SPIRITUAL DIARY
Date: 12-16-03
My Worship Time Focus: Love the brethren
Bible Reading &
Meditation Reference: 1Peter 1:22-25
Message of the
verse:
22 Since you have purified your souls in obeying
the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another
fervently with a pure heart, 23 having
been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of
God which lives and abides forever,
24 ¶ because "All flesh is as grass, And all
the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, And its
flower falls away, 25 But the
word of the LORD endures forever." Now this is the word which by the
gospel was preached to you.” (NKJV) “22
Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you
have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the
heart. 23 For you have been born again, not of
perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of
God. 24 ¶ For, "All men are like grass, and all
their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers
fall, 25 but the word of the Lord stands
for ever." And this is the word that was preached to you.” (NIV)
This section begins a new chapter in Dr. Wiersbe’s book
on 1Peter, “Be Hopeful.” He entitles
this chapter “Christian Togetherness,” and goes on in his introduction of the chapter to write that
this section in 1Peter 1:22-2:10 speaks about spiritual unity because it
presents four vivid pictures of the church.
The first picture is entitled, “We are children in the same family
(1:22-2:3). This section I am dealing
with today is 1:22-25, and is subtitled “We Have Experienced The Same Birth.”
Peter is saying that because we have all experienced the
same birth we should then have fervent love for all of the brothers with a
clean heart. (V22) The reason we have a
pure heart is because it has been given to us at the new birth, and that new
birth was purchased “not of corruptible seed, but incorruptible, through the
Word of God which lives and abides forever.”
Jesus Christ is the Word, as described in John’s gospel. Hebrews 4:12 also speaks of God’s Word being
alive, “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any
twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and
of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the
heart.” I believe that Peter is
describing our first birth, which is of the flesh, in verses 24 & 25.
Peter is quoting Isaiah 40:6-8 in these two verses. If we compare our old self with the grass and
the flowers we see that it does not last very long, but if we have been
born-again through the Word of God and the Spirit of God then we will have
everlasting life. Peter then tells his
readers that this is the Word that has been preached to them, and not only
them, but also all who have been born-again.
Spiritual meaning for my life today: I
believe that God is speaking to my heart about the love that I, as a believer,
have for other believers. I am speaking
about the trial that God has sent to our church, and how easy it is to be upset
with the people in our church who do not agree with me about how this trial
should be handled. God’s love never
fails, and as a believer I have experienced that love in my life, and so even
though I am very upset with some of the deacons in our church I am to speak the
truth in love: “Ephesians 4:15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to
grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ.”
The Word of God was
convicting to me as I read it this morning.
My Steps of Faith
Today: Continue to trust the Lord for the salvation
of Valerie and Mike. Trust the Lord to
give me wisdom to say the things that He would have me to say at our Bible
Study this evening.
Memory verse: 1John 1:9
9. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and
just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
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