1 Peter 5:8-9 Be Watchful

My commentary says we also have to be watchful besides being humble, if we are to glorify God in difficult experiences.  "One reason we have cares is because we have an enemy.  Satan deceives and devours."  Peter gave us instructions to help us get victory:

1)  Respect Satan -- he is dangerous!  Just as an electrician can work on a live wire carrying enough current to kill because he respects that current, we can do the same about Satan.  "Satan has great power and intelligence, and a host of demons who assist him ... He is a formidable enemy.  We must never joke about him, ignore him, or underestimate his ability."

2)  Recognize him -- he is a great pretender.  "Because he is a subtle foe, we must be vigilant and always on guard.  His strategy is to counterfeit whatever God does ... He would deceive us were it not for the Word of God and the Spirit of God.  The better we know God's Word, the keener our spiritual senses will be to detect Satan at work."

 

3)  Resist him.  "We take our stand on the Word of God and refuse to be moved."

"A word of caution here:  never discuss things with Satan or his associates.  Eve made that mistake, and we know what happened to her.  Also, never try to fight Satan in your own way.  Resist him the way Jesus did, with the Word of God.  Never get the idea that you are the only one going through these battles, because 'your brothers that are in the world are facing the same trials.'  We must pray for one another and encourage one another in the Lord.  And we must remember that our personal victories will help others, just as their victories will help us."

Father, don't let me ever fall for the lie that Satan is stupid.  He's smarter than I'll ever be and he's had millennia to work on all Christians, so he knows what he's doing.  Keep me wary and wise.  Don't let him make a fool out of me and cause me to make others think less of You.

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

1 Peter 5:5-7 Be Humble

As the church, we received three important admonitions in the upcoming verses, according to Wiersbe.  The first one, covered today, is to be humble.  Peter commanded all believers to 1) submit to God, and 2) submit to each other.

"The younger believers should submit to the older believers not only out of respect for their age, but also out of respect for their spiritual maturity.  Not every senior saint is a mature Christian, of course ... This is not to suggest that the older church members 'run the church' and never listen to the younger members!  Too often, there is a generation was in the church, with the older people resisting change, and the younger people resisting the older people."

"The solution is twofold:  1) all believers, young and old, should submit to each other; 2) all should submit to God.  Be clothed with humility."

"Humility is not demeaning ourselves and thinking poorly of ourselves.  It is simply not thinking of ourselves at all!  We can never be submissive to each other until we are first submissive to God ... It takes grace to submit to another believer, but God can give that grace if we humble ourselves before Him ... God resists the proud because God hates the sin of pride ... The only antidote to pride is the grace of God and we receive that grace when we yield ourselves to him ... Submission is an act of faith.  We are trusting God to direct in our lives and to work out His promises in His time ... The mighty hand of God that directs our lives can also direct in the lives of others."

"According to 1 Peter 5:7, we must once and for all give all our cares -- past, present, and future-- to the Lord.  We must not hand them to Him piecemeal, keeping those cares that we think we can handle ourselves."

Father, in our church life, continue to help me submit to my fellow believers.  In the same way, if I am in Your will, help them to submit as well.  Don't let pride crop up in the lives of any of us.  Help us to put on the clothes of humility.  Also, remind me that I trust You and have given all my cares to You.  Handle them for me.  Keep me out of Your way.

 

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

1 Peter 5:1-4 Qualities That Make A Successful Pastor

Warren Wiersbe says in his commentary that times of persecution demand that God's people have adequate spiritual leadership.  I certainly think these are times of persecution, and I'm so thankful for the man God has placed here for these times!  Wiersbe then went on to discuss the personal qualities that make for a successful pastor:

1)  A vital personal experience with Christ -- "Peter wrote these words, inspired by the Spirit of God, out of his own personal experience with Jesus Christ, and this made it possible for him to minister effectively to God's people.  The pastor of a local assembly must be a man who walks with God and who is growing in his spiritual life... constantly moving into new territories of study, achievement, and ministry."

2)  A loving concern for God's sheep -- "Their God-given responsibilities include feeding the flock, taking the oversight, and being an example to the flock."

