257th Week, I Peter Chapter 5 & II Peter Intro - Chapter 3 (Click on Title for Video Introduction)

 Click on Title for Video Intro

Monday, I Peter Chapter 5

I Peter 5

Verse 5

Jeanie Boldt 

Verse 5:  All of you clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." 

THOUGHT

Nine years ago I was a very judgmental Christian. I would look at people whose lives were messed up and troubled and wanted just to say, "Get it together." Well once upon a time, I woke up in a mess. It was at that moment that the Lord brought humility into my life and judgment of others out. I found out soon that I had to give it all to the Lord and trust as I had never done before. There is not one soul that is so important or strong that he cannot be humbled. 

I thank the Lord for the life I came from. I never really had to experience a lot of strife in my life except for a few years. Now being married to a gentleman that lived in strife most of his life, I have come to understand that people living with hurt, pain, and turmoil don't ask for it. It is one’s timing and one's location. We must remember that we are all special in God's sight, and there is not ONE thing that we have done that He would not forgive us for and be concerned about. 

Let's all practice humility today. Think of others before ourselves. Remember that God's recognition counts more than human praise. Give today completely to HIM. Trust Him. Don't submit to circumstances but to the Lord who controls circumstances. 

PRAYER 

Heavenly Father, thank You for breaking me and all the rest of the Salt Shakers who have had to TRUST in You completely. The pain IS hard, but the reward is wonderful. Thank You for humility. May we think of others always before ourselves and may we think of YOU before others. We know that we will have struggles with the remaining years here on earth, but if we continually submit to You, we will survive the right way. That way is ‘IN YOUR WILL AND WAY’ with grace and mercy. Now, help us not to stumble but to BE HUMBLE. AMEN 

Salt Shakers, when we let God's Word seep into our lives little by little....it nourishes us and becomes a part of us. Doesn't it feel good? 

Tuesday, II Peter Introduction

II Peter 

Introduction

Jeanie Boldt

 

INTRODUCTION THOUGHT

When Peter wrote this book, the apostle was conscious that death was near and that the church was in danger. False teachers were creeping in. He urged the believers to hold to the precious Word and grow spiritually. He wants us to identify and shun false teachers. He wants us to keep the promise of Christ’s return uppermost in our hearts. He stresses the importance of spiritual knowledge that comes from God's Word. This book that we will read is a letter of warning. 

PRAYER

Father God, our world is full of false prophets and teachers who claim to have the truth and who clamor for attention and allegiance. Help us to listen carefully to Peter's message and heed his warning. May we be determined to grow in your knowledge of Christ and reflect all those who preach anything inconsistent with God's Word. May we take a STAND and be SALT SHAKERS!!! GO TEAM! AMEN 

Wednesday, II Peter Chapter 1

II Peter 1

Verses 5-7

Jane Jones

Verses 5-7:  For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 

THOUGHT

When I was leading the youth group at the Hudson United Methodist Church back in the middle seventies, our 50 member group put on a traveling musical that went around to several churches in Hudson, Waterloo, and Belle Plaine. One of the songs that we did had these words in it (ll Peter 1:5-7). It was an awesome song and grew to be one of my very favorites. These verses in my Bible have been underscored for that very reason. 

Peter lists several faith actions in these verses: learning to know God better, developing perseverance, doing God's will, and loving others. These actions do not come automatically or do we finish one and then start on the next. All of these are a continual part of the Christian life just as these verses lead from one action to another as a continual chain reaction. These actions do not come automatically. It is the power of God and the Holy Spirit that enables us and gives us the responsibility to learn and grow. 

Read through these verses once again. Choose the one action that you are best at and choose the one that needs the most work. I believe my best one is 'goodness' or 'kindness' and the one I need to work at the most is perseverance. I need to become more and more committed in my daily communication with God through Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit leading the way. 

PRAYER

Dear Jesus, we know that the power to grow doesn't come from within us, but from God. Our faith must go beyond what we believe; it must become a dynamic part of all we do. Jesus, please help us with our weaknesses, and may we grow in our confidence with what we feel we are strongest at.  May we all do our part in sharing our faith with others.  May we learn through Peter this week on how we can do that. Thank You for the Bible. We Love You, Jesus. AMEN 

Thursday, II Peter Chapter 2

II Peter 2

Verse 19

Jane Jones 

Verse 19:  They promise them freedom while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him.

THOUGHT

False prophets and teachers tell you only what you want to hear, so they twist Christ's teachings and the words of his apostles around to make you happy. By doing that we fall into a trap of doing what feels good, not what is Christ-like.  

How often do we find this verse true? How often do we find ourselves a slave to whatever controls us? Eating, sleeping, shopping, talking about people, running, walking, decorating, hobbies, children, spouses, etc. It is very easy to get wrapped up in any of these things without even knowing it. Many people believe that freedom means doing anything we want. But no one is ever completely free in that sense. If we refuse to follow God, we will follow our own sinful desires and become enslaved to what our bodies want. By submitting our lives to Christ, we will be free from slavery to sin. 

A lot of my life was spent trying to please everyone and make everyone happy. What a job! Trying to control the feelings of others is utterly impossible. I am trying very hard to release this control and let God be more in control. Please pray for me as I continue to walk in this direction. 

PRAYER

Lord, we pray for the gift of discernment. We pray that we will be better judges of the truth and not live in the danger zone of false teachers. Continue to work in our lives this week, Lord. We give You all the praise and glory for each new day. We Love You, Jesus. AMEN

Friday, II Peter Chapter 3

II Peter 3

Verse 18

Jane Jones

Verse 18:  But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever. Amen.

THOUGHT

In Chapter 3 Peter reminds us that there is hope for growing Christians. He shares with us that we must be ready, for there is a possibility that the day of the Lord may come like a thief in the night.

Have you ever been surprised or unprepared for an event in your life? What were some of the feelings that you experienced? Fear, anxiety, disappointment, excitement, happiness. Let's hope that excitement and happiness are the feelings that we will experience when we face our Lord Jesus Christ. What do you want to be doing when Christ comes? Let's hope we are not spending our time piling up possessions. We need to be focusing on striving to develop Christ-like character. 

If every day we find some way to draw closer to Christ, we will be prepared to stand for truth in any and all circumstances. 

PRAYER

Lord, may we “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever.” AMEN