“I am a God who is near,” says the Lord, “and not a God afar off. Can a man hide in secret, and I not see him? Do I not fill heaven and earth?” says the Lord.
Encouraging Words
There is no place where I can go, no situation that I can get caught up in, no threat towards me, that my God is not in the midst of. He is everywhere at all times. He is my close helper and friend that I can always count on. Even when I am the one who goes astray, He is there to guide me back. Glory be to God!
Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.
For
“He who would love life And see good days, Let him refrain 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 prayers; But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
Command With a Promise
Once again, Peter reminds us of how we should live our life and the promise of a blessing if we do so. So, what are we supposed to do to inherit this blessing? Be of one mind with other believers. Have compassion for one another. Love as brothers and sisters being tenderhearted and courteous, not returning evil for evil, reviling for reviling, but returning a blessing. This is what we are called to do. He provides this quote from Psalm 33: 13-17 to drive his point home with more guidance and a clear delineation between the righteous and the evil. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!
But blessed is the man who puts his trust in the Lord, for the Lord shall be his hope. He shall be like a flourishing tree alongside the waters which spreads its roots toward the moisture. He will not fear when the burning heat comes, for He shall be like the root in a grove in the year of drought. He shall not fear, for he shall be like a tree that does not cease yielding its fruit.
Encouraging Words
As followers of Christ we put our trust in the Lord and not in people or institutions. The Lord is our hope. By doing this we are blessed in our spiritual lives, no matter what is going on in our physical lives. Having grown up in the country and around orchards, this imagery of a flourishing tree alongsible the waters so eloquently articulates the blessings we receive. Glory be to God!
Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.
Command With a Promise
This is one of the verses that is so often abused and misinterpreted in the church. Those who follow the dominionist mindset believe that women should be subserviant to men, that they must submit to man’s every whim, and humbly accept their position in life and society, stay barefoot and pregnant, don’t speak up, and don’t vote. Not only is this wrong, it is unbiblical. God created us all equal! By the way, if you dig into the driving force that is behind the movement of Christian Nationalism today, you will find that this is one of their core teachings. Peter on the other hand, is telling the recipients of his letter that husbands and wives are joint heirs in the grace of God’s kingdom. We are partners and it is the husbands responsibility to love and understand his wife, to give her the honor that God gives her. By doing this, our prayers will not be hindered. This does not just apply to husbands and wives, but to all male/female relationships. Glory be to God!
Make an end to them (those who reject God’s words), and Your word shall be the gladness and joy of my heart; for I am called by Your name, O Lord, the Almighty. Italics mine.
Personal Challenge
We live in a world that wants to have nothing to do with God. It is part of our responsibility as followers of Christ to be light and salt to these people and every other person that we come into contact with. Light to show God’s love for them and His desire to pour His mercy and grace out on them. Salt to provide a savory taste of God’s love that brings gladness and joy into our hearts. If the lives that we are living while we are proclaiming Jesus as are Lord is hurting those around us and showing our actions to be contrary to the teachings of Christ, then we are rejecting God’s word. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!
For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God.
Personal Challenge
We all desire and appreciate fairness. That is part of how we are wired. That also means we do not care for unfairness. If we get to the point in our lives where unfairness to another does not bother us then we must check what has happened to our conscience. If we desire to be commendable before God, then we must learn to endure grief and suffering in situations where we have been wronged, when we have done the right and good thing and suffer at the hands of another. If we are following the command of Jesus to love our neighbor, then we must be prepared to suffer wrongful responses, especially in the society that we live in today. It will be worth it though, so we must love our neighbor and protect them from the hostile environment of today. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!
Instead, let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows that I am the Lord, who shows mercy, judgment, and righteousness on earth, for in these is My will,” says the Lord. “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, “that I will visit upon all the circumcised their uncircumcision.”
Personal Challenge
It is so easy to get caught up in the customs and ways of the culture around us. This is especially true when that culture screams at us to be a part of it. One of the expectations of our culture is that we take great pride in who we are, what we do, our a complishments, and the belief that we are entirely self-made. This is so contrary to the expectations that God has for us. We are nothing without Him. It is Him that we should boast in and not ourselves, and most assuredly not the world around us. As followers of Christ, we boast in God because He shows all of His creation mercy, judgment, and righteousness, He declares that there will be a day that so many who proclaim Him as Lord will be judged for their actions and not their proclamations, church attendance, or bright and shiny gold crosses. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!
having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.
Personal Challenge
When the New Testament scriptures talk about the Gentiles it is talking about those outside of the church. This verse is very clear about the behavior of the followers of Christ with respect to the Gentiles. We are to live honorable lives. As Christians we are to be demonstrating the love of God in everything that we say or do. This is being above reproach. If we are relishing in lies, conspiracies, and demeaning speech, then we are not honorable. If we delight, or are even complicit in the mistreatment of others, especially the foreigner amongst us, then we are not honorable. If we support, either explicitely or passively, any person, group, or entity in these behaviors, then we are not honorable. God expects us to be so set apart from the world, that the world praises us for living His way, even as it hates us. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!
Thus says the Lord: “Heaven is My throne, and earth is the footstool of My feet. What kind of house will you build for Me? Or what kind is the place of My rest? For My hand made all these things, and all these things are Mine,” says the Lord; “and upon whom will I show respect, but to the humble and the peaceful and to him who trembles at My words.”
Personal Challenge
Isaiah reminds us about how great and awesome our God is. He follows that by letting us know that in that in that grandeur and majesty God still shows His respect to some humans who are His created ones. Who does He show that respect to? The humble, the peaceful, and those who tremble at His words. He does not yield to the haughty, or the proud, or the aggressors. Those He will bring down to humble results. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!
Verse of the Day 