3)  A desire to please Christ alone -- "The only reward we ought to strive for is the 'Well done!' of the Savior and the unfading crown of glory that goes with it ... We lead by serving and we serve by suffering.  This is the way Jesus did it, and this is the only way that truly glorifies Him."

Father, thank You for giving me  personal relationship with Christ when I'd almost walked away.  Help me not to let my concern for others wain, and continue to renew in me the desire to please Christ alone. 

 

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

1 Peter 4:15-19 Handling Suffering

When we find ourselves suffering, my commentary says there are several questions to ask ourselves as we examine our lives:

1)  "Why am I suffering?  Have we broken the law or disobeyed God?  Christianity doesn't make us immune from the normal consequences of our misdeeds ... Let's be sure that we are suffering because we are Christians and not because we are criminals."

2)  "Am I ashamed, or glorifying Christ?  Jesus is not ashamed of us, though many times He surely could be!  The Father is not ashamed to be called our God.  On the cross, Jesus Christ despised shame for us, so surely we can bear reproach for Him and not be ashamed."

3)  "Am I seeking to win the lost?  Times of persecution are times of opportunity for a loving witness to those who persecute us."

We are also told to commit ourselves to God.  When we are suffering in the will of God, we can commit ourselves into the care of God.  Everything else we do as Christians depends on this ... We are valuable to God.  He made us, redeemed us, lives in us, and guards and protects us ... This commitment (from us) is not a single action but a constant attitude.  How do we do this? ... As we return good for evil and do good even though we suffer for it, we are committing ourselves to God so that He can care for us.  This commitment involves every area of our lives and every hour of our lives."

"Unsaved people have a present that is controlled by their past, but Christians have a present that is controlled by their future ... There is nothing for us to fear if we are suffering in the will of God.  Our faithful Father-Creator will victoriously see us through!"

Father, I trust You.  Carry me through the fiery trials and remind me not to ever give up on You.

 

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

1 Peter 4:13-14 Rejoice In Suffering

Not only are we to expect suffering.  Peter tells us we are to rejoice in suffering.  Four times in these two verses "joy" comes up!  "The world cannot understand how difficult circumstances can produce exceeding joy, because the world has never experienced the grace of God," my commentary explained.

Peter listed four privileges "that encourage us to rejoice in the middle of fiery trials:

1)  Our suffering means fellowship with God -- The fellowship of His suffering is a gift from God.  "Being treated by the world the way it treated Him is an honor.

2)  It means glory in the FUTURE -- the trial of our faith today is the assurance of glory when Jesus returns.

3)  Our suffering brings to us the ministry of the Holy Spirit -- suffering Christians do not have to wait for heaven in order to experience His glory.  Through the Holy Spirit, they can have the glory now.

4)  Our suffering enables us to glorify His name -- Our authority is in the name of Jesus, and Satan hates that name.  Every time we are reproached for the name of Christ, we have the opportunity to bring glory to that name.  The world may speak against His name, but we will so speak and live that His name will be honored and God will be pleased."

Father, continue to give me boldness to speak of Jesus and to rejoice as I suffer for Him, knowing I'm suffering with Him for Your glory.

 

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

1 Peter 4:12 Expect Suffering

The upcoming section of chapter 4 contains "four instructions Peter gave us to follow in the light of the coming fiery trial."  The first is mentioned in verse 12 -- expect suffering.  It said:  "The world does not persecute religious people, but it does persecute righteous people ... The Pharisees and Jewish leaders were religious people, yet they crucified Christ and persecuted the early church ... Imagine scourging the servants of God in the very house of God!"

"God declared war on Satan after the fall of man, and Satan has been attacking God through His people ever since."

"There are some difficulties that are simply a part of human life and almost everybody experiences then.  Unfortunately, there are some difficulties that we bring on ourselves, because of disobedience and sin ... The fiery trial he mentioned in verse 12 comes because we are faithful to God and stand up for what is right."

Father, keep me from sufferings of my own making due to sin.  I don't want to be a religious person either.  Keep working on me to be a righteous person.

 

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

1 Peter 4:8-11 The Fervent Love Christians Are To Have For Others

Peter describes how we can have fervent love for other Christians, even those who may not love us.  "It is not a matter of emotional feeling, though that is included, but of dedicated will.  Christian love means that we treat others the way God treats us, obeying His commandments in the Word.  It is even possible to love people that we do not like!"

