Day 330: 1 Peter 4:7-19, 5:1-14

“The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.” - 1 Peter 4:7-8

When trying to teach little kids about the importance of morality, there are three main tenants many Christian parents use:

• Pray

• Love

• Share

I find it very interesting that these are the three Peter encourages these suffering Christians in Asia Minor to continue to live out.

If we really believe that Jesus' return is imminent, we will…

(1) Put ourselves in the best position to pray. To do it right, we will need to be self-controlled and have ready minds. What are you doing to pray every day for others intentionally? Do you journal? Do you walk and pray? Do you text prayers to others?

(2) Love each other gracefully. Where there are people, there will be sinning. Where there is sin, we will need love to cover it. Who is it that you need to forgive this Thanksgiving season?

(3) Share our homes and our meals. Shelter and food are needs everyone has. Though these take a lot of time and sacrifice, this can be the most powerful witness a Christian can have. In 1 Thessalonians 2:8, Paul writes that they shared not only the gospel but their own lives. It is powerful.

You can see easily how these prepare us and others for Jesus' return. We should still pray like the first-century church did: that He will come quickly!

"Thinking that the end of history is at the door and the Judge is about to enter through it can energize one’s prayers and lead to a specially effective focus in those prayers."  - McKnight, S. (1996). 1 Peter (p. 237)

Day 329: 1 Peter 3:8-22, 4:1-6

“Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.'”- 1 Peter 3:21 ESV

Only eight people survived the flood of Genesis 6. Eight. Some estimate that there could have been millions of people on the earth at that time. Yet Noah and his seven came through those floodwaters. Did Noah deserve credit for saving them and the animals on the ark? I mean, he did build a large boat for 120 years (see Genesis 6:3). If that were true, wouldn't Noah have offered a sacrifice to himself instead of to God when they exited the boat on the mountains of Ararat?

There was no doubt that it was God who had saved Noah and his family. He had given him the instructions to build the floating device, giving him specific directions on gathering the animals, and God even shut the door before the water fell.

What a powerful picture when thinking about being saved from our sins. It was Jesus' suffering that provided the way to be saved (see verse 18). Baptism is ultimately surrendering to His direction, declaring that Jesus is Lord (verse 15), the only One who can save.

The word used here for appeal can also be translated as request, inquiry, or answer (KJV).

Baptism is yet another way for us to cry out to God, asking Him to save us.

We will not survive the flood of justice without His protective and provisional grace.

"...it is because Christ is risen from the dead that baptism becomes an instrument through which God can make known his saving activity. If Christ were not raised, then baptism remains only a symbol not of life but of death. But since Christ is indeed raised from death, then the Christian is also enabled to rise from the water of baptism into a new life (compare Rom 6:1–11)." - Arichea, D. C., & Nida, E. A. (1980). A handbook on the first letter from Peter (p. 121)

Are you interested in learning more about baptism?  This page may be helpful for you to read as you consider the decision or want to equip yourself to share with others (have your Bible nearby).

Day 328: 1 Peter 2:11-25, 3:1-7

"He personally carried away our sins in his own body on the cross so we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. You have been healed by his wounds." - 1 Peter 2:24 NLT

What was happening while Jesus was hanging, exposed, and humiliated on the cross for those six hours? Sure, there was an earthquake, darkness, and dead people came out of their graves; the 30-foot tall curtain was also torn in the temple. Yet all of these were outward signs of what was also happening in the spiritual realm.

This verse in 1 Peter gives us a view of what was actually happening as Jesus suffered and died on the cross. He took on all of our sins in His body 1,990-ish years ago. Our Savior's sacrifice is still doing the same work it was doing at the very beginning of the church.

What motivated Jesus to do something like this for us?

So we could finally die to sin (instead of in it).

So we could finally live lives of freedom.

So we could be healed entirely.

Jesus' wounds were not wasted. They have been pouring out restoration ever since. Now, may we turn and offer what we've been given to the entire world!

