1 Peter 5:8-14: Have you been overwhelmed lately by feeling like you were attacked? Here is a great word for you.

1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

I don’t know about you, but when I read the last part about how God will restore, confirm, strengthen and establish you, I almost wanted to weep for joy. I am so grateful for a Heavenly Father who loves me beyond measure.

1 Peter 3:13-22: Next week I will be speaking to pastor’s wives at the Mississippi Baptist convention on Joy in the Journey. As I have been preparing I have been brought back to verses like these.

1 Peter 3:12Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.

It is so hard to keep our eyes on eternity when the fire is fierce right where we are. But what a great reminder that fiery trials are to be expected for a Child of God. Jesus went through suffering and as His child we will too. It is just going to be a part of our world. As a child of the King we can rejoice though that we were counted worthy to suffer.

What we experience can be suffering, but as my sweet husband says often “It could be worse.” As believers here in the US we may suffer, but compared to what other believers in closed nations are going through, we can rejoice that ours is not as severe. We can also pray for our fellow believers in places where beheadings, hangings and worse are practiced daily. In your struggle know the Father knows your pain and will be your strength. You also have a family of believers around you. Don’t be afraid to ask for prayer support from them.

1 Peter 4:1-11: What are you living for? I remember as a child living for Christmas to come or summer break from school. The older I got I remember living for the day I would get my license and be able to drive even if the first care I drove was an old gold LTD. lol. I remember living for the day I would get married or have our first cild. But all of these things came and went and though I have loved so many of the things, but they were not eternal. The thing I live life for now is recorded in 1 Peter 4.
1″Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God.”
Human passions is a good way to describe my fleshly wants. I am sure part of it is because that is what our culture tells us is the normal pattern of things, but oh how God wants so much more for us that just following the culture of our day. It really isn’t about what I get like Christmas presents and cars. It isn’t even about having a man or child that we think will complete us (no thanks to so many things seen on tv and the movies). What completes us is doing the will of our Father in heaven. Yes, these events can be enriching and we can enjoy them, but if we marry just not to be single or have a child because everyone is saying “when are you going to start a family?” and even feel like we are “less than” because we are not doing these things we need to remember that God’s path for every believer can be different. So live for the rest of your days on earth no longer for earthly desires or passions but to do the will of the Father who loves you more than words could ever express!

1 Peter 3:13-22: As we approach the season of Thanksgiving and set our hearts and minds on all we have to be thankful for, there is nothing I am more thankful for than this.

1 Peter 3:18 “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, ”

How great a gift we have been given!

1 Peter 3:8-12: Submissive… even the word itself has a bad connotation in a society who hates to be second. To choose to be second or to be second in command goes against our cultural thoughts. In God’s culture though it is just His way of helping us keep order. Jesus submitted to God, the husband submits to Jesus, the wife submits to the husband, the church submits to its pastor and the pastor submits to God. The order is not about who is the smartest or who has greater value. It has everything to do with choosing to submit to the one that is leadership. In the end, the leader answers to God. We are to submit to leaders and bosses even when they are not “fair”. Again, it is not about value or who you like or dislike. It is about choosing to have order in that part of your world. When Peter write in chapter 3 he is talking to those who are in a rank and order society.
8″Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. 9Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. 10For
“Whoever desires to love life
and see good days,
let him keep his tongue from evil
and his lips from speaking deceit;
11 let him turn away from evil and do good;
let him seek peace and pursue it.
12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears are open to their prayer.
But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
When we choose to submit to those who do not treat us with respect we leave the results to God. We can still have a tender heart, humble mind and unified spirit in keeping Christ first and let the revenge or “pay back” for injustice come from Him. We can only keep ourselves right before Him and the payment for that is blessings, He hears our prayers and His favor is on us. Don’t let the culture we live in dictate your heart attitude. Choose wisely to follow your leader.

Song of Solomon 4:1-7: If you know me very well you would know I have a little trouble with Song of Solomon. I have always been a little snarky wondering how long all of the mushy love stuff lasted since he had hundreds of wives and concubines. I understand from some research that this was written to his first love. It makes my heart sad to know that he did not rest in this love as his true forever love. He really missed what those of us who have had years with our mate really experience and that is security in our love for one another. We don’t just love each other when things are good, but also when things are rocky. It is a commitment to God that keeps us in it some days. Years of growth together is a true gift though that Solomon never really understood. Maybe that is why he wrote Ecclesiastes. He was always searching for meaning and purpose. Marriage doesn’t complete you, but if you make a lifelong commitment to another you can experience some very rich times finding fulfillment in that relationship.
One last thing that struck me as humorous. If Les Hughes every tells me that my hair looks like a flock of goats fleeing down a mountainside or if he tells me my teeth look like a flock of shorn ewes coming up from being washed, I am going to hit him up side the head. lol. 🙂

