February 28th - 1 Peter 1:14

Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion

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All About Change

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How do we build an inclusive world? Hear intimate and in-depth conversations with changemakers on disability rights, youth mental health advocacy, prison reform, grassroots activism, and more. First-hand stories about activism, change, and courage from people who are changing the world: from how a teen mom became the Planned Parenthood CEO, to NBA player Kevin Love on mental health in professional sports, to Beetlejuice actress Geena Davis on Hollywood’s role in women’s rights. All About Change is hosted by Jay Ruderman, whose life’s work is seeking social justice and inclusion for people with disabilities worldwide. Join Jay as he interviews iconic guests who have gone through adversity and harnessed their experiences to better the world. This show ultimately offers the message of hope that we need to keep going. All About Change is a production of the Ruderman Family Foundation. Listen and subscribe to All About Change wherever you get podcasts. https://allaboutchangepodcast.com/

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1 Peter 1:14 So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. DL Moody, the famous Victorian preacher, once said: “There will be no peace in any soul until it is willing to obey the voice of God.” The problem with the word obedience is that we are inclined to see it as restrictive. But think of how we look after our children and grandchildren. Time and again we have to insist on obedience in order to keep the children safe and secure. When they want to dash across a road without looking, or to go out on a cold day without a coat, we will ensure that they obey our requests. They may well grumble but we are content with that because we know that our words are loving and wise. When God tells us to obey his rules, the child in us will sometimes cry out: “but I want to do it my way”. We want to follow our own selfish agenda. But God has a better way for us and that is entirely found through obedience to him. When Jesus spoke to his disciples just before his crucifixion, he told them that they were like branches and that he was the vine. Only through being continually connected to the vine could they be fruitful, and that depended entirely upon obedience. He said: “When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you” (John 15:10-12). The result of obeying God will inevitably be experiencing joy. At times we will struggle with it, but obeying God is always the way to find life and to be able to pass it on to others too. Question What will it mean for you to be obedient to God today? Prayer Heavenly Father, forgive me that I still love to do things in my own way. Help me to discover the blessing and freedom of living in obedience to you. Amen

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February 28th - 1 Peter 1:14

Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion

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March 13th - 1 Peter 3:3-4 3:10

17 hours önce3:10

3:10

1 Peter 3:3-4 Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewellery or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God. I don’t feel competent to comment on fancy hairstyles, expensive jewellery or beautiful clothes! However, I don’t believe that Peter was saying that these things were wrong in themselves. His point was that they shouldn’t be our priority, and they certainly shouldn’t become a matter of concern for us. Our priority needs to be our inner selves – our character. Our society is obsessed with image. What matters is how we look and the impression that we leave on other people through our appearance. There is no doubt that these things can easily become a matter of anxiety and Jesus drew attention to this. In his Sermon on the Mount, he spoke about people’s anxiety about their food or clothing. He pointed to the birds and observed that they were perfectly cared for by God, and he reasoned that if God was able to look after them then he would be absolutely sure to care for us too (Matthew 6:25-30). Caring for our character is both immeasurably more important than our hairstyle, jewellery or clothes and much harder work. A couple of hours spent in a hair salon and doing some shopping might succeed in giving us a completely new look, but the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit will take much longer. It will need us to spend much time with God. Such a character won’t be the result of our efforts but will happen as we allow the Holy Spirit to renew us and mould our thinking and actions. This is the real, lasting beauty that we all need to seek. Question Why is the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit so precious to God? Prayer Loving God, thank you that your Holy Spirit is at work in my life. I pray that you will constantly renew my desire to look more like Jesus. Amen…

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March 12th - 1 Peter 2:21 3:10

