should no longer conform our lives to the evil
desires we had when we lived in ignorance, but we should rid ourselves of all those
evil practices. As well, he encouraged all believers in Jesus Christ that we
are a chosen people and a royal priesthood, that we may declare the praises of
him who called us out of darkness into his wonderful light.
Next he covered the subject of submission. We are to submit
ourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men unless,
of course, we are being asked to disobey God. Obedience to God always trumps
submission to human authority. And, he spoke to the subject of how wives are to
treat their husbands, and husbands their wives. Wives are to be submissive to
their husbands, and they are to live pure lives before their husbands.
Christian husbands, in the same way are to be considerate as they live with
their wives and they are to treat them with respect, as those who are co-heirs
with them in eternal life with God, so that nothing will hinder their (the
husbands’) prayers.
A Tender Heart (vv.
8-9)
Finally,
all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a
humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the
contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.
After all that (see summary above), Peter said, “finally,”
which generally means he is bringing his thoughts to some type of a conclusion.
He said we are to have unity of mind. Now, “unity” is a key “buzz” word in the
institutional church, in big business, and in the government here in America,
and in the world. Yet, the “unity” that they are often speaking of is unity
with man-made thinking and reasoning, and with marketing schemes and
philosophies for how to grow your business. What many of them are working
toward is global unity of government, i.e. a one world order, and global unity
of religion, i.e. a one world religion where we all “get along.” Yet, that is
not the type of unity Peter is speaking of. This unity is unity of mind with
God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – and with the Word of God and its teachings
on salvation and holiness and righteousness, etc. If we are united in thought
with God we should be united in thought and belief with one another.
And, this unity with God in mind should thus carry over to
these other areas, as well. We should have the same sympathy he has for us, and
the same love he has for the people of this world. We should have the same
heart he has for the broken hearted, for the injured, the rejected, and the
lost. And, we should exemplify the humility of Christ in how he left it all
behind in heaven to come to earth, to take on human flesh, and to become a
servant; to suffer and be tempted like we are, yet without sin, and then
ultimately to take all our sin on himself, although he knew no sin, so that he
could put sin to death. Jesus, when arrested falsely, and hung on a cross to
die, when he had done no wrong, did not retaliate and he made no threats.
Instead, he entrusted himself to the Father who judges justly. And, we, as
well, should leave the vengeance to God, and we should forgive and love our
enemies.
Away From Evil (vv.
10-12)
For
“Whoever desires to love life
and see good days,
let
him keep his tongue from evil
and his lips from speaking deceit;
let
him turn away from evil and do good;
let him seek peace and pursue it.
For
the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears are open to their prayer.
But
the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
None of us are promised long lives on this earth, that I
know of. I have seen some of the holiest people I know have their lives cut
short, so living a holy life is also no guarantee of a long life. Yet, our
quality of life is certainly determined, first of all by whether or not we
believe in Jesus Christ, and second of all by our attitudes and actions. People
who speak evil continually or who make a practice of telling lies are not
walking according to the Spirit, and they are not at peace with God. They are
being ruled by the flesh. Yet, we are not to be those who are ruled by the
flesh, because Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.
This does not mean we will live in sinless perfection, but that sin should no
longer have control over our lives, that we would obey its evil desires.
So, if we want to experience the peace of God in our daily
lives, and be filled with his joy, we need to walk according to the Spirit and
not according to the flesh. We need to walk in obedience to Christ and to his
instructions on holy living. We must turn away from all evil and do what is
right in the eyes of the Lord. The Lord hears the prayers of the righteous, and
he is attentive to the concerns on our hearts. I know from personal experience
that there is no peace and no joy like we experience when we are walking
according to the Spirit, and not according to the flesh, living to please our
Lord in all that we do, instead of living to please our sinful flesh.
Suffering for
Righteousness’ Sake (vv. 13-17)
Now
who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you
should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of
them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always
being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the
hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good
conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good
behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing
good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil.
Yet, walking by faith, and in the Spirit, although it
certainly has its rewards and blessings, is not a “cake walk” (easy task), nor
is it free from trouble or hardship. When God has rulership over our lives,
Satan is continually on the warpath, trying to win us back over to his ways, or
trying to take us down so that we are ineffective in our testimonies for
Christ. Jesus said that if we follow him that we will be hated and persecuted
as he was. Yet, we are not to fear persecution or what humans may do to us, but
we are to trust our lives into God’s capable hands, and keep on walking by
faith, and in the Spirit. And, at all times we should live in such a way as to
bring honor and glory to the name of Jesus Christ.
Your Lord is With You
An Original Work / August 14,
2016
Based off Various Scriptures
Fear not for your Lord is with
you.
He will not leave you, nor will
He abandon you.
When you walk through valleys
of life’s rough ways,
You must fear no evil, for God
is near.
Be of courage, then, and be not
dismayed,
For your Lord is with you
throughout your days.
Fear not for your Lord is with
you.
He will not leave you, nor will
He abandon you.
Trust Him with your life and
witness.
He’ll go before you, and He
will prepare the way.
The Lord is our helper, so
we’ll not fear.
He will strengthen us. He sees
all our tears.
Do not be afraid, but to God do
pray,
And the peace of God will be
yours today.
Trust Him with your life and
witness.
He’ll go before you, and He
will prepare the way.
My God, He is my Rock and my
Shield
And the Horn of my salvation,
whom I praise.
He reached down from heaven and
rescued me;
Drew me out of waters so deep
I’d sink.
My God turned my darkness into
His light;
Opened up my blinded eyes, gave
me sight.
My God, He is my Rock and my
Shield
And the Horn of my salvation,
whom I praise.
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