John 6:1-15: Do you ever just not get it? People can be saying something to you and you hear one thing, but they have entirely different thoughts and motives. John 6 records the story of Jesus feeding 5000 people. The story begins by telling us that the people had been listening to Jesus teach all day and it had gotten late in the day and they needed something to eat. The disciples said, “we don’t have enough food or money to feed so many people.” Almost as an aside one of the disciples volunteered one child’s lunch of a couple of pieces of fish and a few loaves of bread. I am sure he was thinking this is enough for me but no way for this many people. The passage tells us that Jesus was testing them. He knew all along what He planned to do, but almost to bring attention to the fact that there was no other option we are told that there was no food for so many. The disciples did not get it that Jesus was about to do something that would blow their minds. He prayed and then began to break the bread and fish. It just kept going and going until everyone had something to eat and then there were 12 baskets of left overs. Everyone was so blown away that immediately they wanted to make Jesus their king. He perceived this and withdrew from them. They too did not get it. He had not come to be an earthly king that would provide food like he had done that day. He came to bring them something eternal and lasting. His Kingdom was one they could not see with their eyes, but as they trusted Him they would know it with their hearts. Then their spiritual eyes would be open.
I know there are many times I just don’t get it. I too long for my belly to be filled and for life to be down the straight and flat course where the up hill battles are few. That isn’t how God usually plans it though. He puts hills and valleys, pot wholes and bumpy terrain in our paths to test us and give us opportunity to trust Him more. So if you are struggling with a harder path right now, hold on. You may not be getting all God is saying and doing, but you can trust Him. If He had compassion on 5000 people and provided a miracle for them, He was come through for you too. It may not always be the way you desire it, but He loves you and is for your good. Hold on sweet one. Hold on.

1 Peter 2:9-17: This weekend I have the privilege of speaking in the Dothan Al. area on letting our light shine. It has been a joy studying and one of the verses I will be using is 1 Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. ” It is easy to get wrapped up in the world around us and forget who and whose we really are. The enemy seeks to tell us we are nothing special and why would anyone love or care about us. God’s perspective is night and day different. You my friend are chose, royal, holy, God’s own, and because we are we are given the privilege of proclaiming how awesome He really is. I can’t say enough how grateful I am to be called out of darkness and into HIS marvelous light. May the Light of my Savior shine brightly in and through me in all that I attempt.

Jeremiah 44–46: I don’t guess I thought a lot about the Children of Israel fleeing back into Egypt to avoid the Babylonians. God told them it was not going to go well and they did it anyway. How often do we look for a way of escape all the while God is telling us that it is not a good idea. We hear Him, but it seems the only clear path is to retreat. Things had worked out so poorly the first time they fled to Egypt I can’t imagine thinking the outcome would be any better this time. Maybe it was because they thought captivity to Egypt would be better than captivity to Babylon. What they did not know is that God was in control even in Babylon and He had a plan. To run into the arms of evil captors did not make sense, but if God was in it, it was a much better place to be than in Egypt. Their home land was in shambles and now they were bringing the same enemies with them to Egypt.
God is speaking over us, listen, “I have a plan. You may not be able to figure it out, but it is a plan for good not evil.” It all goes back to knowing we can trust God even when we can’t always trust where He is sending us. These are hard things to grasp, but walking with Jesus is not always down the easy paths. The thing to remember is we can always trust Him even when difficulties line our path.
One more thought, the captivity to Babylon came as a result of sin. To prevent captivity obedience is the only answer and way. What a great reminder to all of us. Stay close to the Father and clean before Him.

Jeremiah 35–38: I often laughingly put my hand up when someone tells me something I don’t want to hear and say, “I am not receiving that.” It is my way of saying it may be true, but I don’t want to believe it. I know that my receiving it or not doesn’t change the fact that it is. One silly example is I am not receiving that it is about to get cold outside. I love the sunshine of the summer and the longer days so much that I don’t want to accept the falls temperatures and shortness of days. Even though I don’t want to receive it, the order of things will take place and this morning it is chilly outside. My example is a simple and silly one, but for Israel in Jeremiah’s day they were not receiving the message of the destruction that was to come. The king did not want to receive that unless he turned himself and his kingdom over to the much stronger enemy Jerusalem would be burned to the ground. In the passage several times today Jeremiah gave the real truth and he was imprisoned for it, put into a cistern, eventually let out, and in the end asked again only to remain in prison. Each time his answer was the same and each time the ones listening decided to disregard his answer.
Do you and I do this in our spiritual walk with God as well? Do we know the right things to do and yet choose not to do them. James says to know and not do them is sin. The outcome of sin is separation from God and eventually conflict that comes along with it. We may not want to receive it, but the end result can be as devastating for our lives as it was for Israel as bondage for many years and death awaited many who did not heed the word shared with them.
May we always have ears to hear what God is saying to us and receive the message with hearts that immediately change to tune ourselves to God’s path. And yes, I know I must receive the shorter days as well and learn to rejoice in them. 🙂