1 day önce3:10

3:10

1 Peter 2:21 For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps. I’ve known many wonderful people, and I am sure you have as well. I have only to think of words such as kindness, graciousness, love, thoughtfulness, joy, integrity, hospitality and hope, to be reminded of people who have reflected those qualities to me in a very special way. They weren’t perfect, but I saw something that was beautiful in their lives and my life has been enormously enriched through knowing them. It’s good to follow the example of other Christians and, on a number of occasions, the apostle Paul encouraged his readers to follow his example. But we need to remember that the supreme example that we need to follow is of Jesus himself. Jesus was unlike anyone else who has ever lived, because he was perfect. We are called to be disciples and that means deliberately looking at Jesus’ teaching and his way of life and allowing them to shape the way in which we live. There is an ancient Jewish blessing which says: “May you be covered by the dust of your rabbi.” That is to say, may you walk so closely behind your rabbi that the dust from his feet will fall upon you. Jesus is our rabbi and if we walk at a great distance from him, the dust from his feet will never fall on us. We need to organise our lives so that, day by day, his wisdom, love and joy influence everything that we do. Peter knew that his readers were going to face great difficulties in the future and that they needed to look at Jesus’ example because he stayed true to his Father, even when he faced the most terrible suffering. Whatever we face in the coming days we cannot do better than deliberately follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Question What will it mean for you to follow in the footsteps of Jesus today? Prayer Lord Jesus, help me to love you more dearly and follow you more nearly today. Amen…

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March 11th - 1 Peter 2:18 3:05

3 gün önce3:05

3:05

1 Peter 2:18 You who are slaves must submit to your masters with all respect. Do what they tell you—not only if they are kind and reasonable, but even if they are cruel. Everything about slavery is horrifying. The idea that someone could own another human being sounds barbaric, and so it is difficult for us to handle a verse like this. Context is so important. At the time of the early Church, slavery was extremely common. About 20 per cent of the population were slaves and there was never any serious thought that the institution should be dismantled. It’s also important to realise that under Roman law, slavery was heavily regulated. Slaves received very low wages but they lived with the hope that one day they might be able to purchase their freedom. Slavery at any time is an odious idea, but clearly the experience was nowhere near as hellish or dehumanising as it became during the centuries of the transatlantic slave trade. It has been suggested that a better translation of the word slave could be servant, or even employee. Suddenly this verse has something to say to our own day. We should show respect to our employers, and we should do so because, ultimately, all authority derives from God. This means that we should be respectful of them, even when they are wrong. This is tough talk, but Peter knows that such an attitude is far more likely to commend the Christian faith than retaliation. Peter strengthens his argument by reminding his readers that even though Jesus was terribly mistreated he didn’t fight back. He could easily have commanded a legion of angels to destroy his oppressors, but he didn’t. Tough as it undoubtedly is to suffer ill treatment, we need to learn from Jesus and walk in his steps. Question How would you respond if your employer treated you in a cruel way? Prayer Loving Father, give me your strength to live in a way that pleases you, even when it’s really hard to do so. Amen…

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March 10th - 1 Peter 2:16 2:56

4 gün önce2:56

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1 Peter 2:16 You are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil. On the face of it this verse doesn’t seem to make much sense. Surely freedom means that you can do whatever you like? All constraints have been thrown off and you can do exactly what pleases you. But it doesn’t take long to realise that this kind of freedom would be a horrific experience. If you were able to do whatever you wanted, then you would have a licence to dominate everyone else and to destroy whatever you liked. Freedom ruled by our own selfishness would be nothing less than hell on earth. The New Testament introduces us to the concept of true freedom, and that can only be found by being slaves to God’s will. By finding his perfect will for us we are set free to be everything that God intended us to be. When we get to heaven God will not ask us: “Why weren’t you like Abraham, Moses, David or the apostles?” He will look to us to be everything that we were created to be, which will be very different from everyone else. A fish would not be free if it were taken out of the sea, and an eagle would not be free if it were not allowed to fly in the sky. By the same token, we are not free until we learn what it means to be filled with the Holy Spirit. All the time we allow the world to rule our values, thinking and expectations we will be chained and completely unfree. However, as we live in step with the Spirit, his fruit will flow from our lives and we will not only experience freedom for ourselves, but also naturally encourage others to find that same freedom for themselves. Question Are you free? Prayer Loving Father, thank you that you not only call me to a life of freedom but also fill me with your Spirit to enable me to live freely. Amen…

