As we read our text this morning, see if you can identify the five ways Peter describes persecution. Read 1 Peter 4:12-19. Did you find all five? (v.12, 13, 14, 16, 19). In this section, God gives six commands to persecuted Christians. Those commands were to help persecuted Christians endure trials and to bring honour […]
The website called “deathclock.com” estimates when a person may die based on statistics. Though I know that God is in control of life and death, seeing the statistical average lifespan for a person like myself made me stop and think about the time I have left on earth. Not only is life short, but the […]
If you ask children what they want to do when they grow up, most of the time they want to be something great. I have never heard a child say that he wants to be a servant. Self-esteem is strongly promoted today. Kids are taught to think they are great superstars. They long to wear […]
In “The Encourager,” Charles Mylander writes, “Sunrise was dawning when Los Angeles motorcycle police officer Bob Vernon saw a red [ute] pickup truck speed through a stop sign. This guy must be late to work, he thought to himself. He turned on his emergency lights and radioed that he was in pursuit. The pickup pulled […]
Peter and the Christians to whom he was writing lived in a time of cruel persecution. Living for Christ was not easy. Many of those who identified with Jesus lost their possessions, their comforts, their freedom, and often their lives. In the previous section, God told us that if we suffer it should be for […]
On July 19, AD 64, shortly after the time of Peter’s writing of this book, Rome burned. Nero falsely accused the Christians of starting the fire. Historian Thomas Armitage reports, “Many were seized as victims, were enwrapped in oil or pitch; Rome was invited to the imperial gardens, and crowds gloated their eyes on the […]
Sadly, many people hate life. They are miserable and unhappy. That is not what God wants. God assures us that if we desire to love life and see good days, we can. Those who obey God can love life and see good days. The thing that makes life unhappy is sin. We cannot always control […]
The latch of the back door on my van was getting very difficult to open so a couple of weeks ago I oiled it. Now it opens much easier. This lubrication principle is also true of our relationships. The word “finally” in 1 Peter 3:8 marks the close of a section on relationships that began […]
God designed marriage to be the most enjoyable, fulfilling, happy union known to mankind. He said that marriage is to be a picture of a Christian’s relationship with Christ. Being a married should not be a pain but a pleasure. It should not be a burden but a blessing. Every marriage can enjoy this happiness […]
Down south near Dwellingup there is a one-lane bridge. Before the bridge there is a Give Way sign. If another car is crossing the bridge, your car must give way. There is not room for two cars at once. Peter mentions the “Give Way” principle several times in his first epistle. In 1Pe 2:13, he […]