Spiritual Growth (1 Peter 2:1-3)

SPIRITUAL DIARY

                                                                                                            Date:  12-17-03

My Worship Time                                                     Focus:  Spiritual Growth

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                Reference:  1Peter 2:1-3

             Message of the verse:  “1 ¶  Therefore, putting aside all malice and all guile and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, 2  like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the word, that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, 3  if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.”  (NASB)  “1 ¶  Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.  2  Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3  now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.”  (NIV)

            Peter is letting his readers know what the need to do in order to grow in the Lord.  He writes that the first thing they must do is to get rid of some things.  Malice is used 11 times in the NT, and it indicates that wickedness comes from inside of a person.  Paul uses this word in Romans 1:29; Ephesians 4:31; and Titus 3:3.  Peter says that believers are to lay aside these sinful things in order for the believer to begin to grow.  Believers must keep a short account with the Lord in order to grow.  After doing this the believer is to get into the Word of God, they are to be like a baby who craves milk, but there is more than just milk in the Word of God, for there is strong meat, bread, and honey.  As the believer grows he will want more that just the milk of the Word of God.  Peter says that the Word of God will cause us to grow in “respect to salvation.”  Salvation is more than what happens to the believer when he is first born-again, it is becoming in practice what we are in position.  We are righteous, we are becoming more righteous, we are holy, and we are becoming more holy.  Verse three goes on to say that since believers have tasted that the Lord is good we want to continue in that process of spiritual growth.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I have heard it said that a believer is either going forward in his walk with the Lord, or he is going backwards, and I really think that this is a true statement.  By the grace of God I choose to continue to grow in grace in the knowledge or my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to Him be glory both now and forever.  Amen.

The Word of God was refreshing and challenging to my heart as I studied it this morning.

My Steps of Faith Today:  There are a number of thing that I need to get done today, and I surely need the wisdom of the Lord in order to get them done.  The Christmas letter needs to be sent out, for in it tells of the goodness and faithfulness of God, the Christmas cards need to be made out, and I need to get Dave & Callie’s present bought.  I also need to work on my lesson for Fridays Bible Study.  I realize that I need the presence, wisdom and power of my Lord to accomplish these tasks.

Memory verse for the week:  1Corthians 10:13

            13.  No temptation has overtake you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it.

           

Love The Brethren (1 Peter 1:22-25)

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.  

Christ's Coming was Foreknown (1 Peter 1:20-21)

SPIRITUAL DIARY

                                                                                                            Date:  12-15-03

My Worship Time                                          Focus:  Christ’s coming was foreknown

Bible Reading & Meditation                         Reference:  1Peter 1:20,21

            Message of the verse:  “20  For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you 21  who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.”  (NASB)  “20  God chose him for this purpose long before the world began, but now in these final days, he was sent to the earth for all to see. And he did this for you.  21  Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And because God raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory, your faith and hope can be placed confidently in God.”  (NLT)

            Peter continues to address to his readers on the cost of our salvation and tells them that all of this was planned in eternity past, even before Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, but it has now appeared in these last times.  (The last times are from the first coming of Christ to the second coming of Christ.)  It is Jesus Christ who has appeared and it is He who has made possible this salvation.  Peter tells his readers that this was done for you.  In verse 21 Peter goes on to tell his readers that they are believer in God through Jesus Christ, and it is God who raised Jesus Christ from the dead and then He was returned to His rightful seat at the right hand of God who gave Him glory for what He had accomplished.  While upon the earth the glory of Jesus Christ was hidden, but when He took Peter, James, and John up on the mountain His glory was revealed.  When Jesus was praying as recorded in John 17, He prays that the glory He had before He came to earth would be mad manifest when He returned to His Father.  Peter concludes verse 21 by writing about how the believer’s hope should be in God because of this great salvation given to them through Christ, whom had been raised from the dead.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I would like to say that Jesus Christ did not have to come to earth and suffer and die for me or for anyone else, but that it was because of His love for us that He did it.  I know that one of the problems that sin cause in my life is that of being selfish, and wanting things my way, and also thinking that because of being human that I have rights and privileges.  This is not true, for it is only because of God grace, mercy, and love that I have been born-again, and now have a new nature which always wants to do right, but I still have that old nature that never wants to do anything right.

The Word of God did bring refreshment to my heart today as I read it, and it also has brought conviction as I thought about it today.

My Steps of Faith Today:   I want to have a more conscience effort in worshiping the Lord each day.  Trust the Lord to show me more of Himself in the Scriptures so that I will know Him better.  Trust the Lord to bring conviction and salvation to Valerie and her husband Mike. 

Memory verse for the week:  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.  

Redemption (1 Peter 1:18-19)

SPIRITUAL DIARY

                                                                                                            Date:  12-12-03

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  Redemption

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  1Peter 1:18-19

Message of the verse:  “18 knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, 19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.”  (NASB)  “18 For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver.  19 He paid for you with the precious lifeblood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.  (NLT)

            First I want to tie this verse in with verse 17, which said at the end that believers were to conduct themselves with reverent fear during their short time upon the earth, and now Peter gives a reason why this should be done in verse 18.  He reminds the believer how he had been saved, at what cost it took to redeem them, and that was not gold or silver, but the precious blood of the Lamb of God.  He also reminds them of what path they were following before salvation in verse 18.  Isaac asked this question in Genesis 22:7, “And Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, "My father!" And he said, "Here I am, my son." And he said, ‘Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?’”  John the Baptizer answered it when he said, “The next day he *saw Jesus coming to him, and *said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’”

            It is also good to be reminded that when believers take communion that they are to look back at the time when Jesus paid the penalty for sin and then also look forward to when He is coming back to take the believer to heaven with Him.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  The more I learn about what true worship is the more I can see that it is what everything else flows our of.  Every aspect of the Christian life involves, or at least, should involve worship.  I am reminded from these verses of the cost of my salvation and because of the kind of a person that I am, or at least used to be, I did not let this truth get hold of me in the way that it should have because I merely thought that was what was suppose to happen.  Hopefully I do know better know, and when I look at and think about this truth I can give praise and adoration to my wonderful Savior, and worship the Lamb who was slain.

The Word of God brought conviction to my heart as I read it this morning.

My Steps of Faith Today:  To trust the Lord that He will bring to Sandy’s Christmas tea those He wants there, and to trust Him that He will work a miracle in the lives of those who attend.  I want to again pray, and trust the Lord to give Pat wisdom from above as she presents the wonderful story of redemption this evening.  I want to again express how heavy the Lord has lain upon my heart Valerie Martin.

Memory verse for the week:  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.