Arms like Christ
Read: 1 Peter 4:1-6 They are surprised when you do not join them. (v. 4) Some suffering is common to many. Disease or natural disasters come to mind. Other suffering comes from persecution by those opposed to faith. Peter invites a different kind of suffering in this text: a suffering by choice that gives up […]
Once
Read: 1 Peter 3:18-22 Christ also suffered once for sins. (v. 18) The church I attend places a baptismal font in the lobby. As people enter, believers are reminded of God’s covenant promises at their baptism. Among them, God promised to completely forgive us through the blood of Jesus. Peter likened baptism to Noah in […]
Be Prepared
Read: 1 Peter 3:8-17 A reason for the hope that is in you . . . (v. 15) “Be Prepared” is the Boy Scout motto etched into me and everyone who ever attended a Boy Scout meeting. It applied to both mind and body, so we would know the right thing to do at the […]
Committed to Evangelism
Amir lives in Iran, where converting to Christianity is illegal and where sharing your faith can be persecuted with time in prison, or worse. Despite the government trying to stop it, Christianity continues to spread in Iran, however. Many, like Amir, have no Bible, but they can download the Bible app, and some are getting […]
Wives and Husbands
Read: 1 Peter 3:1-7 Heirs with you of the grace of life . . . (v. 7) Storyteller Garrison Keillor describes the fictional town of Lake Wobegon as a place where “All the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average.” I wonder how women feel when Peter […]
Dealing with Injustice
Read: 1 Peter 2:18-25 Because Christ also suffered for you . . . (v. 21) Most of us can, if we are treated unjustly at work, look for another job, or, in the case of grave injustice, seek recourse from the courts. This is a luxury many people in our world do not experience. And […]
Goodness Matters
Read: 1 Peter 2:11-17 Fear God. Honor the emperor. (v. 17) People in the United States have just come through a bitter and divisive presidential election. Pastors lead in prayer for whoever is now president, keeping in mind these words in 1 Peter 2, along with Paul’s instruction to pray “for kings and all who […]
Unfrozen
Read: 1 Peter 2:4-10 That you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you. (v. 9) When I was growing up, we sometimes, with tongue in cheek, called Dutch people the “Frozen Chosen.” This expression is rooted in both an overemphasis of verse 9, which describes believers as being chosen, and a view that […]
Loved People Love
Read: 1 Peter 1:22–2:3 This word is the good news. (v. 26) Last year brought out some of the worst in our human relationships. People pointed fingers of blame over a pandemic. Racial tensions reached a tipping point. There were even fights over face masks. In such turbulent times, “Love one another earnestly from a […]