"The last clause of Isaiah 53:5 is 'and by his wounds we are healed.' Peter again points to the vicarious nature of what Jesus accomplished when he suffered and died for us. He was wounded so that we could be healed. We should therefore live righteously, which includes enduring unjust suffering for doing right."  - Black, A., & Black, M. C. (1998). 1 & 2 Peter (1 Pe 2:24)

Day 327: 1 Peter 1:13-2:10

"...you are a chosen people. You are a kingdom of priests, God's holy nation, his very own possession. This is so you can show others the goodness of God, for he has called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light." - 1 Peter 2:9 NLT

A simple question, "Who am I?" is probably the most important one we will ever answer. I remember someone asking me that question in college, and I recall thinking how overly simplistic it was. I am Andrew. I was born in Oklahoma. I enjoy saltwater taffy. My dentist disapproves.

Yet those simple answers won't do me much good when I step into eternity, primarily because they will all become irrelevant. My background and preferences will suddenly cease to matter.

According to Peter, as a follower of Jesus, I should be focusing on these truths:

• I am a part of a chosen people

• I am a priest

• I am a part of the holy kingdom

• I am God's treasure

And these are all a foundation for me to share who I really am with as many people as possible. Backing up to vs. 18-19, I am, first and foremost, someone who has been ransomed by the blood of Jesus. All the language used to describe the ancient Israelites (God’s people) in the Old Testament is now used to identify you and me.

This should be the most important factoid about me. Why? Because it affects everything else, even into eternity.

“Just as believers are a new spiritual race and a new spiritual priesthood, so they are a new spiritual nation which is based now neither on ethnic identity nor geographical boundaries but rather on allegiance to their heavenly King, Jesus Christ, who is truly King of kings and Lord of lords (Rev. 19:16)." - Grudem, W. A. (1988). 1 Peter: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 17, p. 117)

Day 326: 1 Peter 1:1-12

"So be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead, even though it is necessary for you to endure many trials for a while." - 1 Peter 1:6 NLT

There is so much jammed into this verse (and the entire 12 verses of today's reading). Like we’ve said before, this may be troubling to many of us who weren't notified that "many trials" are necessary for spiritual growth as a Christian.

Peter is encouraging these suffering Christians to be "truly glad." How could they be glad when they were heavily persecuted within the Roman Empire? They could be glad because their trials would lead to testing, and testing would show that their faith was strong and pure. The fires of trials are revealers of our authenticity as believers in Jesus.

Scot McKnight writes that "Peter sees in suffering a situation from which the believers can learn and grow."

As 21st Century Americans, we would never (outside of a funeral service) use the words rejoice (agalliao - to experience a great state of gladness) and grieve (lypeo - state of sadness) in the same sentence. Yet the first-century Christians were experiencing these realities side by side, keeping a view toward their heavenly destination.

We weren't created in Christ Jesus to just weather the storms of this life. Instead, we are to also see them as honoring opportunities to grow closer to (and identify with) our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Day 325: James 5:1-20

“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” - James‬ ‭5:16‬ ‭ESV‬‬

So many of us love the part of this chapter that shows the potential of a sick person we love to experience lasting healing. What an amazing thing it must have been to see consistent miracles happen among the early church members. As time has passed, the frequency of these signs and wonders has slowed.

Even toward the end of the Apostle Paul’s life, we see him offering medicinal healing as a help (1 Timothy 5:23). Yet we should still pray, believing God can even now do the impossible!

The opening of verse sixteen isn’t as fun. We are commanded to confess our sins to one another. Nothing can be harder than to admit that we’ve blown it, especially to communicate that to another Christian that we could potentially let down.

Yet when we do confess our mistakes, we experience healing 100% of the time.

Don’t let your pride (or laziness) keep you from experiencing the fullness of God’s power.

”Mutual confession of sins, which James encourages as a habitual practice (this is suggested by the present tense of the imperative), is greatly beneficial to the spiritual vitality of a church.” - Douglas J. Moo, “James”, pg 229

Day 324: James 4:1-17

"And he gives grace generously." - James 4:6 ESV

The pull of the world is strong. In fact, it is so strong that we don't generally have what it takes to withstand its temptations. We may criticize and look down upon Adam and Eve for their mistake at the beginning. I mean, it was a piece of fruit! The Devil will never tempt us with something that we don't desire. Each temptation that is brought before us is custom fit to our own unique desires.

What is it that really pulls at your heart? Is it the longing for wealth? Sex with someone who isn't your spouse? Is it fame before crowds? Is it to be the expert? What about the desire for everyone to like you?

