Don’t get carried away.

You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability.

2 Peter 3:17

At this point in my life I have participated in over half a century of American evangelical Christianity. And I will say this: Peter’s warning stands. I’ve seen a lot of Christians (and sadly still witness it) get carried away from biblical Christianity. It is so very tragic. And in my opinion the Christian in American culture may more than likely already be carried away and NOT EVEN KNOW IT! This scares the heck out of me. Here are three ways I’ve seen Christians carried away by the error of lawless people:

FUNDAMENTALISM. Yep… the “F” word. The movement began as a necessary correction calling Christians to the authority of scripture for doctrinal clarity as modernism and theological liberalism began eroding confidence in God’s Word. And actually the historic doctrines of fundamentalism are part of the core of my own beliefs still. However, fundamentalism got off the rails when in zealousness it crossed over into legalism, making preference equal to essential doctrine. And then it got really angry and became antagonistic. Today I reject “fightin’ fundamentalists”. It became lawless by becoming loveless.

PRAGMATISM. The mega-church kind of “Let’s do what it takes” philosophy of ministry has softened the gospel, ignored key doctrines, diminished the authority of scripture, and created a generation of consumeristic, cafeteria-fed, spiritual customers. I’m not sure that even a few of them are authentically Christian. Church growth culture is lawless by design, being suggestive with scripture rather than authoritative and refusing to insist upon faith founded in the clarity of scripture. There are not enough “essentials” to any doctrine… in fact doctrine is hard to find in the movement.

LIBERALISM. By this I mean theological liberalism that considers scripture to be a mere human invention and theology a pliable silly putty of human thought and cultural speculation. It literally squishes to the mold of any cultural pressure. There is no law of God. There probably is no God for liberal theology! It became lawless by redefining love outside of the gospel. As such there is no basis to say anything with authority. I find it an intellectual joke.

These three pressures (and many more) call us to watch the line of scripture very closely and adhere carefully to historic Christian faith. It is way too easy to get carried away.

Christendom is a lie.

…then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority.

2 Peter 2:9-10a

Christians have always lived in a world that opposes the gospel. And we should expect nothing less until Jesus returns. There is however a dangerous heresy that has begun to show itself in my lifetime. I think it began in the 1980’s with the “moral majority”, but shows itself in many different ways today as Christians look to politics to save the world. Some even suggest that a new “Christendom” (a Christian government or a government whose laws are solely derived from scripture) is the call of the church. Christian Nationalism is gaining a following and it is so very anti-gospel that the very reputation of the gospel is at stake if it is allowed to gain traction. Christendom is absolute heresy. It replaces Jesus and the gospel. It does not fit the history of the biblical narrative from its earliest pages. It does not fit with the teaching of Jesus. It does not fit into any of the apostle’s doctrine. Christendom theology is a destructive heresy expounded by false prophets.

God does not handle evil with a light touch. And in the very worst evils imaginable, God saves His people and carries out His plan. He never does so by the use of human means. Peter gives three examples in the context of 2 Peter 2 to establish these facts.

1) Angels sinned and were cast into hell, chained in darkness for a yet future judgment (2 Peter 2:4). This was the worst rebellion… angels, the ministering spirits in the very presence of God’s heavenly throne, were led into rebellion by Satan. God dealt with them definitively and soundly. He did not slowly change their minds! He swiftly executed judgment.

2) The pre-flood world of men that were evil in God’s sight were swiftly judged in Noah’s time (2 Peter 2:5). God spared Noah and his family, but wiped out everything else. He did not make Noah influential to turn the culture around or create a new kingdom or political system. He washed the world clean in a flood, preserving a remnant for His glory.

3) Sodom and Gomorrah were made extinct (2 Peter 2:6-8). Again, Lot and his daughters were spared but God did not reform the twin cities by Lot’s kingdom politics! He instead judged completely, kept a remnant, and showed His power in the smoldering sulphuric ruins of His swift judgment. In fact, it appears from the text that Lot’s attempts at influence were part of the problem and he barely got out alive!

