Verses that inspire us

One of the attributes of God that we can rely upon is His faithfulness. The Bible translates this "steadfast" and "faithful" in different verses.

The dictionary says that "steadfast" means fixed, unwavering, firmly established. And that "faithful" means true to one's word, reliable to be trusted and believed.

What awesome descriptions of our Father God!

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,    for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning;    great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23)

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. (Hebrews 10:23)

In the Old Testament and the New, we find many verses that bolster our faith in our steadfast Savior....need some encouragement? We can use our commentaries or our concordance, and look up the many ways our God is faithful!!

Has a passage inspired you lately? Leave a comment to encourage others, too!

A difficult concept - humility

This week's study is one that we all need to listen to....don't let it go in one ear and out the other! (Grin)
Aren't we humans something? We can get all puffed up with pride about the silliest things.....we can get proud about how attractive we look -- without giving a thought to the Creator Who made us....we can get puffed up with pride about how many people like us and want to be around us, be our friends -- without taking the time to be the best friend we can be.....we can get all prideful about our belongings and our toys -- and not breathe the first "thank you" to the Lord Who has blessed us with all of our possessions.... the list goes on.

Yes, Satan loves the fact that we fall into the sin of pride so easily! And he probably got really bent out of shape when Peter wrote our focus passage for this week. And if you believe C. S. Lewis' tale in "The Screwtape Letters," he gets bent out of shape every time a believer reads this passage and is determined to do better!

Let's dive in!

In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because,“God opposes the proud    but shows favor to the humble.”
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. (I Peter 5:5-6)

Our being so prideful about things that we had nothing to do with is similar to a paradox.....and there are paradoxes in the Bible. The dictionary says a paradox is: a statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory but in reality expresses a possible truth.
Here is an example, and it's one that Jesus said:

The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. (Matthew 23:11-12)

Ummm, doesn't that sound like it's contradicting the first part, by the second part? That's a paradox. Doesn't seem to follow common sense. Doesn't sound logical. Not by our human standards. But by God's standards, it makes perfect sense.
The world thinks that statement is unbelievable. There are many people in this world who may perform humble acts without humbling themselves..... the politician who bends down to kiss a baby, or who makes a great show of helping the elderly person cross the street, has a motive of appearing humble. He wants to win the election -- that's how he will be exalted.
Most of the popular books on the "bestsellers" list today have to do with the world's view: how to exalt yourself; how to win friends and be successful; how to make your mark and be powerful in the corporate world; how to win, win, win. But isn't that just the opposite of what Jesus is telling us?

So, if acts of humility aren't always true, and the world is whispering in our ear about winning and being popular, what can we do about pride? Pride is probably the biggest motivator of activities in the world today! John identified it as one of the three major motivators of us humans:

For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever. (I John 2:16-17)

"He (or she, my addition here) who humbles himself will be exalted"..... For us as Christians, that can't just be a phrase that passes in one ear and out the other. It needs to be something that we consider carefully; it needs to be something that we try to live by. If we will humble ourselves, and trust God to exalt us in the way HE chooses, then it truly will happen. He has stated this clearly in His Word. His whole plan for men and women is to save us and bring us into eternity for exaltation and for His glory..... it's His job to do the exalting -- it's our job to do the humbling!

So, how do we do this? How do we deal with our pride? Stay tuned, and we will study this, this week!

Friday slowdown

He will be our strength.

He will be with us and in us.

Praise Him!

Lead from the front, not from behind, conclusion

So far, Peter has told us that we need to be examples of willingness to serve, joyful work, and avoiding the pitfalls of greed and ulterior motives.
His last warning for us is this: avoid the sin of pride.
Here it is in verses 3 and 4:

not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.

Pride is such a problem. It's the failure to realize deep in our hearts that without Christ, we can do nothing. A prideful heart starts to feel like we can be self-reliant. And then we start to feel like we are indispensable. And then we start to act up and exalt ourselves and seek the praise of others.

The Lord Almighty has a day in store    for all the proud and lofty,
for all that is exalted    (and they will be humbled), (Isaiah 2:12)

Ouch! And if that weren't enough....

When pride comes, then comes disgrace,    but with humility comes wisdom. (Proverbs 11:2)

Paul warned us about this same issue:

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. (Philippians 2:3-4)

Here is the "biggest" problem to remember about pride....

In his pride the wicked man does not seek him;    in all his thoughts there is no room for God. (Psalm 10:4)

As believers, we cannot allow anything to crowd God out of our thoughts. We can't afford to have no room for Him. He must be within us each day.
That will enable us to lead with a servant's heart -- to lead by example.
Jesus taught us this, too, in Luke:

Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors.26 But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. (Luke 22:25-26)

Peter is telling us that when the fiery trials come, we should not try to run from them. We shouldn't wiggle and try to escape. We need to look around at those who depend upon us; help those who look to us for their example. Walk through that trial, leading from the front, for there are peeps who are looking at how we will respond to these ordeals.
These are pretty daunting responsibilities, no? A bit overwhelming? I don't know about you, but I could use some encouragement.
Never fear!
Peter gives us some words of hope in verse 4:

4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.

