Living a Holy life – summary thoughts on 1st Peter 1:13-25

From what I’ve gathered from the reading, here’s a “short” outline/summary along some verses that came to mind for further referencing of those requirements that the Apostle Peter laid out in 1st Peter 1 verses 13-25 for Christians to live a holy life.

REQUIREMENTS FOR LIVING A HOLY LIFE

1. Have a mind prepared for action
   1. Being self controlled v13
      See Galatians 5:22-26, 1st Thessalonians 5:1-11, 2nd Timothy 3:1-5
   2. Having hope in the grace given by God through Christ Jesus our Lord & Savior v13
      See John 3:16-20,Romans 3:23-25, Romans 5:20-21
   3. Do not continue to live as though you are still a sinner v14
      See 1st Peter 2:11, Ephesians 2:11-22, John 15:18-19
   4. Live in Christ and with the knowledge of knowing Christ through God’s Word v14
      See John 5:36-40,John 15:3-5, 2nd Corinthians 4:6
   5. Be obedient and submit to God and His will v14
      See Deuteronomy 11:12-14, Matthew 22:35-37,Luke 10:26-28, John 14:21-25
      1. In heart
      2. In mind
      3. In body
         1. In deeds
         2. In word(s)
2. Live as aliens of the world, not as it’s citizens do v17
   See John 15:18-19, 1st Thessalonians 5:1-5
3. Fear the Lord out of reverence v17
   See Deuteronomy 6:23-25, Psalm 19:8-10, Psalm 33:17-19, Psalm 111:9-10
4. Be eternally minded v18
   See Isaiah 26:3-5, Matthew 25:31-46, John 3:15-17,2nd Corinthians 4:16-18
5. Cherish the new life given to you by the blood of Christ v18-20
   See 2nd Corinthians 5:16-21, Galatians 6:12-15 & 1st  Peter 1:23
6. Remember that you are saved and why you are saved v21
   1. By God’s mercy & grace
      See 2nd Corinthians 4:6
   2. By and through Christ’s blood, and atoning sacrifice to appease God’s coming wrath against sinner
      See Romans 6:19-25
7. Abide (continue) in the love of God v22
   See 1st Corinthians 13:7-9, John 14:22-24, 1st John 2:4-6, 1st John 5:2-4
   1. Deeply
   2. Unconditionally
   3. Sacrificially
   4. Selflessly
8. Remember God’s promises v24
   See Ephesians 2:11-13, Psalm 33:17-19, Daniel 9:4

Grace and peace be with you.

The Father Draws You – Blackaby devotional (20100126)

The Father Draws You

He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.”
John 6:65

Throughout Jesus’ ministry on earth, He never seemed intimidated by the crowds.  Instead, He looked into the multitudes and focused on those whom His Father was sending to Him.  Jesus knew that because of sin, no one naturally seeks after God.  Sinful man’s inclination is to hide from God, rather than to come to Him (Genesis 3:8; Psalm 14:1-3).  Therefore, whenever Jesus saw that the Father was drawing a person to Himself, Jesus immediately began relating to that person.

Jesus observed the great lengths to which the despised tax collector, Zacchaeus, had gone in order to see Him pass by.  In response, Jesus immediately left the crowd and spent time with this man in whom the Father was obviously working (Luke 19:1-10).  When Jesus noticed a man following after Him, Jesus spoke to Andrew, “Come!” (John 1:39).  Every time the disciples experienced a new insight into the truths of God, Jesus recognized that it was the Father who had been at work in their lives (Matthew 16:17).

As your desire to spend time alone with Jesus, recognize that this is the Father drawing you to His Son.  You do not seek quiet times with God in order to experience Him.  The fact that He has brought you to a place of fellowship with Him is evidence that you are already sensing His activity.  As you read the Scriptures and pray, trust that God will honor your response to His leading by teaching you more about Himself.

Henry and Richard Blackaby
Experiencing God Day-by-Day

The Providence of Jesus – Jerry Bridges

The Providence of Jesus
by Jerry Bridges

The feeding of the five thousand, recorded in Matthew 14:13–21, is probably the most well known of all of Jesus’ miracles. It is the only one recorded by all four of the gospel writers (see Mark 6:30–44; Luke 9:10–19; John 6:1–14). It is also one that skeptics have most often tried to explain away. A common explanation is that the little boy’s example of generosity in giving his bread and fish to Jesus prompted others to share the food they had brought along, so that there was enough for all.

That this was an amazing miracle is beyond doubt. To use a contemporary expression, it was “over the top.” It is impossible to visualize in our minds what it must have looked like, and the extreme brevity of the account tempts us to fill in the details. But we should refrain from doing so, knowing that the Holy Spirit guided the gospel writers to give us only as much detail as He wanted us to know. 

Rather than puzzling over omitted details, we need to ask of any portion of Scripture what it teaches us. Without claiming to have plumbed the depths of this passage, let me draw out one obvious lesson: Jesus controls the physical universe, and He exercises that control for His people.

Scripture teaches us that the Son of God was not only the agent of creation, but that He also upholds the universe and holds it together by the word of His power (Hebrews 1:1–3; Colossians 1:16–17). That is, He who created the universe in the beginning also sustains and directs it moment by moment on a continual basis. We know, for example, that ordinarily the physical laws of the universe operate in a consistent and predictable manner. The reason they do is because of the consistent will of Christ causing them to do so. They do not operate on their own.

This helps us understand why Jesus could perform miracles; in this case causing five small barley cakes and two small fish to multiply so dramatically that they fed more than five thousand people. Jesus, who created the physical laws and stands outside of them and over them, could, as He purposed, change or countermand any of them. In fact He could, if He so willed, create an entirely new law of multiplication for that specific occasion so that the bread and fish multiplied.