Peter uses these truths to point to Christianity’s future. Whether the threat to the gospel is a wicked society from without, or false wicked teachers from within the church, God will keep the unrighteous in punishment until His appointed day of judgment. AND God will rescue the godly. The godly don’t “turn” the culture around to some secularized, sanitized Sunday School class. No… God promises to save a remnant and judge the culture. PERIOD. That’s what will happen. Christendom is a lie.

staying stirred

I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder…

2 Peter 1:13

Growth in Christ isn’t so much about learning and doing some new thing every day. Maturity often means rooting in upon the basics, remembering what we have always known, and reminding others of the daily applicability of gospel reality. That is where I am right now. Peter’s words seem very timely.

Rooting in. The first psalm has always been an image of growth that sticks in my head (Read Psalm 1 if you’d like). The believer is encouraged to send deep roots by the rivers of water. It is there that we are constantly nourished. In the gospel stream we find refreshment, sustenance, support, and nourishing truth. And when I root myself into scripture, realizing that all of scripture gives me all of Jesus, I am strengthened to grow in grace and truth. And so I practice daily time with God and commend other Christians to that same nourishing stream so that together we will grow deeply.

Remembering. I want to meditate on the truth, ruminating on the same thing every day in a new way. The gospel is so full, so tasty to my soul, so rich in truth that the consistent memory and rehearsal of Christ’s life, death, resurrection, and kingship over all creation, brings essential perspective on all my past, my current situation in the present, and any anxiety about my future. Remembering isn’t being stuck in the past… it resources me for all my life… all my days… and then into eternity… Praise God!

Reminding. This practice of remembering is a community commitment. I call my brothers and sisters, both in corporate worship on Sunday and in committed relationship and fellowship each day of the week, to believe the gospel, feast in God‘s Word, worship our Savior, share the good news, and care for the needy. That reminding helps us to love Jesus, learn Jesus, and live like Jesus. It isn’t a novelty. It does stir us up in the story of the universe! What’s better than that?!

The Lord will rescue me.

The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

2 Timothy 4:18

The Lord

my God

will rescue me.

I do not fear any evil.

I will not be dismayed.

The Lord will rescue me

so I am not afraid.

The Lord will rescue me

from every evil deed

and He will bring me safely

into His heavenly kingdom.

The Lord

my King

over rules me.

His authority extends

over all human thought and reason.

My Jesus controls me

and my motive is to please Him.

The Lord will rescue me

from every evil deed

and He will bring me safely

into His heavenly kingdom.

To Jesus

my Lord

is all the glory.

I will sing His praise.

His new mercies every day

granted by His decree

lead me to trust Him in all my ways.

The Lord will rescue me

from every evil deed

and He will bring me safely

into His heavenly kingdom.

authentic Christian relationship

As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy.

2 Timothy 1:4

Paul models authentic ministry. It is deeply personal. It is emotional. It is vulnerable. And most of all, it is incredibly fulfilling as it is intensely relational. Serving with others, growing with others, leading others, and discipling others is a passionate and purposeful pursuit. It will involve the stuff of life. It isn’t superficial. It isn’t formulaic (THANK GOD!). It is substantial as well as supernatural.

All of this unpacks from the three parts of this simple opening encouragement to Timothy. And it calls me to carefully consider my own relational commitments in Christ with other Christians. Look at how Paul just lays out his heart…

“…I remember your tears…” Paul feels what Timothy feels. There was a deep attachment to the young man that Paul nicknamed “beloved child” (2 Timothy 1:2). And when Timothy hurt, Paul was also moved. So much so that Paul remembered those tears even after they were long gone. He had shared the hard moments in personal ministry. He joined in the difficulties. He felt the tears. And Paul remembered what God did in and through the pain. We should treasure the unique opportunities we have with fellow Christians to enter their heartaches. Too many Christians are too aloof, giving off an air of perfection and avoiding shared loss and pain. Don’t just send cards! Make phone calls, or better yet, put an arm on a shoulder and weep with that brother or sister dealing with heartache. Authentic ministry hugs the hurting… and remembers the tear-connection long afterwards, seeing it as a building block to solid relationship.