Now, there are some words to hang on to! What an awesome promise! Let's look back in Luke to see what Jesus said to His followers on this very same subject....

Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” (Luke 14:12-14)

In other words, there are a lot of things that we will do in this life that may be thankless. We won't get pats on the back; we won't get kudos; if we need a lot of strokes we are going to be sorely disappointed!
But if we truly believe that we will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous, then we will have both the motivation and the strength to do what He calls us to do.

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other. (John 15:16-17)

There will be times when we feel tired and discouraged. We may feel like the trials are just too hard, the refiner's fire is too hot. But that will be because we have taken our eyes off of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
There is much work to do. There is a great battle to be fought, and we need to be out front, leading the way. Because there is a great reward beyond our imaginings.

Let's be joyful as we serve!

Lead from the front, not from behind, continued

Let's refresh our memory of our verses.....

To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ’s sufferings who also will share in the glory to be revealed: 2 Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; 3 not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away. (I Peter 5:1-4)

One thing that jumped out at me in that first verse was when I saw that Peter called himself a "fellow elder." I don't think he is claiming an exalted title here. I don't believe that he wanted glory, to be treated deferentially, like the grand poohbah in the scheme of things. (Grin)  He could have called himself an apostle, but he didn't.
I think he is expressing his willingness to assume responsibility and to suffer in the refiner's fire, along with the other elders or leaders of the church. In verse one, he talks about being a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and I believe he means more than hey, I was there! I believe he means he is bearing witness with his words and his life....he is alongside the other believers and the elders in the struggle.
In other words, he is practicing what he preached -- that elders should lead by example, and not lord it over the flock.

We mentioned that each of us can be considered an elder -- even if we are not the leader of a church congregation, we are a co-leader in the home, perhaps the leader of a church small group, and the person that our kids (and perhaps some unbelievers) are watching, to see our example.  Peter warns the elders against three kinds of failures: against laziness, against greed, and against pride.

Let's look in a little more detail!
Here is the first part of verse 2:

Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be;

There are two reasons why a believer could be "unwilling" to watch over others.....it could be that a person has a desire for comfort, and for leisure. It's easy to drift into a ho-hum or distracted pattern of life that will leave us unproductive for the kingdom of God.
We know from His Word what God desires from us; we need to avoid being sluggish and unconcerned.  We need to be willing.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. (Colossians 3: 23-24)

The other reason why we may be unwilling to do God's work is that we are fearful. We have the power of the Almighty God to draw upon!

Do not tremble, do not be afraid.    Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago?You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me?    No, there is no other Rock; I know not one. (Isaiah 44:8)

Peter also warns against greed. Look at the second part of verse 2:

not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve;

Perhaps we don't look at our faith and our opportunities to serve as ways to make "godliness a means of gain" as we see some people do. But are we eager to serve? Do we look at our relationships with others as ways to gain some notoriety? Do we always look for an angle? We may not be thinking of making money, but are we pursuing our own goals of popularity, getting credit for work done, or for pats on the back all around?
Instead, let's do our work with "eagerness." In other words, love what you do! My grandma was fond of quoting what Paul said to the Ephesians, when he quoted Jesus in Acts 20: "It is more blessed to give than to receive."
Let's do our work with joy. With no ulterior motives.

Do everything without grumbling or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky 16 as you hold firmly to the word of life. (Philippians 2:14-16a)

Prayer requests

Did ya know that our prayers are offerings to the Lord?

Check out this verse in Acts:

Cornelius stared at him in fear. "What is it, Lord?" he asked. The angel answered, "Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. (Acts 10:4)

Most Roman soldiers had nothing but contempt for the people that they conquered. But we see an amazing contrast in Cornelius.... he was not only devoid of prejudice, but he had adopted the God of the Jews, rejecting the polytheism of the majority of the Romans. He abandoned all of the gods of Rome and worshiped Jehovah.

The angel paid him a huge compliment. Commentaries note that the word used means that Cornelius prayed "always" or "continually." Those prayers had come up as an offering to God.

For us as believers, praying should come as naturally as breathing. But I'm guessing that many of us are just like me.....I don't think I would compare favorably with Cornelius! Some of us only pray during worship services. Some of us ask a blessing at meals, and it stops there. Some of us might actually start and end the day with prayer. But how many of us "pray without ceasing"?

Seriously.
Pray all day? Is that what that means? How am I going to do anything else?
Calm down, OK? (Grin)
Pray without ceasing does not mean that we are on our knees from when we wake to when we fall into bed. It means that a sense of depending on God is with us in all that we do. I think it means that we pray repeatedly and often.....as natural as breathing, right?
And, I think it means that we don't give up on prayer. We should never, ever come to a point where we cease to pray at all. God is a God of hope -- don't ever think there is no use in praying! Go on praying.  Don't cease. Don't give up.