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March 9th - 1 Peter 2:12 3:16

5 gün önce3:16

3:16

1 Peter 2:12 Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbours. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honourable behaviour, and they will give honour to God when he judges the world. Socrates, the famous Greek philosopher, once said “the unconsidered life is not worth living”. Peter would have agreed with him, because he knew that it was crucially important for Christians to think very carefully about their way of life. It wasn’t good enough for them merely to have the right doctrines. They needed to ensure that their daily life reflected their Christian faith, so that those around them would get a very clear picture of what it meant to live for Christ. But the importance of living well was even greater in an environment where the Christians were hated and often the target of slanderous accusations. It was vital that they lived uprightly so that false allegations would be immediately seen as nonsense. We might not be in such an embattled situation, but you can be sure that the way you live is always being noticed. Whether you like it or not, people will be drawing conclusions about the Christian faith from what they see in you. If you are always grumpy and negative, that will bound to leave a very powerful and damaging impression. On the other hand, if you are always positive and cheerful it will give an attractive and encouraging picture of what it means to follow Christ. In writing to the Corinthians, Paul spoke about their lives being like letters that anyone could read and which showed the reality of God at work in them. In this life we will never be perfect, and we should always live with a continual awareness of our need for forgiveness. But the New Testament encourages us to think carefully about the way in which we live, in the sure knowledge that other people are reading our lives and looking for clear evidence of what Christianity is all about. Question Think of the last week. What impression of Christianity would people have picked up from your life? Prayer Lord God our Father, I confess that I often let you down. Help me to live more and more closely to you, so that others will see your love, joy and peace in my life. Amen…

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March 8th - 1 Peter 2:10 3:24

6 gün önce3:24

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1 Peter 2:10 “Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.” The television series, Who do you think you are? always makes fascinating viewing. Researchers delve into the lives of famous people and reveal amazing details about their family history. It is interesting to know about our history but what really matters is who we think we are today. What is our identity? Peter says that as Christians our identity has completely changed. In the past we had no identity but now we are God’s people. In the past we had not tasted the mercy of God, but now we have. A true understanding of our identity is of crucial importance to the way in which we live today. If we thought that our lives were our own and we could do whatever we liked, we would live in one particular way. We wouldn’t be bothered about other people’s rules and expectations. “I did it my way” would be our signature tune. But when we see ourselves as one of God’s people, everything is different. The Christian’s aim is to be able to sum up their life by singing “I did it his way”, because as we live for God we quickly learn that walking in his way is always best. It’s the path of love, joy and peace and in the process it leads to the greatest fulfilment that this world can offer. Jesus summed up his teaching to the disciples by saying that his purpose was to give us a “rich and satisfying life” (John 10:10). Of course, we all have lots of identities. I am a husband, father, grandfather, son, brother, uncle, minister, Englishman and a thousand other things. Each of those identities has real importance and we should cherish all the different aspects of our lives. But our identity as Christians is the one that needs to colour, shape and enhance all our other identities because it is not only the most wonderful description of us, but also the most enduring. Question Who do you think you are? Prayer Loving Father, I thank you that you have given me an identity that not only enriches every single day, but which lasts for ever. Amen…

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March 7th - 1 Peter 2:9 3:42