“I long to see you…” Paul was quick to acknowledge his affection for his son in the faith. Just like the best dads readily say “I love you” to their kids, Paul was unafraid to “miss” this relationship with Timothy. He expressed it without shame. He longed to spend time in fellowship and service again. Authentic Christian relationships hurt when separated and long to be in lingering, personal, conversational, intentional relationship. This is real fellowship… beyond cookies and kool-aide and small talk.

“…that I may be filled with joy.” Joy is the outcome of real love in Christ. Let that sink in. How many times would we truly say that interaction with others brings joy? For believers, Jesus is our joy-giver. And authentic relationship will know the joy of the Lord. Even in tears the hope is to find joy together. Even in separation times… when we are filled with longing, the future focus is joy. Paul knew that when he reunited with Timothy, joy would erupt. And that joy is hard to quantify, but powerful to experience. And in the church that joy is deeper than family and is vitally important as we seek Christ’s kingdom and righteousness. Joy is a vision of eternity. And joyful relationships are what we will know forever!

about my leaders

Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.

Hebrews 13:7

Three words are used here in reference to Christian leadership that are worth thinking through. In a sense I am the product of Christian leadership… the sum of all those interactions with people I respected who showed me how they lived. It started when as a child, church leaders outside my own parents began to instruct and care for my soul. I am told to remember them. And so I do.

I remember the VBS teacher, a simple woman who shared the gospel story with a first grader. The moment I understood it, she helped me at the age of seven to confess my sinful need, trust in my Savior, and embrace His Lordship over me. I remember countless Sunday School teachers and AWANA leaders who faithfully taught me. I was listening, even when it looked like I wasn’t! And to every Christian School teacher who valued my soul’s growth… thank you! Every Bible College and seminary prof who put up with my attitude and questions and poked me into a deeper understanding and real thinking about my faith… to you I owe respect for God’s wisdom you helped instill.

I consider the outcome of men and women who discipled me. My faith got quite serious at 14 years of age, and the people who invested in me at that critical juncture are still models of ministry I can look to today! I hope I can be half as impactful for someone as they were to me. I still look to them for life wisdom. They still bless me as they gracefully age with kingdom commitments clearly in their focus. I want to be the same.

I hope that I am imitating the best of these lives as I care for others in pastoral ministry. I hope I can carry their legacy forward. My greatest achievement will not be measured in wealth or possessions or human acclaim. I pray that I will have a very simple life that is worth imitating. My hope is that if others imitate me they will find Jesus at work in them. The people I have imitated have that kind of faith and impact. Thank God that I can remember, consider, and imitate holy men and women whose lives make a difference for eternity!

Discipline

And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?

“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,

nor be weary when reproved by him.

For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,

and chastises every son whom he receives.”

Hebrews 12:5-6

The path got hard

but I’m Your son.

I can endure

this discipline.

The day is long

and never done.

I’ll travel with

Your discipline.

I rest my head on

pillow of stone;

wrestle the angel

in Your discipline.

I see Your hand,

my caring One,

providing grace

in Your discipline.

Trusting Your Word

I journey on,

looking to Your home

with discipline.

With high regard

for what You’ve done

I will rejoice 

in discipline.

Lord, You love me,

make me Your son;

You train in love

and discipline.

My soul will sing

as I journey upon

this pilgrim road

of discipline.

homeland hunt

For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland.

Hebrews 11:14

I am a stranger here, not able to feel quite at home in a world that does not feel like my homeland. Redeemed from a slavery to which I cannot return, yet living so close to my captors that I cannot forget my past, I look for my homeland. But I am still a stranger in this world.

I am an exile… a refugee… a foreigner in a foreign country. This world speaks a foreign language and my accent gives me away as a citizen of heaven. The culture in which I live does not understand the holy call that rests upon me. My customs are out of synch. My dance is out of step. I hear a different tune to which I choose to move. I am an ignored minority in a hell bound culture. I swim against the current. But I know I am not home here. I am far from my true and better home. I live each day seeking to be in that better place.

I am a sojourner. I don’t sit still and try to fit in to a place for which I am not created. I am on a journey through this world to the true world. I travel light. I hold all things loosely. I know that in the end the best stuff will all burn to be remade into a new heavens and a new earth, the home of righteousness. This whole universe is not my home! So this vagabond soul hitchhikes on to heaven… ready to be at that final destination. And this place cannot be my homeland… it is my land of journey. As such, it has a beauty and a purpose. It is scenery. It is journey. But it isn’t home. Jesus awaits to greet me in my home!