Our lives are busy. I know just how hectic it can be. But being a child of God, we know that our priorities are different from other folks. (Grin) We need to put our relationship with God at the top of the list.

Prayer is worship, and our Father is worthy of our praise and our thanksgiving.

Let's be like Cornelius!

Please feel free to leave a comment with a prayer request or a praise!

Lead from the front, not from behind

Here is our focus passage for this week:

To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ’s sufferings who also will share in the glory to be revealed: 2 Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; 3 not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away. (I Peter 5:1-4)

Possibly when you read those words, you shrug your shoulders and think, "Well, that is not really relevant to me....I'm not an elder or pastor of a church."

While it may be true that we are not pastors, elders, or "bishops", I'm here to tell you that these verses are still very relevant to us! Peter and Paul both had instructions for those that they called the elders of the church..... and their advice sounds remarkably similar to some words that apply directly to us.
Here is one verse:

...... your leaders ..... keep watch over you as those who must give an account.....  (Hebrews 13:17)

And here is another:

Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. (Acts 20:28)

Now look at these that speak directly to women:

She speaks with wisdom,    and faithful instruction is on her tongue. (Proverbs 31:26)

Teach the older women to be quiet and respectful in everything they do. They must not go around speaking evil of others and must not be heavy drinkers, but they should be teachers of goodness. 4 These older women must train the younger women to live quietly, to love their husbands and their children, 5 and to be sensible and clean minded, spending their time in their own homes, being kind and obedient to their husbands so that the Christian faith can’t be spoken against by those who know them. (Titus 2:3-5)

The words of the 31st chapter of Proverbs are familiar to us, and we can hear the earnest words of Paul here, as he encourages elders (both male and female) to work, and not take the work lightly. Not to be casual or cavalier about it, but to treat it as a God-given responsibility.  The end result will be a people, a group of believers, who in their hearts have a vision of our glorious, wise, and all powerful God, who savor the opportunities to worship, and who encourage each other to spread the gospel in all the world.
Tall order, huh?
Yup.
In other translations (the NIV is above), Peter starts off, "Therefore, I exhort the elders among you." What is the "therefore" there for? (Grin)

Our ole friend Peter (don'tcha feel kinda like you know him, now?) has been warning the Christians who have been scattered about that they need to withstand opposition and persecution. In the previous chapter, he has even called it a "fiery ordeal." Remember the verse (4:17) that said the fiery trial would come first on the church..... then on sinners. For believers, opposition is for purification and for refining.
Let's look at two Old Testament texts that might have been lurking in Peter's mind as he wrote this letter....

Back in the book of Ezekiel, God's people committed abominations and God saw that it was time to judge His own city:

Now the glory of the God of Israel went up from above the cherubim,where it had been, and moved to the threshold of the temple. Then the Lord called to the man clothed in linen who had the writing kit at his side 4 and said to him, “Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it.”5 As I listened, he said to the others, “Follow him through the city and kill, without showing pity or compassion. 6 Slaughter the old men, the young men and women, the mothers and children, but do not touch anyone who has the mark. Begin at my sanctuary.” So they began with the old men who were in front of the temple. (Ezekiel 9:3-6)

This is hard for us to understand in our day. Where is our compassionate Friend? Where is the merciful One that pardons us? We must remind ourselves that He is also a Holy God, and the people were wholly without regret or repentance....
Another passage that Peter may have been thinking of is this one:

“I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the LordAlmighty.2 But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness,  (Malachi 3:1-3)

"The sons of Levi" are, of course, the priests. Now, we know that all believers are now priests..... but I don't think we can read this and fail to see that the refining fire will purify the leaders first. So, we can see why Peter would say, "therefore," I exhort the elders......it's because the fiery ordeal will begin first with elders and leaders.

What's that you say?
You don't think you are a leader?
Au contraire!!! Pardon my French. (Grin)
Each and every one of us is a leader to someone..... a mature Christian is someone who is a model, an example; they influence others in positive ways according to biblical standards. Modeling Christian virtues is crucial. We have been called to be examples to those around us, whether they are believers or unbelievers.
Jesus told us:

The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher. (Luke 6:40)

Jesus was telling us that one's true godliness, or God-likeness, is revealed in our actions, and that those actions influence others for good or for evil.
Students, children, and those we don't even know are watching us, will emulate their teachers, parents, and those they look up to. And that may be us.

It's a bit intimidating to be thinking of ourselves as "elders" or leaders, no? Those verses seem to indicate that there is a fearsome responsibility involved. And that if the elders, or mature believers, will lead the church into strength and glory, they will also lead the church into the refiner's fire of God's purifying judgement.
We won't stand outside the church giving suggestions for how to cope with the fire.
We won't stand praying as others go in.
We will lead other believers into "the fiery ordeal."

So, if we are going to lead by example, I'm kinda hoping that Peter has some words of instruction and advice for us, don't you?
Join me next time...... he does have some words to help!