Church Blog (Page 7)

1 Peter, Day 5 1 Peter 5 GOD’S GRACE CARRIES US THROUGH SUFFERING “True Grace through Serving” — Chapter 5 The charge to the elders — Verses 1 – 4 Peter completes 1 Peter with challenges to the elders of the churches. He states that he witnessed the sufferings of Christ and that he, as Peter, will share in the glory that will eventually be revealed. Peter makes the following points: Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your…

1 Peter, Day 4 1 Peter 4 Let’s say one day you decide, “I need to get myself into shape.” So, you identify a workout routine that fits you, and the next day you wake up and start executing the routine. We can all predict what happens next. The day after you begin your routine, you wake up so sore it hurts to move. I’m not a personal trainer or training expert, but although uncomfortable, I always took soreness (at…

1 Peter, Day 3 1 Peter 3 Submit to Being Submissive “[S]ubmitting to one another out of reverence for Christ” (Ephesians 5:20) When I started cramming for this devotional, I opened my ESV Bible to 1 Peter Chapter 3, which I thought was a good place to start. I had to laugh because the heading at the top of the chapter reads, “Wives and Husbands.” So far, so good, until I got to the next section heading: “Suffering for Righteousness’…

1 Peter, Day 2 THE MASTER BUILDER 1 Peter 2 As Peter begins Chapter 2, he ends Chapter 1 with Verse 25: “[B]ut the word of the Lord remains forever. And this word is the good news that was preached to you” Peter, like the other apostles, preached the Word. From Verses 1–12, we discover how much we need nourishment from the Word and by recognizing who we are in Christ Jesus. What do malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander…

1 Peter, Day 1 Former Ignorance versus Future Glory (I Peter 1) It all comes down to the word “hope.” This word has been part of so many conversations in the last year. The chaos that has ensued in our culture has drawn people to a journey looking for hope. As believers, we have been born again into hope: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born…

James, Day 5 The Power of Prayer (James 5) “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 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 one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he…

James, Day 4 FAITH WORKS and PRACTICE THE WORD God is a Jealous God — James 4:1 – 10 Bring Your Speech in Line with Godly Views — James 4:11 – 17 Submit yourselves to God James starts with the question in Chapter 4 directed at Christians (believers): “What causes fights and quarrels among you?” Then, he answers his own question: Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don’t get it. You kill…

James, Day 3 James 3 I was still learning to drive when I had one of the scariest encounters behind the wheel I’ve had in my entire life. I was learning to drive on a street with cars parked on it, paying careful attention to my spacing between them on my right and the double yellow line on my left. I looked up and saw that the light had changed from green to yellow. I went to press the brake…

James, Day 1 James Chapter 1 Hang in There — Keep the faith “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2 – 4). —————————— At the beginning of the first century AD, the Jewish Christians were spread out around the Roman empire. God had a…