May God grant this pilgrim my passage into His kingdom. May the joys of this gypsy journey lighten my soul and keep me knowing God’s care and longing to enter into the joy of my Lord. As I break camp each day, may God help me make more miles toward my homeland. I am hurting for my homeland. I am haunted by and hunting for my homeland. I am happy to be homeless until I am home.

confidence intact

Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.

Hebrews 10:35

Lord,

This admonition has a particularly deep personal meaning today. And You, my God, know where my soul has been. I reflect back on a season where I was tempted to let my confidence in You wane. I let an unthinkable loss became a seismic soul-shift, and at times I doubted even Your goodness as questions pressed into my pain. I never stopped asking those hard questions of You, and I believe that is how I held to my confidence… my faith… my trust in Your faithfulness… my conviction that Your grace will see me home.

I have learned that asking questions, even if they come out like accusations (see the book of Job and about fifty psalms of lament for precedent), is not a sign of unbelief, but of maturity. I learned from You, my God, that You are a big God Who can answer my big questions. I learned that You are a Sovereign God Who can give and take away and give again… Whose name I can and will still bless. I learned that You are a loving God Whose love and grace carries me all the time… even when I feel like You are absent and I sense no love and spiral down into a self-pitying nightmare of darkness all alone. I never have actually been alone. You’re right here with me. Always!

My anxiety reared up and can still press hard against me in a thousand different ways. Grief can still ambush me in a moment. Yet I know these cannot steal my confidence. And I will not throw it away! You have rewarded me, my loving Savior. I am rewarded with strength. I am rewarded with a peace that accepts my losses and welcomes my new direction with confidence in the God Who in my worst season has been my strength and my song. I have a good Father Who loves me, holds me, and has given to me now a new life from the ashes. You have resurrected my hope as I find confidence in the gospel. I am grateful and confident in Christ.

Amen

on my behalf

For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.

Hebrews 9:24

On my behalf Christ now appears

in heaven interceding

with His blood my covering

His righteousness is pleading

…on my behalf

For my sake Jesus rose again

my new life God’s intention

now forgiven I will know

my own resurrection

…for my sake

In my place Jesus bore my sin

dying on that cruel cross

bearing my sin, my sorrow, my guilt and shame

and suffering all my loss

…in my place

For my debt my Savior bore

a cross up Calvary

and in my stead He took the nails

that were meant for me

…for my debt

In His steps I will follow

loving, dying, living, victorious Lord

His voice directs me, His hands lead me

I follow truth by His Word

…in His steps

my living Priest

Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

Hebrews 7:25

Three things that only Jesus does for me… things that bring my soul great peace right now… are found in this verse. They are in my life, fully to be appreciated, right now.

Jesus saves me. To be saved is to be rescued from a threat or peril. This is the case for me. Jesus saves me from the reality of eternal hell. He saves me from the finality of death. He saves me from the control of sin and the kingdom of Satan. My life is no longer in peril but instead is destined for His glorious use and eternal pleasure!

Jesus lives for me. He is alive right now and has His focus on those whom He has saved. His people are His present ministry. Jesus cares for me actively… right now… even as I write down these thoughts. At this very moment He is always for me, with me, and living for my benefit. This is my present reality!

Jesus intercedes for me. Jesus speaks on my behalf before the Father. He is my Great High Priest. By virtue of His sacrifice I find ALL my sin forgiven, ALL His righteousness applied to my sinful soul, and ALL His efforts in current intercession for me and for all who believe the gospel. My living God is actively interested in every minute of every day of my life. My every moment has Jesus’ work in it!

Lord Jesus,

I praise You, my living Lord, my Savior, my Great High Priest, and my God! I confess my sins made me unworthy of such care from You, but by faith, Your sacrifice covers it all and now I am seen clothed in all Your beautiful righteousness. I thank You for Your present saving, living, interceding work on my behalf. I am humbled and blessed. Please help me live like one made holy by the work of my living, perfect priest!

