Devotion 5.25.23

1 Peter 5

"6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen."

(I heard a devotional on Tuesday led by Pastor Allan Eckert of Trinity Lutheran San Angelo. Having missed our church service on Sunday, I missed our pastor, Pastor Eric Hiner, speak to this passage in his series based on 1 Peter. Some of what you read today is based on Pastor Eckert's devotion.)

We know that Satan is defeated due to Christ's suffering, death and resurrection, but Satan is like the dog behind a fence that reads "Beware of dog." Looking over that fence, we see a dog chained with limited reach, but we still insist on going into the fenced yard and once inside, finding out why the dog is dangerous. Why?

Peter uses the phrase "sober-minded" three times in his letter. The phrase is essentially at the beginning, middle, and end. He uses it a final time in this passage. Unfortunately, we equate "sober-minded" with "sobriety" which infers absent a state of inebriation. That's not the case here in Peter, and Peter speaks directly to this in verses 6 & 7. Humility is a state of putting God first and casting our anxieties, cares and concerns on Him. Unfortunately, the alternative is worry, and who among us is a "Worry Champion." I get so worried sometimes that I forget what I was actually worried about and worry about that too. Then I remember what it was and resume my worry about that.

What is it that allows something as simple as worry to become a tool of Satan? I can speak from experience that worry leads to David's solution which comes from arrogance thinking my mind can solve the problem it helped create. Arrogance is far from humility and taking matters into my own hands means I'm ignoring God's "mighty hand." You get the idea.

Satan may be a leashed dog in a yard, but sometimes Satan can be disarming and tempt us in ways that look harmless until we realize we are in the snare of a really bad dog.

The commandments are written in an order that places God first. Peter is telling us to humble ourselves at the foot of the cross and to focus on Christ. We have the assurance of our faith no matter what are facing.

What is it you are facing? Unplug today and see how you, and I, can let go and give it to God and ask His Spirit for guidance.

Devotion 5.11.23

1 Peter 2

"20 But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. 21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

22 “He committed no sin,

    and no deceit was found in his mouth.”[a]

23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 24 “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” 25 For “you were like sheep going astray,”[b] but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls."

I love a great baseball or football game, but in order to love a great game of football or baseball, you have to love a great team who knows how to win. I refuse to follow a team by " assignment." Being born in Houston, the Astros have given us some great years of baseball, but many people forget the "bad years." Unlike the nation of Israel, I'm not wandering in the desert with a team simply because some people, deluded in their thinking, believe you stick with them no matter what.

But if I think baseball has had some lean years, I compare the Astros to the Oilers or now the Texans and think that pro football in Houston makes pro baseball look absolutely great. So when I started pulling for Kansas City, people started asking, "Who are you pulling for this year?" (These are the people who probably buy Fords or Chevys because dad and grandpa did.) "I'm pulling for a champion," is my response. Yes, in America, we have choice, and I choose not to follow or buy garbage. I can choose great movies to watch, great shows to view on TV or streaming, great stores or brands to buy, and I can choose great sports' teams. I'm not buying or following losers who are poorly run because of some clause, unwritten in sports, that says you stay with a team for life, not if they don't align with excellence or my values. 

That said, when do I abandon Jesus? Jesus, who gave me examples of great teachings, words to live by and to hear daily, and gave me a path to follow. Jesus who saved me from my wretched self. That Jesus, when do I choose to follow him or not follow him? When I read Peter's list, I realize I abandon him daily. Christ lived as an example in Peter's message, but I daily choose not to follow that example. The example I set for others is I'm no different from non-believers in this world. I live in and of this world with them, not apart from them by example.

Peter reminds us of the example Christ left for us to follow. I pray today and hopefully daily to set myself apart from this world, while remaining in this world, by following Christ's life as an example. When it's not popular to follow Christ or not convenient, I pray I choose Christ.

Devotion 5.1.23

1 Peter 2

9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

There are events in history that are truly "disruptive events." These events are disruptive because they impact a culture, its way of doing or thinking (or both), and are not always loud or explosive. Martin Luther provided one such event over 500 years ago when he nailed the theses to the door of the cathedral in Wittenberg, Germany. What started as a simple desire to dialogue and reform by citing areas to consider for reforms in the church at that time is now referred to as "The Reformation."

After that, an even more subtle but equally significant event occurred in 1522 (the New Testament translated from Latin into German) and 1534 (the full Bible translated into German from Latin). By putting the Bible into the language of the "common man," the world was changed dramatically. Luther again was at the forefront of this. LIke most disruptors in history, Luther was not seeking such a significant role, but rather sought to dialogue with those in power to make the changes for the better through a better understanding of God's Word. Luther coupled the new translation with a new gadget called the "printing press" to supply bibles to many as opposed to few. The impact was dramatic.

For example, today's passage from 1 Peter puts the title of "priesthood" on the reader or hearer of the epistle in Peter's day. This simple passage, as Luther discovered, is declaring that we are the holders of the title of "royal priesthood," able to declare God's Word and the message of Faith Alone, Grace Alone, and Scripture Alone. That is a radical shift in Peter's day and was again in Luther's day.

With these great shifts, though, comes great responsibility. By taking the role of the priesthood, we, as those marked by God to "declare the praises of him who called you (us) out of darkness," have an obligation and responsibility to then share that good news as Peter notes.

Today, unplug and prayerfully consider what that means for each of us as we consider the responsibility of being part of the "royal priesthood of all believers." Consider the impact of such a simple truth, the disruption of that on the status quo in history, and how many have sacrificed to give us such an honor and privilege to be God's chosen people, including His Son, Christ, whose suffering, death and resurrection released us from the bondage of sin, Satan and death.

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