1 Peter_1
Scripture
1 Peter 1:6-9 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls. Observation-What does it say? The letters of 1 & 2 Peter were written by “The Rock.” Not the wrestler, but the apostle. The one who was so zealous for the Lord, he was willing to cut off a man’s ear. He was also the one who denied knowing Jesus, not once but three times. He was the one who proclaimed the Lord’s salvation on the day of pentecost. It is also believed that Peter was crucified as a martyr for his profession of Jesus. Needles to say, Peter experienced his share of joy and tribulation as a Christian. In the beginning of his first letter, Peter writes to his audience about the joy to be found in following Jesus. He gives us two reasons to be filled with joy in this life, despite the possibility of suffering tribulation. “The first reason for our joy is the great future God promises us and his unswerving commitment to keep it for us and us for it. In other words, our joy is based on the happiness of our future with God and the certainty that we will make it there...The second reason is that God has a design for our distresses in this life”(John Piper). Understanding-What does it mean? For some reason, the phrase “the proof is in the pudding” has surfaced several times in my life recently. Whether the source be from a pod-cast I am listening to, an article I’m reading, or a colleague of mine saying the phrase, it has been circling around in my life recently. While I think it’s a strange phrase, and even though I like pudding, I always find it gross to think about. It’s as if I have to reach my hand into a bowl of pudding to find some sort of clue or evidence of something. I can be a little weird about textures.But, in our faith, the proof is more than just in the pudding. Our faith is evidenced by the way we love others. Our love of others is in response to the great love that God bestows on us as adopted children and heirs to the kingdom (1 John 4:19, Romans 8:17). It’s because we have our hope set on the kingdom of heaven that we can find joy in the unpleasant but temporary circumstances here on earth (James 1:2-4). It is also this faith that is the evidence of heaven (Hebrews 11:1).
Life Application
Life Application
Jesus, help me to show my hope through loving others. In times of distress, uncertainty, or financial hardship, help me to seek out others to show your love to. And when I start feeling as though I can’t make it, help me to know I can lean on your understanding.
-Tyler Galloway
Ezekiel_8
Scripture - What stood out?Ezekiel 8:6 And he said to me, “Son of man, do you see what they are doing—the utterly detestable things the Israelites are doing here, things that will drive me far from my sanctuary? But you will see things that are even more detestable.”Observation - What does it say?Ezekiel 8 is a very detailed description of a vision of God that the prophet Ezekiel had. The focus of this chapter is idol worship. The idol of jealousy, personal idols, sun worship, the mourning of the false god Tammuz are all mentioned in this vision.Although this is a description of the spiritual state of the nation of Judah, and an extreme one at that, this is also an apt description of what goes on inside our own hearts where today - post Jesus - the temple of God resides. Cue the run on sentences!Understanding - What does it mean?I really wish I could post the entire chapter as my scripture portion. When I read this chapter I knew I was reading about actual idols being worshiped at that time in history, but I was really forced to ask myself again, “Ken, are you replacing God with anything in your life right now?” That is my working definition of idol worship today. Most of us don’t worship other gods outright anymore. Not in this country anyway. What we do instead is replace God with other things that in no way shape or form are anywhere near as dangerous as actual idols...right? I am talking to myself here. Seriously.And then there is this verse from the same chapter: 16 He then brought me into the inner court of the house of the Lord, and there at the entrance to the temple, between the portico and the altar, were about twenty-five men. With their backs toward the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east, they were bowing down to the sun in the east.Here is another gut check. These 25 men were in the inner court of the house of God, and they still chose to turn their backs on him and worship the sun! Can you imagine that? And so of course I had to ask myself…”What am I doing currently, inside my own heart (the current-day temple of God) where I have turned my back on God as I turn to glorify and worship something else.Life Application - How can I apply this to my life today?
God help me to identify areas of my life that I knowingly or unknowingly keep from you. Whatever I have labelled as “none of God’s concern” may I turn that over to you. Help me to grab hold of all the things that I have placed above you - jealousies, hurts, worries, sorrows, ambitions, lusts - and put them in their rightful place, far away from your number one spot in my heart. Help me today to identify one area of my life that I have placed above you somehow and help me to lay it before you today. In Jesus’s name do I pray. Amen.
DSC Spiritual Self Assessment here I come: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSezlwe6OuiXZ0imUj_T1vlxluYNKigWtTwSLLV5jW-5TjFFNQ/viewform
-kenneth lee
John_20
Scripture
John 20:3-6
So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there…
Observation
A lot goes down in this chapter, so here’s the main highlights to know:
- Mary Magdalene comes to Jesus’ tomb to pay her respects, but sees that the stone is rolled away
- She tells some of the disciples that Jesus’ body has been moved, and they go look for themselves
- Jesus then appears to Mary Magdalene, and tells her to go and tell the others
- He then appears to His disciples and gives them the Holy Spirit
- He pays a visit to Thomas to make him believe
- John tells us that this is the reason that this book was written, to help others believe that Jesus is the Messiah
Understanding
So I used to pass over this part of the story because I wanted to get to “the good stuff.” That is, Jesus appearing to HIs close friends and followers, and showing them that He’s not dead and all that jazz. But upon reading these verses today I had to stop. For a couple reasons… One: I’m really competitive and could identify with this race to the grave. Two: the other disciple stops just before the reason he was running. I know that I am about to take these verses out of context, but I think the disciples offer a really important lesson to learn.
Don’t stop at the entrance of your destination because you are too afraid to go inside.
Think about it. The other disciple could have been the first to see that Jesus wasn’t there. Not just the stone rolled away, not just the linens, the whole body: gone. Instead he stops and Peter rushes in. Now I don’t know what was going through the other disciple’s head. I don’t know if he was nervous that he might find Jesus’ body or he was worried about the smell. Regardless, this guy missed out!
I think that’s where most of us find ourselves right now though. God is calling for us to go deeper. And at the beginning of the year, when it was a bit more convenient in the world we went off running to whatever God is calling us into. However, as the year has progressed we stop at the entrance of where we are supposed to be, afraid to go inside. Afraid that it might not be what we expected. Here’s the danger of that: someone else may waltz right in your destiny because you were too afraid to seize it. Don’t get me wrong God used both these men in mighty ways, but I think this is a good reminder to finish the race full steam ahead.
Life Application
I want to be someone who is known for finishing every spiritual race I run with pride. I don’t want to stop right at the finish line because I’m afraid the medal may not be everything I expected. Here is something I do know: God loves to exceed every expectation that I may have. That seems scary, but it also gives me the courage to take a look inside the tomb. I hope you feel the same way. Let’s stop and take hold of our destiny, and get back to running fervently and to win.
1 Corinthians 9:24
Do you not know that in a a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way to as to get the prize.
-Allison Khan