Amen

patience and trust

…so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. 

Hebrews 6:12

There is a temptation in my walk with God to be sluggish and slow… to drag my pace. As I think it over, here is why I can become spiritually sluggish:

• I am afraid of what is ahead of me. I don’t know for certain what is ahead and in a lack of trust start to imagine difficulties that I do not want to experience. So I try to stay where I am comfortable. I drag my feet, slow my pace, and stay back. That makes me sluggish.
• I am too content. I’ve perhaps embraced some life experience as too precious to me. God challenges me to let go of it and move on. He will let me continue to enjoy it, but not if it keeps me from Him. And my lazy self just wants to hang back.
• I just don’t understand. The place God wants to take me is so new to my experience that I hesitate to move toward it. In that case I need His encouragement to trust and pick up my pace.
• I am weary. Sometimes my faith is slow simply because I am tired. I may have made myself that way by busy activity that ignored sabbath rest. This is not good obedience. I need to rest and let God carry me at His pace then set me down to continue trusting, empowered to overcome my sluggishness.

The call here is to counteract the sluggishness and activate through obedience both faith and patience. Faith trusts God. Faith repents of fearful unbelief. Faith finds contentment in bold trust in what may seem unnerving at first. Faith seeks to believe promises it can barely grasp and has yet to know. Faith finds strength in trusting God even while weary from life.

And patience trusts God’s timetable. I am at that kind of juncture right now. A huge part of faith is waiting on God. It is always worth it. Notice that faith and patience both take us to a great outcome: “inherit the promise”. Patient faith in the gospel, following Jesus at HIS pace, trusting our God… all of it is really, really worth it!

Listen…don’t just hear.

For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened.

Hebrews 4:2

There are two responses to the good news of the gospel described in this verse. There were those who had questions about the reason some would be saved and some would not. And the preacher of this sermon to the Hebrews shows us how these two distinct responses came to be. It looks a bit like this:

US

Listened to the message

Benefited from the message

Had faith

Believe the gospel

THEM

Heard the message

Did not benefit from the message

Did not have faith

Do not believe the gospel

What do we draw from these observations? To hear the gospel is one thing. But to listen to it is to heed its message. I can hear a tornado siren this coming Kansas spring and go on about my business and risk death. But if I listen to it, I take cover and am saved. Some will listen to the gospel and find deliverance. Others will ignore what they hear. But the result is truly tragic.

Lord,

I am thankful for the good news… for deliverance from sin, death, and judgment by faith in Jesus Who died and rose again for us all. How I pray that others I know and love will also, listen, believe, and trust You! This world just gets darker by the day! Grant mercy to those who only hear so that by faith they might truly listen! Save now, Lord Jesus!

Amen

affliction’s fruit

I am the man who has seen affliction…

Lamentations 3:1a

Sitting at her bedside

I watched her fade away

knowing there was nothing

I could do or say to change that day

I held her hand

with tears I would pray

until at last heaven’s breezes

took her away

Placed in my heart

affliction’s seed sown

my soul reeling

God giving what I needed then to own

And time went by

with sorrow and a sigh

my prayers God heard

my strength His Word

Standing at his graveside

traumatized mourners wept

yet there was something 

secretly peaceful that I kept

You spoke to hearts as

I shared in grief

I held their hands

begged them to believe

Even affliction can be good

when known in the love of a caring God

Who waters the seed with our own tears

and rescues us from all our fears

From my grief

     To His peace

          To shared belief

               To find relief

ugly spiritual abuse

…not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.

1 Peter 5:3

I find myself drawn to understand what Peter is imploring elders to avoid. I’ve been a pastor since 1988. That’s nearly four decades of church leadership in three different congregations. I’ve worked with pastors, trained pastors, helped launch pastors during this entire ministry span. I’ve taken in new church members with their dreadful stories of pastoral abuse. I’ve witnessed ways in which church leaders are not led by the love of Christ and have accused others, manipulated them with false guilt, sinned against their brothers and sisters, and abused their power. I’ve had moments where my own ministry has been hurt by my selfish motivations. Elders are first and foremost gentle shepherds. As such, we care for a flock that belongs first to Jesus Christ!