7 gün önce3:42

3:42

1 Peter 2:9 You are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. In the Old Testament we learn that God decided that the people of Israel should be his chosen people. In Exodus 19 and Isaiah 43 they are described in a number of ways, and here Peter brings together all those descriptions and applies them to the Church. The people of Israel enjoyed their position by birth. They were all descended from Abraham, the father of the faith. And now every Christian is part of the Church, the new chosen people, by our new birth. Through our faith in Christ, we have all the privileges and responsibilities of being a citizen of God’s holy nation. One of the distinctive features of the Church is that each one of us is a priest. In the Old Testament, the privileged role of the priest was to have access to God, and to enable others to come to God. The priests were drawn from the family line of Aaron and only the high priest was able to enter into the Holy of Holies once a year. But now, in Christ, the doors have been thrown open. Jesus, our great high priest, took upon himself the full weight of human sin. So now, through him, it is possible for us all to have access into the holy presence of God. We can all bring our prayers to God directly and can offer him our worship. If every Christian is a priest, the obvious question is: “Why do we need Christian ministers at all?” The New Testament gives a very clear answer to this by showing that God has appointed apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers “to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12). We all have wonderful, direct access into the presence of our holy God but there are still many gifts that God gives us through his Holy Spirit to enable us to be faithful and fruitful in our Christian lives. In Latin the word for priest is pontifex, which literally means bridge-builder. Today God is calling us to build a bridge between him and those with whom we will spend our time. Question In what way will you be able to be a bridge-builder for God today? Prayer Lord God, thank you that you have given me new birth through the Lord Jesus Christ. Help me today to serve you as a faithful priest. Amen…

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March 6th - 1 Peter 2:4-5 3:33

8 gün önce3:33

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1 Peter 2:4-5 You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honour. And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. In the Old Testament, huge attention is given to the building of the temple. King David took the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem and longed to give it a proper home. He went to enormous lengths to prepare for the building of the temple, but this only happened during the reign of his son, Solomon. The temple was the place where God lived among his people and at the heart of it was the Holy of Holies, which was so special that it could only be entered once a year and only by the high priest. All of God’s people looked to the temple as being at the heart of their worship, and it was the focus of the elaborate sacrificial system. In the New Testament we learn that Jesus was in the process of building a new temple and this would be completely different from the impressive structure that we meet in the Old Testament. This temple is built not out of huge blocks of stone, but out of people who love God and it finds its meaning and shape entirely through Jesus, who is described as its cornerstone. The cornerstone is the stone which determines the building line for the walls, and everything depends upon it. If the cornerstone is out of line, then the building will be completely unstable. But if it is in exactly the right position then everything else will fall perfectly into place. Jesus is our cornerstone and, as we take the lead from him, we will fit beautifully into his living temple. There are some people who like to think of their Christian faith as a private matter. They love Jesus and seek to serve him, but don’t join up with other Christians. Sometimes it is because of a bad experience in the past, or because of their natural shyness. But the New Testament has no concept of a solitary Christian. If you follow Jesus then you belong to God’s family and, day by day, Jesus is wanting to help you to find your place within his living temple. Question What does it mean to you to know that you are a living stone in God’s temple? Prayer Lord Jesus Christ, I worship you because you are the chief cornerstone of God’s temple. Help me to align my life to your will today. Amen…

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March 5th - 1 Peter 2:2-3 3:12

9 gün önce3:12

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1 Peter 2:2-3 Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness. Babies are not subtle in their demand for milk. When they need feeding they are very happy to let everyone know about it! Peter uses this powerful imagery to describe a young Christian’s desperate need to be fed spiritually. There can be no doubt that he is referring to our need for the word of God. We have been given the treasure of the Bible and we need to ensure that we are continually receiving nourishment from it. Only in that way will we grow and become strong and mature. The need to be fed isn’t just good advice for new Christians. We all need feeding and we need to organise our lives in such a way as to ensure that it happens. We wouldn’t think of being haphazard about our physical feeding, having a meal from time to time when we happened to be in the mood. We know full well that without regular food and drink we would soon be ill. Our spiritual nourishment is equally crucial and the Lord’s Prayer reminds us of its importance. “Give us each day the food we need” (Luke 11:3). Having a huge spiritual meal from time to time won’t be enough. It is a great encouragement to attend Christian festivals and large celebrations where we may be wonderfully well fed with spiritual food. But we all need to be nourished by the daily rhythm of receiving God’s word. I love the reason that Peter gives for encouraging his readers to seek God’s nourishment. He says it is because they have had “a taste of the Lord’s kindness”. It’s as if he is saying, now that you have experienced how great God is, you won’t want to miss out on all the other blessings that he has in store for you. Spending time with God’s word cannot fail to be an amazing experience. Question In what ways have you been nourished by God’s word recently? Prayer Lord God, thank you for the way in which you strengthen me with your word day by day. Amen…

