Take Root 1st & 2nd Peter - 40 day challange

  Day 20 1 Peter 5:1-3 Therefore, I urge elders among you, as  your  fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ,  and  one who is also a fellow partaker of the glory that is to be revealed:  2  shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion but voluntarily, according to  the will of  God; and not with greed but with eagerness;  3  nor yet as domineering over those assigned to your care, but by proving to be examples to the flock. First, we are called to get in the game…be involved…we should always mind our own business and our brother’s welfare is our business.  If my buddy is headed off a cliff, I need to step in front of him. Not because it is my job, but because I love him. Not so I will gain something but to honor God and save my friend. I am not better than him and he may need to step in front of me tomorrow but that is wha...

  Day 21 1 Peter 5:4-7 4  And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.  5  You younger men, likewise, be subject to  your  elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God is opposed to the proud, but He gives grace to the humble. 6  Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you at the proper time,  7  having cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares about you. Verse 4 finishes up the verses before it with a promise that the Chief Shepherd is coming… Then he transitions into a subject our culture has completely abandoned.   What if we were subject to our elders?   Our society would be incredibly different.   But in our selfishness, we see them as a burden and in so doing miss all the wisdom they possess… We act arrogantly and foolishly because we think we kno...

  Day 22 1 Peter 5:8-11 8  Be of sober  spirit , be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.  9  So resist him, firm in  your  faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brothers and sisters who are in the world.  10  After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen,  and  establish  you .  11  To Him  be  dominion forever and ever. Amen. I always think of a herd of animals when I read this verse.   The wolfs and lions are always looking for a weak animal that has wandered away by itself from the heard. I need to know that if I am in community and deep in God’s word it is much harder for the enemy to attack me. It must be something I...

  Day 23 1 Peter 5:12 12  Through Silvanus, our faithful brother (for so I regard  him ), I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it! Silvanus who is also referred to in the bible as Silas is a great example of a humble man of God.   He is a friend…a comrade that helps things get done. He does not seek attention he is just about the business of the Gospel.   When Paul and Barnabas had a dispute and Barnabas left with John Mark, Silas is the one who joined with Paul on his missionary journey. He endured prison and beatings next to Paul and proved to be a loyal friend. Here we see him joined to Peter as Paul is probably in prison or has been martyred at this point.   The unity between Paul and Peter is seen through the relationship of this man - as well as in Peter’s letters where he refers to Paul’s letters as scripture. (2 Peter 3:16) The passage ends with...

  Day 24 1 Peter 5:13-14 13 She who is in Babylon, chosen together with  you , sends you greetings, and  so does  my son, Mark. 14 Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace be to you all who are in Christ “She” who is in Babylon is most probably a reference to the church in Rome. This letter was addressed to the "elect resident aliens" scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. So here we have a picture of unity that crosses cultural, race, and community boundaries with the implication that it is because we are all “chosen”.   How we all could use this view today.   That we are one in Jesus and should see each other that way regardless of skin color, political views, denomination, or even national affiliations.   Peter audibly tells us to do so.   “Greet everyone with a holy kiss” means to be enthusiast and loving when we see each other. To genuinely love and cherish each other. This refusa...

  Day 25 2 Peter 1:1-4  Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours: 2  Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 3  His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.  4  Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. It really is all about Him. Through Him we received faith. Through knowing Him we have grace and peace in abundance. His power has given us everything we need to live a godly life…and through His promises we escape the corruption of the world. How can we be anything but grateful and long...

  Day 26 2 Peter 1:5-9 5  Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in  your  moral excellence, knowledge,  6  and in  your  knowledge, self-control, and in  your  self-control, perseverance, and in  your  perseverance, godliness,  7  and in  your  godliness, brotherly kindness, and in  your  brotherly kindness, love.  8  For if these  qualities  are yours and are increasing, they do not make you useless nor unproductive in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  9  For the one who lacks these  qualities  is blind  or  short-sighted, having forgotten  his  purification from his former sins.  Because we have escaped corruption, we can build something…diligently pursue moral excellence, grow in knowledge, let that k...