That reminds me of something a fellow Ukrainian adoption parent told me about how we'll sometimes feel about our new kids:  "I may not like you right now, but I will never stop loving you."

"Christian love is forgiving ... Love does not condone sin, for, if we love somebody, we will be grieved to see him sin and hurt himself and others.  Rather, love covers sin in that love motivates us to hide the sin from others and not spread it abroad ... No one can hide his sins from God, but believers ought to try, in love, to cover each other's sins at least from the eyes of the unsaved."  Unbelievers might use the information to tarnish the name of God.

My commentary also stated that Christian love must result in service.  "Each Christian has at least one spiritual gift that he must use to the glory of God and the building up of the church.  We are stewards.  God has entrusted these gifts to us that we might use them for the good of His church.  He even gives us the spiritual ability to develop our gifts and be faithful servants of the church."

Father, thank You for capturing my heart, for bringing those into my life who could help me develop my gifts, and for allowing me to use them for Your glory.  Show me more, Father!

 

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

1 Peter 4:1-7 The Rest Of Our Time

This section tells us God's words for what we are to do with the rest of our time, my commentary says.

We are to have a militant attitude toward sin.  "Our attitudes are weapons, and weak or wrong attitudes will lead us to defeat."

Think of what sin did to Jesus.  "He had to suffer because of sin.  How can we enjoy that which made Jesus suffer and die on the cross?"

Enjoy the will of God.  "If we do the will of God, then we will invest the rest of our time in that which is lasting and satisfying, but if we give in to the world around us, we will waste the rest of our time and regret it when we stand before Jesus."

Remember what you were before you met Christ.  "We must be patient toward the lost, even though we do not agree with their lifestyles or participate in their sins.  After all, unsaved people are blind to spiritual truth."

Father, remind me every day about these things so I will keep myself humble before You and thankful for what You have done for me!

 

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

1 Peter 3:18-22 The Most Difficult Verses in the Bible?

For just five verses, my commentary produced THREE whole pages of information, saying these were some of the most difficult Bible verses to get Christians to agree on.  It wasn't until I reached the last page that I felt God had something definite to show me.  It's entitled "The Ministry of Christians Today."

Here are the main lessons it says Peter was showing:

1)  "Christians must expect opposition.  As the coming of Christ draws near, our well-doing will incite the anger and attacks of godless people.

 2)  Christians must serve God by faith and not trust in results.  Jesus appeared a total failure when He died on the cross, yet His death was the supreme victory.

3)  We can be encouraged because we are identified with Christ's victory.  It is baptism of the Spirit that identifies us with Christ and this is pictured in water baptism.

4)  Our baptism is important.  It identifies us with Christ and gives witness that we have broken with the old life and will, by His help, live a new life.  It is a pledge to God that we shall obey Him.

5)  Jesus Christ is the only Savior, and the lost world needs to hear the Gospel.  Hebrews 9:27 makes it clear that death ends the opportunity for salvation ... people are dying who have never even heard the good news of salvation, let alone had the opportunity to reject it."  What we do believe should motivate us to want to share this.

Father, thank You for boiling it all down for me.

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

1 Peter 3:7-12 Our Love For Others Should Reflect Jesus' Love

Peter had certainly witnessed firsthand Jesus' love for him.  Jesus had been incredibly patient with him.  Our love for others should reflect that same kind of love, not that we love them more, but so that the world will have no reason to doubt God's love.

This love is evidenced, it says, by several things:

1)  unity of mind (not uniformity) -- meaning cooperation in the midst of diversity

2)  compassion -- a sincere feeling for the needs of others

3)  tenderness of heart toward others -- pitying their condition

4)  love for our enemies -- "We must operate on the basis of mercy, for that is the way God deals with us."

So what about the persecutions we face even today?  "The persecutions we experience on earth today only add to our blessed inheritance of glory in heaven someday.  The news of impending persecution should not cause a believer to give up on life.  What may appear to be bad days to the world can be good days for a Christian."

Father, there have been a lot of bad days lately.  Help me not to wreck my Christian witness in the midst of them, but instead, help me to endure it all for Your glory.

 

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford