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2 Peter 3:9

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

Encouraging Words

Throughout the last 2000 years, the faithful in Christ have been waiting for His return. He promised that He would return and end this world of suffering and pain. Has this waiting been in vain? No! God does not desire that any of His creation should perish. His is long suffering toward us and giving all an opportunity to repent and turn to Him. Glory be to God!

2 Peter 1:2-4

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Encouraging Words

We live in two realms simultaneously. The realm that we are most familiar with is the physical realm. Our bodies are temporal and this is the realm that sustains them. We also live in the spiritual realm. It is all around us. Due to our fallenness and the impact of the fall to all around us, we do not see this realm unless God opens the eyes of our souls to see this realm. Even so, because of the work of Jesus, we have been brought into this spiritual realm and blessed to be considered joint heirs with Him in the kingdom of heaven. We are partakers in the divine nature by the grace of God. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

1 Peter 5:8-10

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.

Personal Challenge

Our enemy, our adversary, the devil, will use whatever means he can to thwart us in our relationship with God and our neighbor. He will even use our brothers and sisters in Christ, if he can get a foothold in their lives. This is part of the charter here, to be sober and vigilant. This is not only needed to be prepared to deal with him and his willy schemes against us, but to make sure that he doesn’t hook us into being a stumbling block for another. The core to resisting him is to be steadfast in our faith. This steadfastness must be at all times, not just when we are under attack. By doing this and persevering, Jesus will perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle us. Glory be to God!

Tobit 13:6

If you return to Him with all your heart
And with all your soul,
To do the truth before Him,
Then He will turn to you
And not hide His presence from you.

Encouraging Words

All of us, like sheep, have gone astray from our God once or more in our lives. It is us who have changed in these situations, not God. He is always constant. When we recognize that we have wandered away, repent, and return to Him with all our heart and soul, then He will embrace us and hold us near to Him. Glory be to God!

1 Peter 5:6-7

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

Encouraged Words

We humble ourselves before our God because we know that we owe everything to Him. He conceived us and has given us every breath that we breathe and every beat of our heart. We know that He will exalt us in His due time for humbling ourselves before Him. We cast our cares upon Him for we know He cares for us. Glory be to God!

1 Peter 5:5

Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for

“God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.”

Personal Challenge

One of the descriptive words of a key behavior of a follower of Christ is “submission”. We are to embrace humility and live a life of submission. We submit, first and foremost, to our God and strive to live His ways. We submit ourselves to one another in love so that their needs may be met. We submit to our elders for they have gone before us and have much to offer us. We submit to our leaders because God has put them there for a reason. The entire core of this submissive mindset is founded upon a desire to be humble before our God. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

1 Peter 4:10-12

As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Personal Challenge

Each follower of Christ is given one or more gifts. These gifts can be found throughout the New Testament. It is our responsibility to use these gifts to build up the kingdom of God and to glorify Him. Almost all of these gifts are to be used in relationship to those around us, those whom God has placed in our lives. Glory be to God!