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Repetition is Necessary
In a “been there, done that” world, one of the great habits of the Christian life (and the Church world) is to go back over something. We’re not very good at it, but the habit is built in. In the tradition of the Church world going back centuries there is the repetition of the Lectionary readings. The gospels are visited…
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Anxiety is Spiritual Warfare
7 Throw all your anxiety onto him, because he cares about you. 8 Be clearheaded. Keep alert. Your accuser, the devil, is on the prowl like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:7-8, CEB) Anxiety confuses our thinking. We create “what if” scenarios, along with “If only” scenarios. When that happens, the enemy roars. He smells the blood. Anxiety has…
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Theology of Suffering
In our world of pain avoidance, letters like 1 Peter are just odd to read. We are so much into “blessing” that we have missed the true nuance of “being blessed.” Blessedness is not the absence of pain, necessarily. We don’t go looking for pain. Yet, when pain comes, there is probably a message to heed. We don’t need to…
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The End is Near!
The Mayans aren’t the only ones saying this! It’s Peter as well: 7 The end of everything has come. Therefore, be self-controlled and clearheaded so you can pray. (1 Peter 4:7, CEB) See?!?! The end is near! Rather than induce panic, Peter gives a more calm approach to the end (as does Jesus in the Olivet Discourse). It’s not scary.…
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The Role of Suffering
These are incredibly uncomfortable words: 1 Therefore, since Christ suffered as a human, you should also arm yourselves with his way of thinking. This is because whoever suffers is finished with sin. 2 As a result, they don’t live the rest of their human lives in ways determined by human desires but in ways determined by God’s will. (1 Peter…
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This Precious Faith
Our adult study on Wednesday night was reflecting on 1 Peter as we are making our way through the New Testament. One of the observations I come away with in Peter’s epistle is the solemnity of the faith. It is precious. The more we talked about this attitude, the more we drew on analogies often found in fantasy, myth or…
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We Just Can’t Be Happy
A couple of observations as I watch the wide range of reactions to the huge events of this week. 1. The phrase “If you’re not angry you’re not paying attention” comes to mind. 2. And over against that, as I study for Sunday, the passage from 1 Peter shouts out to me: “You love him even though you have have…
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Illegal Aliens
Not the subject matter that grabs headlines in Arizona. And, okay, maybe not “illegal.” It’s us. Believers in Jesus Christ. WE are aliens. No matter what country we live in on this earth, we are aliens. Our true citizenship is not here. Our homeland is not found anywhere around here. Our true worth is not found here. We act like…
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Living With the End in Mind
I am working my way through 1 Peter right now and the words of Peter are so incredibly challenging. This is one reason I write about multi-generational churches. We need the wisdom. Peter talks about it. But more than that, we need a higher calling. We need to be reminded of the great price of salvation. There is a call…
Tag: 1 Peter