I am alarmed at how often Peter’s warning goes unheeded. He warns us sternly against the direction selfish agendas WILL take ministry if we don’t guard against it. The word “domineering” has a scary range of meaning… none of it good! It means to control, to subjugate, to overcome by force, to dominate, and most insidiously, to be lord over. Bad elders try to be the lord of the church. That’s Jesus’ job!

Lord Jesus,

It is Your job to be Lord over Your church. I have no power over the souls that You ask me to shepherd. You are the Master. I am called to be a simple example of a man transformed by grace to lead by grace and love with Your grace. I need the gospel to set my agenda and not my own pride. Forgive me of any personal desire for control. Purge me of it. You are in control, Lord! You are the Lord of Your church! I am Your servant and the servant shepherd to Your people. You change me so that I can lead in that way. Make that simple shepherd’s service the story of my life, I pray.

Amen

vindication and restoration

The LORD has brought about our vindication;

come, let us declare in Zion

the work of the LORD our God.

Jeremiah 51:10

When Israel was to be freed from Babylon, God prophetically decreed through Jeremiah that again at the temple, at Zion, they would praise God for His work. They would be vindicated. Their captors would not keep them. They would be free to praise God again. They would be home again in Zion where in grateful worship they would recount how God kept them and restored them.

What has been the worst of experiences would be made glorious and praise worthy. This is what their reality was:

• Babylon wiped out Jerusalem without mercy.
• Wealth was ransacked, treasures stolen, landmarks torn down.
• Death was everywhere. The strongest were killed in battle. The rest were led captive to Babylon.
• Captivity was lengthy. 70 years went by. Entire lifetimes were lived ignorant of the life that once was.

But God would turn it all around. And the tables would turn back to Israel’s restoration. The work that they would declare:

• The Chaldeans would be plundered by the Persians in retribution.
• Jews would be spared at this time.
• Their new captors would provide means favorable to Judah’s restoration.
• Jerusalem, the temple, and their new homes would all be restored in the land of the promise. Praise would erupt as new life rose from rubble.

God specializes in restoration. He uniquely graces our broken lives with new beginnings. He leads us through our exile experiences to find renewed hope and joy! He disciplines us for our good so that we might declare His work in praise to all who will hear. He restores our joy so that our hearts are once again unburdened. He vindicates us and then HE gets the glory. Oh, how my soul knows this!

hard but not harmful

Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good?

1 Peter 3:13

This is a compelling argument for obeying the gospel and doing what is good. What’s it going to hurt? You will please God. And in doing good works you will help people. It’s a “win/win” sort of outcome.

Why then does my sinful self want to assert my own wants above what is best in giving myself to do what God says is good? I must, even as a Christian, choose to do what is right, against my selfish resistance to it. And when I do this, I do no harm. I receive no harm, but rather the joy of pleasing God and finding that other people are better because of my displayed love in Christ. 

Just because I have to choose to do the right thing does not mean I am ineffective. It is actually the opposite. Most of the best work in the world is done by those who are disciplined to reject selfish urges for the sake of a bigger commitment.

Like a soldier or an athlete who overtrains on the basics, who watches out for bad habits, who practices good nutrition and cross trains for a mix of strength, stamina, and conditioning, I too must pour myself into spiritually disciplined choices. The gospel and Holy Spirit empower me to do this. I have to be zealous if I want to truly do what is good. I have to commit. I have to do something with my faith both internally and externally. It may be hard, but it is not harmful.

prayer for my character

Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.

1 Peter 3:8

Lord Jesus,

I come to You in the stillness of this new day and I ask that these things be true of me today. Mark my interactions with people with what You ask of me. May I both give and receive these experiences as I live for You.

Bring me into unity with my brothers and sisters in Christ. May I agree with those I see today. May we together worship You, love You, obey You, believe the gospel, and know Your Word. Give me unity in and with Your church.

Help me to sympathize with the hurting. I will have multiple conversations at various levels with people who are hurting and confused by life. Draw me into the story that You are writing in their lives. May Your Spirit give me wisdom to help them. Bring my heart beside their hearts. Help me to come alongside them with Your comfort and Your care, sweet Shepherd of our souls!

