Friday, July 18, 2003
Building each other up
“Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.” – I Peter 2:1-3
Just prior to this verse, Peter records:
“All men are like grass,
And all their glory is like the flower of the field.
The grass withers and the flowers fall,
Because the breath of the lord blows on them
Surely the people are grass.
The grass withers and the flowers fall
But the word of our God stands forever.”
- Isaiah 40:7-8
God’s word stands forever. God is great and yet he chose to bring about salvation for sinners – for us! In light of how big, amazing, and awesome God is, we are to follow through with I Peter 2:1-3.
And that means ridding ourselves of:
Malice: Feeling a need to see other suffer; the quality of threatening evil.
Deceit: The quality of being fraudulent; a misleading falsehood.
Hypocrisy: Expression of agreement that is not supported by real conviction; insincerity by virtue of pretending to have qualities or beliefs that you do not really have.
Envy: A feeling of grudging admiration & desire to have something possessed by another; spite and resentment at seeing the success of another.
Slander: Words falsely spoken that damage the reputation of another.
Guile: Shrewdness as demonstrated by being skilled in deception; the quality of being crafty; the use of tricks to deceive someone
(My palm Bible is ASV and it uses the word “Guile,” the NIV does not.)
Peter exhorts us to instead crave pure spiritual milk so that we can grow up in our salvation.
But why would we want that? Because we’ve tasted and seen that the lord is GOOD. And he is the OPPOSITE of all of those things. How good will our lives be if we wrap ourselves in the Lord and are full of the opposites of what peter decrees here in chapter 2.
We will be full of these (I’m writing definitions based on the opposite of the words):
Anti-malice: Feeling a need to see others prosper; the quality of spreading good.
Anti-deceit: The quality of being honest; a genuine spirit
Anti-hypocrisy: Expression of agreement that is supported by real conviction; sincerity by virtue of one’s qualities or beliefs.
Anti-envy: A feeling of inspired admiration and joy for the success of another; joy and excitement at others success.
Anti-slander: Words spoke truthfully that build-up another.
Anti-guile: Openness as demonstrated by being skilled in honesty; the quality of being true; the use of facts to guide someone into truth.
This was an enlightening exercise! Looking at the definitions of those words and then writing down the opposite of them is really revealing. I tried to write down what word these definitions mean. Here’s the list I came up with:
Anti-Malice = Caring
Anti-deceit = Sincere
Anti-hypocrisy= True
Anti-envy = Joy
Anti-slander = Encourage
Anti-guile = Honest
So much of what we are to be as Christians is about building others up and being happy for their success! That is so interesting because all through the Bible we are told that God is our biggest fan. If he is for us, who is against us?
We are to be Christ to the world. Let us stop tearing others down and start building them up and see what a difference God will make!
“Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.” – I Peter 2:1-3
Just prior to this verse, Peter records:
“All men are like grass,
And all their glory is like the flower of the field.
The grass withers and the flowers fall,
Because the breath of the lord blows on them
Surely the people are grass.
The grass withers and the flowers fall
But the word of our God stands forever.”
- Isaiah 40:7-8
God’s word stands forever. God is great and yet he chose to bring about salvation for sinners – for us! In light of how big, amazing, and awesome God is, we are to follow through with I Peter 2:1-3.
And that means ridding ourselves of:
Malice: Feeling a need to see other suffer; the quality of threatening evil.
Deceit: The quality of being fraudulent; a misleading falsehood.
Hypocrisy: Expression of agreement that is not supported by real conviction; insincerity by virtue of pretending to have qualities or beliefs that you do not really have.
Envy: A feeling of grudging admiration & desire to have something possessed by another; spite and resentment at seeing the success of another.
Slander: Words falsely spoken that damage the reputation of another.
Guile: Shrewdness as demonstrated by being skilled in deception; the quality of being crafty; the use of tricks to deceive someone
(My palm Bible is ASV and it uses the word “Guile,” the NIV does not.)
Peter exhorts us to instead crave pure spiritual milk so that we can grow up in our salvation.
But why would we want that? Because we’ve tasted and seen that the lord is GOOD. And he is the OPPOSITE of all of those things. How good will our lives be if we wrap ourselves in the Lord and are full of the opposites of what peter decrees here in chapter 2.
We will be full of these (I’m writing definitions based on the opposite of the words):
Anti-malice: Feeling a need to see others prosper; the quality of spreading good.
Anti-deceit: The quality of being honest; a genuine spirit
Anti-hypocrisy: Expression of agreement that is supported by real conviction; sincerity by virtue of one’s qualities or beliefs.
Anti-envy: A feeling of inspired admiration and joy for the success of another; joy and excitement at others success.
Anti-slander: Words spoke truthfully that build-up another.