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March 4th - 1 Peter 2:1 3:20

10 gün önce3:20

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1 Peter 2:1 So get rid of all evil behaviour. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy and all unkind speech. In the previous chapter Peter commanded his readers to love one another. He now spells out what that will involve, because if we are truly to love other people then bad behaviour must stop. There’s no way in which a church can be dominated by love when there is deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy and gossip. All of those things destroy the love, peace and joy that God wants to dominate the lives of Christians. I have often heard people tell me that they have found their church deeply disappointing. Very often there is a problem with gossip, which so easily develops within any close community. And most odious of all is when Christians talk the talk, but fail to walk the walk. They are quick to criticise others for their failings, but are fail just as much themselves. It should never be a surprise that Christians often get it wrong, because we are all sinners. But what is tragic is when bad behaviour is not challenged. For love’s sake we need to ensure that we identify and root out bad behaviour. When we become Christians, Jesus becomes the Lord of our lives but that doesn’t mean that we are no longer able to make bad decisions. We are still entirely able to act in a destructive and unhelpful way. The onus is on us to take effective action. The expression in Greek that Peter uses here is to strip off all bad behaviour, and he uses the verb for taking off one’s clothes. Your clothes won’t fall off you just because it’s the end of the day and you’re tired! You need to take action. It’s exactly the same with our bad actions and attitudes. Much as the Lord wants us to remove them, it is down to us to take action and get rid of them. God will give us the strength to do so but we have to strip them off ourselves. Question Be completely honest. What bad attitudes or actions do you need to strip off? Prayer Loving God, give us your strength to become the people that you want us to be. Amen…

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March 3rd - 1 Peter 1:23 3:37

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1 Peter 1:23 You have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God. Terry Pratchett, the famous humourist and novelist, wrote: “It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, it’s called Life.” Life here on earth is indeed brief, but Peter encourages us to look beyond, to see that God’s intention for us is to enjoy eternal life. When we hear that expression, we are inclined to think about the future, but the New Testament writers are absolutely clear that it starts right now. The moment you give your life to Christ you are born again. A new life begins and because that life comes from God it can never come to an end. Jesus made this very clear when he told his disciples: “I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life” (John 5:24). The blessing of recognising that eternal life begins now is that it gives a new dimension and sense of wonder to our daily life. Each day is not just one more day to be crossed off our allocation of days, but one that has eternal significance. When we meet with other people, we have the opportunity to reflect something of God’s eternal love for them, by showing them consideration and care and respecting them as someone else made in God’s image, no matter what our differences are. When we worship God, we are participating in an activity which will be constantly growing in significance and wonder for us. Today is something to be cherished and enjoyed because it has meaning and purpose far beyond the period of 24 hours. God has called us to live our lives in the light of eternity. This should certainly not mean that we become so heavenly minded that we are of no earthly use! The inspiration of eternity should cause us to celebrate the gift of each day and to see the full value of every moment that God gives us here on earth. Question How does living in the light of eternity affect your life today? Prayer Lord God, I thank you for the precious gift of today. Help me to use it to your glory. Amen…

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March 2nd - 1 Peter 1:22 3:36

