1 & 2 Peter – Page 8

1 Peter 5:12-14 – Encouraged with Grace

This may seem like a short reading, but it’s powerful. Peter is closing his letter in a style common for the day. He is sending greetings from those closest to him, Silas and Mark, and the sister congregation. I understand that his reference to Babylon really refers to Rome. I can’t explain why he just didn’t say Rome, but that is probably something related to the time of writing.

Encouragement. We all need it from time to time. Like every day, don’t we? There is always some obstacle, challenge, question, or to-do list item that requires us to want a little push or nudge. When it comes to matters of faith, however, staying strong and focused is always something we need to keep in perspective. Continue reading “1 Peter 5:12-14 – Encouraged with Grace”

1 Peter 5:5-11 – Blessings Abound

Read 1 Peter 5:5-11

This passage really spoke to me today as a leader. There is so much hope here to keep us going full of encouragement. We need to be humble leaders, not proud and arrogant. God has gifted us to lead, so we should lead, not be interested in all the attention.

I know for me personally, I am uncomfortable when somebody compliments me. I need to get better at accepting kind words while still honoring God with my humility. For me, it’s a hard distinction. I’m sure I’m not alone. Continue reading “1 Peter 5:5-11 – Blessings Abound”

1 Peter 5:1-4 – Elders as Leaders

Read 1 Peter 5:1-4

I always thought the term “elder” meant an old person in church leadership. However, I grew up in a tradition that rarely used the term “elder” at all. Now that I am serving as an elder in our current church, I have to say I don’t feel old! It’s clear being an elder doesn’t necessarily refer to the age of a person, but rather their maturity of faith. You don’t normally see new Christians as elders.

An elder brings wisdom to the community. As members of the body of Christ, we each have our experiences to draw upon. We share these experiences along with our gifts as a benefit to the whole church body. Our passage today sets out the expectations for elders leading the church community. Continue reading “1 Peter 5:1-4 – Elders as Leaders”

1 Peter 4:12-19 – It’s Not All Sunshine & Roses

Read 1 Peter 4:12-19

It has been clear as we’ve been reading 1 Peter that the life of a Christian will not be problem free. We can expect to take a hit because of our faith. It comes with the territory. However, for that suffering, we should be glad. God sees and watches how we handle it. Do we run and hide, or do we persevere feeling the joy of salvation despite our situation?

We may not all experience persecution for our beliefs. In fact, you may be wondering what all of this is all about. We know that even Jesus was questioned by teachers of the law. So, how can we be immune? Continue reading “1 Peter 4:12-19 – It’s Not All Sunshine & Roses”

1 Peter 4:7-11 – End Times

Read 1 Peter 4:7-11

People have been talking about end times for centuries. Even here in our passage today we see, “the end of the world is coming soon.” Over the years, there have been those who have tried to crack the code to figure out when it is actually going to happen. There are some who have been so sure they knew, they based their whole life on being prepared. Then the time came and went without incident. The sun rose and set once again. Life goes on.

The Bible tells us only God knows when. Yet, we know the end is coming, it always has been. What do we do about it? Live expectantly. We should be living our life, preparing for something greater. Whether we see the end of the age during our lifetime or not, we can have the assurance that a much better future awaits us. We can be living and preparing now. Continue reading “1 Peter 4:7-11 – End Times”