A Ready Defense
Read: 1 Peter 3:8-22 Always be ready to make your defense . . . (v. 15 NRSV) Among the finest students I have ever taught are the brave and zealous men and women from the great African country of Uganda. The names of Stephen, Titus, Millie, Latimer, Asaph, and many more rise from my lips […]
A Family Affair
Read: 1 Peter 3:1-7 . . . so that nothing may hinder your prayers. (v. 7 NRSV) How we need the encouragement and moral direction Peter offers husbands and wives today. When the Lord saw Adam alone in the Garden of Eden, he announced that this wasn’t good (Gen. 2:18). So from Adam’s rib God […]
Beloved and Urged
Read: 1 Peter 2:11-25 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable. (v. 12) Peter was assuming several things as he wrote to Christian brothers and sisters in his day, and I am certain he would make the same assumptions about us in our day. He assumes that (1) we will live in exile, (2) the […]
Chosen for a Reason
Read: 1 Peter 2:1-9 But you are a chosen race . . . (v. 9) What enormous encouragement is lavished upon Christian believers in just one verse. We are called chosen, royal, holy, and as if that were not enough, God’s own people. Out of all the people of the earth God has chosen one […]
Like Living Stones
Read: 1 Peter 2:1-9 As you come to him, a living stone. (v. 4) My father was a brick mason, so I learned very early in life the difference between headers and stretchers, and between closers and bats. And if I learned anything at all, I certainly learned the meaning of a cornerstone. Set the […]
Ordered Affections
Read: 1 Peter 2:1-9 Rid yourselves, therefore . . . (v. 1 NRSV) A very wise friend of mine often says, “If we are talking about real Christianity, we must get comfortable with the fact that there will be a ‘no’ somewhere in the sentence.” While we have been culturally conditioned from our cradles to […]
The Enduring Word
Read: 1 Peter 1:22-25 . . . but the word of the Lord endures forever. (v. 25 NRSV) Everything around us is fading away with the striking exception of the Word of the Lord, which is “living and active” (Heb. 4:12) and endures forever. John Calvin, the most influential theologian of the Reformed tradition, writes […]
New Languages in Nepal
Words of Hope Nepal is expanding to include two new language programs, Magar and Maithili, in order to better serve the diverse communities in the region. Many Nepali people prefer to speak their local languages, even though they understand Nepali. Recognizing the importance of communicating in heart languages, the team has begun preparing and praying […]
Action-Oriented Thinking
Read: 1 Peter 1:13-21 Therefore prepare your minds for action . . . (v. 13 NRSV) Something doesn’t seem right in verse 13: “Prepare your minds for action . . .”? Minds think, and bodies act, not the other way around. Isn’t that right? Apparently not for Peter! Lurking beneath Peter’s conviction is something he […]