We really don’t know what Jesus did, or what the multiplication process looked like. We only know the results, and we know that the Lord of the universe could, in whatever way He chose, produce those miraculous results. Miracles were no problem for Jesus.

Today, at least in the Western world, we seem to see few miracles, and certainly none the scope of the feeding of the five thousand. What we do see, however, are the results of God’s invisible hand of providence. Setting aside the theological definition of providence  to keep it simple, we may say that providence is God’s orchestrating all events and circumstances in the universe for His glory and the good of His people (Romans 8:28).

Scripture teaches us that just as the Son of God was the agent of creation and is its present sustainer, so too is He also the agent of God’s providence. Jesus is in sovereign control, not only of the physical laws of the universe, but of all the events and circumstances in the universe, including those that happen to each of us. If you have food today in your cupboard and refrigerator, that is as much the result of Jesus’ care for you as was the feeding of the five thousand.

Just as the physical laws of the universe ordinarily operate in a consistent and predictable manner, so providence ordinarily operates in a predictable cause and effect relationship. “A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich” (Proverbs 10:4). That’s cause and effect, and it is generally predictable. But just as Jesus intervened in the physical laws during His time on earth, so He intervenes in normal cause-and-effect relationships. Sometimes from our perspective His intervention is “good” and sometimes it’s “bad.” In either case He is in control “Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come?” (Lamentations 3:38).

The good news, however, is that Jesus is not only in control of all the events and circumstances of our lives, He is also compassionate. In the record of the feeding of the five thousand, the text says “He had compassion on them and healed their sick” (Matthew 14:14). At the subsequent feeding of the four thousand, Jesus said, “I have compassion on the crowd because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat” (Matthew 15:32). Whether it was healing the sick or feeding the multitude, Jesus was moved to act by His compassion. On other occasions throughout the Gospels we see Jesus acting as a result of His compassion. And what He was while on earth, He is today in heaven: a sovereign and compassionate Savior who works all things for His glory and our good.

Tiger who!?!?

I’ve been mulling over the Tiger Woods "situation" for a few days now and am perplexed.

The coverage of the Tiger Woods affair and alleged affair(s) has for me run it’s course.  Certainly what Tiger Woods has done is wrong, and that he is wrong for doing it.  What’s really gotten under my skin though; and this may be just my faulty perception of things, is that the news outlets seem to be making a bigger huff over this than need be.  It seems that popularity vs position (authority) dictates how long the media will drive the bus that’s running a person over.  Maybe I’m a cynic? 

It is not my intentions to trivialize Tiger Woods’ sin of adultery nor to be his apologetic voice.  The truth is tough that I don’t care.  I am concerned for his spiritual welfare, his salvation; what I don’t care about is the latest bit of gossip.. err “speculation” as to what he did. I view the coverage of Tiger Woods’ “affairs” (includes personal and adulterous) in the same manner as beating a dead horse; or to bring it to a more personal level, equating it to spanking your child daily for an incident that occurred 2 weeks prior.

It just seems as though a disproportionate amount of effort is spent "persecuting" pop icons in our society, when as an example it’s politicians whom carry more responsibility, that need to be scrutinized more. I realize, or at least believe that politics is a secular matter that Christians ought not try to enforce Biblical morality upon ie; stick to proclaiming the gospel.  Is there not however, some level of expectation by Christians for upright morals and accountability of God ordained authority in light of Romans 13?

Romans 13:1
1Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.

The point is… as Christians perhaps we should spend less time indicting pop-icons,divas and Doe-Does,   and more time praying for those agents that God has allowed to be in their positions.  Ah, but Satan is the master of deception and distractions now isn’t he? (Ephesians 6:10-12)  Perhaps some final and hopefully, fitting words to meditate upon concerning

 Luke 12:47-48
47"That servant who knows his master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows. 48But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.

Grace and peace be with you

Judge Not – Blackaby devotional (20091116)

Judge not, and you shall not be judged.  Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned.  Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
Luke 6:37

There is a significant difference between judgment and discernment. God sees people’s hearts and knows their motives (Proverbs 16:2). Only God can accurately judge those who deserve punishment. Ultimately, Christ will sit in judgment upon us all in the day of judgment (2nd Corinthians 5:10).

Our problem is that we like to sit in the judgment seat and pronounce condemnation upon those whom we think have sinned. Scripture commands us not to judge or condemn others, for we cannot be judgmental and redemptive at the same time. It is difficult to pray sincerely for someone while we are judging them. At times our judgmental attitude can seem to provide us an excuse not to become involved in God’s redemptive work in someone’s life. Scripture reminds us that God will treat us with the same grace or severity with which we treat others (Luke 6:38).

Luke 6:38
Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."

God commands us not to judge others, but He does want us to be discerning. Jesus said we would know people’s spiritual condition by the fruit of their lives (Matthew 7:16). He said grapes are not produced by thorn bushes. If a person’s life produces thorns, we can assume that person is not a grapevine. Are we being judgmental? No, we are being discerning. Scripture commands us to avoid associating with scoffers or fools (Proverbs 22:10; 17:12). Unless we are able to identify scoffers and fools, we cannot obey God’s command. That is not being judgmental, it is being discerning. As Christians, we have been instructed to observe the lives of others so that we can help them while avoiding any sinful influence.

You will be helpful to others only if you see them as God does. If you have been judgmental of others, ask forgiveness and pledge yourself to let God use you as His minister of reconciliation (2nd Corinthians 5:18).

Henry and Richard Blackaby
Experiencing God Day-by-Day