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1 Peter 2:19-20

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

So, what is being considered commendable here? When we are subservient to another, whether it be our employer, a government official or the government itself, or anyone that we are under the authority of, then whether they treat us nicely or poorly, it is our responsibility as Christians to be submissive to them. We do this because we are ultimately being submissive to God. Glory be to God!

1 Peter 2:12

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

Who are the Gentiles that we are supposed to have honorable conduct around? They are those around us who do not yet know our Lord. Our lives are supposed to be lived in such a way that those who do not know our Lord or those who have rejected Him, cannot refute the good works that we are doing on behalf of our Lord. This means that the words coming out of our mouths, the things that we do, the places that we frequent, the positions that we take in our social structure, all shout loudly about the grace and mercy and love that our Lord has for everyone. Living this way makes it impossible for anyone to accuse us of doing wrong and having that accusation stick. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

1 Peter 2:9

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

Encouraging Words

I remember well those days of my youth when all the kids in the neighborhood would come together for that game of stickball. The two coolest guys would be the team captains and then they would start picking the rest of the lineup as members of their teams. Oh, how awesome it felt to be chosen. Peter reminds us that we are a chosen group of people, special in the eyes of our Lord, called out of darkness into His uncreated light. Glory be to God!

1 Peter 2:1-3

Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

Personal Challenge

Do I really desire Christ as much as I should? Is He in the forefront of my every thought and desire? Is He the center of every decision that I make and everything that I do? Unfortunately, the answer to these questions is “No”. I let the busyness of my life, the burdens of my work, the extensiveness of my to-do list, get in the way of my seeking Him and before I know it, He is just an afterthought. Lord, have mercy! He wants me to lay aside the things of this world and to desire Him above else. Do I need rest? I will find it in Him. Do I need focus? I will find it in Him. Do I need peace? It is only in Him! Glory be to God!

1 Peter 1:13-16

Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”

Personal challenge

Being a Christian is not like being a passenger on some train or bus headed to a glorious destination. We are not just sitting there all cushy and comfortable while God navigates the vehicle through the obstacles of our lives. We are mandated to be active participants in this journey called life. Look at all of the active verbs in this short passage. Gird up the loins of your mind. Be sober. Rest your hope upon the grace of Christ. Be obedient children. Do not conform yourselves to your former life. In all of your conduct, be holy. Sure, God in His loving grace and mercy will allow passengers to ride His train of salvation without being active, changed people. But so much of life and His blessings will be missed doing that. If we are not constantly being changed into His image by our actions in Him then we must question, “Are we on the right train?” Be holy for He is holy!

1 Peter 1:3-5

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Encouraging Words

We have been begotten, or born again, into a living hope through the work of Jesus Christ. This living hope is an inheritance that is incorruptible and undefiled and one that does not fade away. It is reserved for us in heaven, guarded and protected by the power of our loving God. We know that this living hope will be revealed to us on that day when we see our Lord face to face. Glory be to God!

James 5:16

Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

Personal challenge

One of the hurdles that I had to overcome while I was in the process of converting to Orthodoxy was the sacrament of confession. I had it ground into me in my protestant years that you do not confess your sin to anyone but God. This is erroneous teaching. Here is an excerpt from my Orthodox Study Bible:

5:16-18 Some allege that confessing sins to God before a priest is not biblical. The ancient Christian custom was to confess your trespasses to one another (v. 16). When a Christian was guilty of sin, the matter was confessed before the whole Church as an act of repentance. As the Church grew, and those not part of the community came to observe, the pressure in such public confession became so great that the priest, instead of the entire community, heard the confession, representing the people. What is not taught in Scripture is a private confession only to God, which refuses to acknowledge sin to the community (1Jonn 1:8, 10). Thus, the Church has effected healing through such works of faith as confession of sins and the power of intercessory prayer.

It is important to know that in Orthodoxy, the priest does not forgive our sins. He hears our confession and our Lord forgives us of our sins. Glory be to God!

James 5:13-15

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.

Encouraging Words

Do we really believe that our God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow? If so, then why do we not see Him performing the kinds of miracles in the days of the early church. Even the shadow of Peter and Paul falling on people healed them. It is not God that has changed. He is constant and never changing. It is we who have changed. Jesus showed us this when He went back to His home town and could not perform very many miracles. He said it was due to the lack of their faith. James gives us the formula for dealing with sickness in our lives. We know what we are to do, and when do it, the results are seldom there. That is not because God is reneging on His part of the bargain. It is because we do not have the faith needed to enable God’s minacious powers to come to fruition. Our healing, our salvation from this world, our life must be synergistic with our God. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!