Anti-guile: Openness as demonstrated by being skilled in honesty; the quality of being true; the use of facts to guide someone into truth.
This was an enlightening exercise! Looking at the definitions of those words and then writing down the opposite of them is really revealing. I tried to write down what word these definitions mean. Here’s the list I came up with:
Anti-Malice = Caring
Anti-deceit = Sincere
Anti-hypocrisy= True
Anti-envy = Joy
Anti-slander = Encourage
Anti-guile = Honest
So much of what we are to be as Christians is about building others up and being happy for their success! That is so interesting because all through the Bible we are told that God is our biggest fan. If he is for us, who is against us?
We are to be Christ to the world. Let us stop tearing others down and start building them up and see what a difference God will make!
Even angels long
In first Peter, Peter goes on to say that the ancient prophets and the men and women of the OT earnestly sought to find out when Christ would come. They tried to know it, hoping to see the day when the Spirit would be released. Peter concludes this segment with a powerful statement:
“Even angels long to look into these things.” – I Peter 1:12c
It’s amazing to think about the incredible change that occurred through Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. God began a whole NEW thing. He began A NEW OPEN relationship with people. He now would and could live and dwell in and with his people.
In the church this concept has almost become trite and taken for granted. We sing about it, we talk about it, and we experience it. But the forefathers to the church did not – they longed for such a privilege!
Back in the day, God’s Spirit would come and go. He could dwell with his children only while they were “clean.” Once sin came in, he had to go. You can see how much David loved such an experience when he cries,
“Take not your Holy Spirit from me! Restore unto me, the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with a willing spirit.” – Psalm 51:11-12
So… because of the Spirit, we are now able to know the mind of God. That’s AMAZING! The Spirit conveys to those who have been called by grace, the thoughts and feelings of God. He gives us direction and plants God’s word in our hearts & on our minds.
Yet we are still flesh & contend with a sinful, flesh-centered nature. That is all the more reason to be excited for the time NOW in which we live! We now live under a time of GRACE. We are no longer under the strict rules and regulations of the Law (OT), but under the power of forgiveness and grace.
(A couple days passed here between my Journal entries…)
So far, throughout chapter one, Peter is giving a great amount of council to the church to live holy lives. Tonight I picked up something I have not noticed before, at least here in this chapter…
“Therefore prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is Holy, so be holy in all you do.” – I Peter 1:13-15
“… It was not with perishable things such as gold or silver that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you by your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ… Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith & hope are in God… For you have been born again, not of perishable see, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.” – I Peter 1:19, 21, 23
Peter starts off this section with the word THEREFORE. This means that what comes next is because of what he just said, which is all about the fact that we now have full access to the Spirit, and the salvation of our souls, through our faith and belief in Christ.
Because that is such an amazing thing, we must by holy. We must respect God’s holiness. It is not condemnation we need to fear- our holiness, our obedience to God, no longer needs to be about duty – it is now about love and reverence. AND, which is more, this salvation we are receiving DOES NOT PERISH! It is not retractable. The salvation of the soul that comes through our faith is bought with the blood of Christ and cannot be taken away.
Because of that, sin now has no hold over our lives. It is powerless to our salvation; therefore we must leave it behind and turn our attention to him who freed us from sin’s power. Life in obedience to sin is the old-way, passed down from past generations. We no longer need to live like that. We are now called to live a new life- a life un-dictated by sin, and its hold on us. What Peter re-affirms is that life lived in sin is empty & incomplete, but life lived in obedience to God is rich and full of the Lord.
In first Peter, Peter goes on to say that the ancient prophets and the men and women of the OT earnestly sought to find out when Christ would come. They tried to know it, hoping to see the day when the Spirit would be released. Peter concludes this segment with a powerful statement:
“Even angels long to look into these things.” – I Peter 1:12c
It’s amazing to think about the incredible change that occurred through Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. God began a whole NEW thing. He began A NEW OPEN relationship with people. He now would and could live and dwell in and with his people.
In the church this concept has almost become trite and taken for granted. We sing about it, we talk about it, and we experience it. But the forefathers to the church did not – they longed for such a privilege!
Back in the day, God’s Spirit would come and go. He could dwell with his children only while they were “clean.” Once sin came in, he had to go. You can see how much David loved such an experience when he cries,
“Take not your Holy Spirit from me! Restore unto me, the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with a willing spirit.” – Psalm 51:11-12
So… because of the Spirit, we are now able to know the mind of God. That’s AMAZING! The Spirit conveys to those who have been called by grace, the thoughts and feelings of God. He gives us direction and plants God’s word in our hearts & on our minds.