The Devil knows, and he will exploit every inch of our desires.

So what is your plan to resist the Devil? (verse 7) If you go into any day without a plan to resist our enemy, you are dooming yourself before you start. God wants to equip us with what we need to resist any and all temptations that come our way each day.

Do you want His help?

Maybe we need to start there.

J.B. Phillips powerfully translates 4:7 as "he gives us grace potent enough to meet this and every other evil spirit."

The New Living Translation reads, "He gives us more and more strength to stand against such evil desires."

Realize how much you need Jesus' final work on the cross, and realize how readily available and willing He is to meet you in your time of need. All that's left is to go to Him in prayer right now.

Day 323: James 2:18-3:18

“You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!” - James 2:19 ESV

Acknowledging something as true isn't biblical belief.

I can acknowledge that 45-year-old Tom Brady is a statistical anomaly and is good at football, but I am for sure not going to go out and buy his new Buccaneers jersey. It probably isn't fair to go from talking about Tom Brady to bringing up a conversation about demons, but here we go.

The first part of this verse is dripping with sarcasm, and the second part is terrifying. The thought that a demon would know more about the fear of God than I do really bothers me. Darkness is well aware of the light's capabilities.

So, what should separate us from the demons? James says it is the activity of faith. It is the act of getting up every day and submitting our entire lives to Jesus. Like we discovered in yesterday's post, genuine faith in God is going to find its expression one way or another.

I love that the two examples James gives are a patriarch and a prostitute (vs 21, 25). Both Abraham and Rahab were obedient when it counted. Were they always obedient? Well, no. Abraham was a liar, and Rahab was... you know. Yet they found expression for their faith when it counted most, and it is reflected in their legacies.

What about your legacy? Is your faith reflected in what you are leaving behind for future generations?

Sophie Laws says it well when she writes, “For Jesus, whose teaching may be in James’s mind, love of the God who is one leads to love of the neighbour. The challenge to James’s man of faith is to show what response his profession evokes from him.”

Day 322: James 1:19-2:17

“What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?” - James‬ ‭2:14‬ ‭ESV‬‬

As you can already tell from our short time reading James, he loves to talk about faith and action (works). He mentions faith 13 times in his little book and speaks of works 16 times.

In the original language (Greek), James is doing a little tongue-in-cheek. The word used for faith is the word pistis. Volumes and volumes have been written about this one word! Another way to translate it is as trust or faithfulness or persuasion.

So faith, by itself, is defined as active. It is definitely not a passive word. All we have to do is re-read Hebrews 11 to see that faith is an activator that brings a level of constancy that is needed to sustain the Christian life.

Paul prays the following in 2 Thessalonians 1:11, and it is perfect for sharing here: “So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do.”

Do we see needs around us? Meet them.

Do we see racism around us? Actively love those who are different from us.

Are we tempted to shirk the poor to accommodate the rich? May we repent and look for ways to show mercy.

"James shows the inadequacy of a merely claimed faith by the use of another powerful hypothetical example. Someone who is more than a neighbor, a brother or sister in Christ, comes to you in obvious need of the bare necessities of life. What should you do?" - Holloway, G. (1996). James & Jude (Jas 2:14)

“Mercy triumphs over judgment.”

Day 321: James 1:1-18

“Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.” - James 1:18 ESV

We've all done things out of mere obligation. When we do, there isn't much passion behind our actions. Our bodies are going through the actions, but our hearts aren't quite activated. So we lumber forward, putting one dutiful foot in front of the other.

This may be how you think about God's disposition toward you, but it isn't in the least bit true. This verse in James shuts down that thought. The Greek word used for will here is boulomai, and it means to desire to have or experience something, with the implication of some reasoned planning. (Louw/Nida)

Listen, God has eternally thought it through. He's made His decision. He wants you to be the part of his crop that He brags most about (the firstfruits). Jesus hasn't made a haphazard mistake by choosing you. Instead, He has placed your life upon His bedrock of truth. His love for you cannot be shaken from its place.

May this grace fall afresh on you today.

Now we have the perfect place to stand in order to take on all 90 of James' imperatives he lays down in this little book. Our only chance of acting like we should (longterm) is to be fully confident in who Jesus says that we are.