I want to love my brothers and sisters well. My church is so close to me. They are indeed my family. They care for me well, particularly this last year of sorrow and suffering. May I, in gratitude, love the family of God.

Soften my heart, dear Lord. Give me tender affection to those who need to be loved by You through me. And if they are hard to love, let me remember how hard it was for You to love me as You hung on a cross. Melt away my reticence, my cynicism, my fear of closeness, and give me Your tender heart for Your people and for those lost outside needing Your rescue!

Keep my thoughts of myself steeped in humility. I must decrease and You must increase! Any success I may have will be solely what You grant. Any strength will be the result of Your healing power and mercies. Shut me up to pride and boasting. Let my praise by only You, my God!

Amen

subject

Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.

1 Peter 2:17

Honor everyone.

No human being disdained.

No life lived in vain.

Every human dignified,

by God’s image inside.

I show honor and I defer

to the God Who made each neighbor.

Love the brotherhood.

The Church in whom Jesus lives

deserves all the passion I can give.

Every member does a part

and I will follow with my heart.

This family of God in which I thrive

will be His grace… warm and alive.

Fear God.

My highest honor is my Lord’s

as I submit to His Word.

He holds my future, redeems my past,

as in everlasting life I last.

I fear God and worship Him

for He rescued me from my sin.

Honor the emperor.

Human authority is God’s design

to keep us safe without decline.

Rulers exist by God’s command

at every level in every land.

Sovereign God overrules each nation

until Jesus returns to overhaul creation.

God’s

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.

1 Peter 2:9

Two observations fill me with wonder and praise as I read this verse. When I came to Jesus for salvation, believing and trusting Him, I became part of a much bigger thing than I ever imagined. It wasn’t so much about my individual need. It wasn’t that I got my “own personal Jesus” like the song offers. An individualistic salvation is just selfishness masquerading as faith. No… Jesus saved me to belong to Him, to belong to His people, to belong to His purpose.

A people of His possession. I am part of a much bigger salvation community. I am called into what Peter called…

• A chosen race. A new tribe of people with a unique identity is forged in the church.
• A royal priesthood. The King redeems us with kingly blood, making us princely priests to minister His saving work and good news.
• A holy nation. In a world of broken nations, the church arises holy among all the nations of the world with a unique calling to be holy as God is holy. 

A people of His purpose. I am part of the Church. The church is called to proclaim the excellencies… the superiority… the necessity… and the exclusivity of Christ. We stand in a dying darkness holding out the ONLY light of life. And every person coming to the light of Christ joins us as God’s possession with God’s purpose.

Lord Jesus,

May I live as Yours. Own me today. Use me today. May it be not that You are mine in selfish individualism, but instead, that I am Yours in sacred abandon! And may this life burn bright and at full power to be used for Your purpose.

Amen

eat it up

Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

1 Peter 2:2-3

I expect to be eating today. Why? Because I am alive. I’ll get hungry. I will need nutrition and energy. I will be moving and doing things and for that I will need food. I find it perfectly normal to eat today. And every day of my life I have had that same need. It is healthy to long to eat. As a hungry infant I craved milk. As a mature adult my tastes are much more sophisticated. But I will and I must eat.

The same is true for me spiritually. I expect to be eating. I’ve opened the Word of God this morning, disciplining myself that even before breakfast fills my belly, the pure spiritual milk of scripture feeds my soul. Why? Because my soul needs the nourishing truth and power of God‘s Word to thrive today. I will be interacting with God and with people created in God’s image. Spiritual forces will align against me. The Holy Spirit will protect and empower me. But without that nourishing Word, I don’t stand a chance to have the stamina to win the contest.

One of the wonderful reasons I keep eating food is that it simply tastes very good. I am blessed with a variety of choices in my diet. This can lead to good health, growth, and strength. And the same is true for my soul. I have tasted and I have seen that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8). He seats me at His rich banquet table (Song of Solomon 2:4)! It is no boring meal set before me.

Lord,

I have been fed well in Your Word. Now nourish this soul, sustain me, and empower me for this day, I pray! I am delighted to feast in Your Presence, tasting that You, My God, are so very good! May I grow in this nourishing salvation.

Amen`