Yet we are still flesh & contend with a sinful, flesh-centered nature. That is all the more reason to be excited for the time NOW in which we live! We now live under a time of GRACE. We are no longer under the strict rules and regulations of the Law (OT), but under the power of forgiveness and grace.
(A couple days passed here between my Journal entries…)
So far, throughout chapter one, Peter is giving a great amount of council to the church to live holy lives. Tonight I picked up something I have not noticed before, at least here in this chapter…
“Therefore prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is Holy, so be holy in all you do.” – I Peter 1:13-15
“… It was not with perishable things such as gold or silver that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you by your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ… Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith & hope are in God… For you have been born again, not of perishable see, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.” – I Peter 1:19, 21, 23
Peter starts off this section with the word THEREFORE. This means that what comes next is because of what he just said, which is all about the fact that we now have full access to the Spirit, and the salvation of our souls, through our faith and belief in Christ.
Because that is such an amazing thing, we must by holy. We must respect God’s holiness. It is not condemnation we need to fear- our holiness, our obedience to God, no longer needs to be about duty – it is now about love and reverence. AND, which is more, this salvation we are receiving DOES NOT PERISH! It is not retractable. The salvation of the soul that comes through our faith is bought with the blood of Christ and cannot be taken away.
Because of that, sin now has no hold over our lives. It is powerless to our salvation; therefore we must leave it behind and turn our attention to him who freed us from sin’s power. Life in obedience to sin is the old-way, passed down from past generations. We no longer need to live like that. We are now called to live a new life- a life un-dictated by sin, and its hold on us. What Peter re-affirms is that life lived in sin is empty & incomplete, but life lived in obedience to God is rich and full of the Lord.
From my journal on Monday July 7…
The time to begin a changed life is NOW
The time to live a called life is NOW
The time to be renewed in Christ is NOW
The time to live your life to its fullest is NOW
The time to claim blessing is NOW
The time to repent is NOW
The time to begin a new life is NOW
The time to make a difference is NOW
The time to start a new path is NOW
The time to DO is NOW
If we want to live, we must live NOW for we
Cannot re-live the past and we cannot pre-live
The future. We can only be in the NOW, and
NOW is the only moment you can control.
So grasp it, own it, be it, and know it.
NOW is perfect for you.
“…Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” – I Peter 1:8&9
The time to begin a changed life is NOW
The time to live a called life is NOW
The time to be renewed in Christ is NOW
The time to live your life to its fullest is NOW
The time to claim blessing is NOW
The time to repent is NOW
The time to begin a new life is NOW
The time to make a difference is NOW
The time to start a new path is NOW
The time to DO is NOW
If we want to live, we must live NOW for we
Cannot re-live the past and we cannot pre-live
The future. We can only be in the NOW, and
NOW is the only moment you can control.
So grasp it, own it, be it, and know it.
NOW is perfect for you.
“…Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” – I Peter 1:8&9
I Peter
Since I’m unable to join in with my regular Bible Study group for a few weeks, I’ve started a study of I Peter. Why? I’m not sure. I just happened to land there and it seemed like the right thing to do. Plus we just went through James, and I Peter comes after James. (Am I brilliant or what?)
“Praise be to the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade – kept in heaven for you.” – I Peter 1:3-4
“ These (trials) have come so that your faith, of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may be proved genuine.” – I Peter 1:7
I think that in sad times, in rough times, in times of my own greatest failures, God brings me to this verse to remind me that even in the midst of my sadness, because my eyes have turned to him, I am still his child. No matter what has ever happened in my life, no matter how far I’ve run from him. He is always there drawing me back. He continues to refine my faith.
Since I’m unable to join in with my regular Bible Study group for a few weeks, I’ve started a study of I Peter. Why? I’m not sure. I just happened to land there and it seemed like the right thing to do. Plus we just went through James, and I Peter comes after James. (Am I brilliant or what?)
“Praise be to the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade – kept in heaven for you.” – I Peter 1:3-4
“ These (trials) have come so that your faith, of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may be proved genuine.” – I Peter 1:7
I think that in sad times, in rough times, in times of my own greatest failures, God brings me to this verse to remind me that even in the midst of my sadness, because my eyes have turned to him, I am still his child. No matter what has ever happened in my life, no matter how far I’ve run from him. He is always there drawing me back. He continues to refine my faith.
Thursday, July 17, 2003
Life Notes for the LIttleMan has begun.
I had been keeping my Quiet Time thoughts on my AOL account, but it just became too much to keep archiving and moving things around. So starting now, It will be easier to share the things God shares with me, with you!
Enjoy.
I had been keeping my Quiet Time thoughts on my AOL account, but it just became too much to keep archiving and moving things around. So starting now, It will be easier to share the things God shares with me, with you!
Enjoy.