12 gün önce3:36

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1 Peter 1:22 You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart. When you become a Christian, you are immediately a part of a worldwide family – the church. You suddenly have brothers and sisters that you’d never had before! One of the most exciting characteristics of your new family is that it is held together by love, and Peter declares that this flows from our experience of forgiveness. In 1960, CS Lewis wrote a famous book entitled The Four Loves. He pointed to the fact that the Greek language has far more words for love than there are in English and he drew attention to four of them. Storge is the sort of affectionate love that exists between a mother and her child. Philia is friendship love, such as we see between David and Jonathan in the Old Testament. Eros is romantic love and, finally, agape is unconditional love such as God has shown us. Peter used two of these words in this verse. He encouraged the Christians to have sincere philia love for one another within the Church. He wanted to see them caring deeply for one another with the same strong bonds that you would find between close friends. He then encouraged his readers to show agape love towards one another, urging them to be absolutely committed to one another whatever the circumstances. God’s agape love for us is such that he loves us whether we love him or not. And nothing can ever stop him loving us. We are being invited to love in the same way by loving those who reject us, and loving those whom we could never imagine liking. He calls us to do this because he wants us to reflect his nature in our lives. This is tough love, and it will demand everything of us, but it will bring life and liberty to all those whom it touches. Question Is there a person who you are struggling to love at the moment? If so, spend some time reflecting on God’s love for them, and asking him to give you the strength to pass on his love. Prayer Loving heavenly Father, thank you that you love me completely. Please teach me more today of what it means to pass on your love to others. Amen…

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March 1st - 1 Peter 1:15-16 3:17

13 gün önce3:17

3:17

1 Peter 1:15-16 You must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.” I suspect that we all respond in much the same way to the command that we should live holy lives. We probably all feel a closeness to Isaiah who, as we saw on Day 41, went into the temple one day and was overwhelmed by the holiness of God (Isaiah 6). He responded with embarrassment, not only because he didn’t feel remotely holy himself, but because he was conscious that he lived in a society that was anything but holy. But Isaiah learned that it was possible for him to be totally cleansed and, in that incredible encounter, he was set free from his sin and commissioned to become a spokesman for God. The word holy means separate or set apart. God doesn’t want our lives to be dragged down by the selfish and destructive influences of our society. He wants us to be set apart for him and, just as with Isaiah, that can only happen as we experience God’s forgiveness. Without it, we will continue to be held back by our sin, guilt and failures. We won’t be able to get on with living today because of the heavy weight of the past. But when we confess our sins and receive God’s gift of forgiveness we can step forward into a new life characterised by love. The danger with a word like holy is that we assume that it is reserved for very special people. We think of people like Mother Theresa or Dietrich Bonhoeffer who lived exceptional lives. But the truth is that you and are I are called to a life of holiness too. And that is made possible through the miraculous gift of forgiveness. Question What will it mean for you to be set apart for God today? Prayer Loving God, I confess that I have often let you down in thought, word and action. I ask you to forgive my sins and help me to live a life set apart for you. Amen…

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February 28th - 1 Peter 1:14 3:22

14 gün önce3:22

3:22

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February 27th - 1 Peter 1:13 3:23

15 gün önce3:23

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1 Peter 1:13 So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. In this opening chapter of his first letter, Peter writes a great deal about salvation. He looks forward to the day when we will see the completeness of our salvation, set free from every trace of sin and all suggestions of death and decay. But he doesn’t intend these wonderful spiritual insights to send his readers into an outer orbit of heavenly worship, but rather to equip them to get ready for action. They need to be prepared to face up to the brutal reality of living for God in a world that is fundamentally opposed to the Christian faith. True worship and Bible study must always have the effect of equipping us to live more faithfully and fruitfully for God in the here and now. They must never be a form of escapism that we use to help us to run away from a challenging and hostile world. God needs us to be fit and ready to face whatever problems and difficulties the world might throw at us. Time and again the Bible tells us about people who worshipped God but whose worship didn’t lead to godly action, and God was very severe with them. The prophet Amos spoke about people who were committed to their worship festivals but who happily continued to exploit the poor. God didn’t mince his words: “Away with your noisy hymns of praise! I will not listen to the music of your harps. Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living” (Amos 5:23-24). And it was the same with the Pharisees who were meticulous in their worship and religious practices, but who consistently missed the point (Matthew 23). They were fakes. They had got their priorities wrong. Let’s make sure that worship and Bible study are at the heart of our lives, but also ensure that they lead us to action. Question In what way has your recent worship and Bible study led to specific action? Prayer Loving Father, thank you for the way in which you want to shape and bless every part of my life. Amen…

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