1 Peter 4 - 6.5.24
Scripture
1 Peter 4:8-11
Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.
Observation
As we have ALL received God’s grace, an unearned gift, we are called to pass that same grace on to those around us. We are ALL called to serve.
Application
“It is an essential understanding to know that God’s grace not only flows to us but through us.”
God’s grace to us is an unearned gift. He doesn’t love us and forgive us because we deserve it. And likewise, we are called to serve others with grace.
At Desert Streams, Serving is for Everyone, is one of our core values. Sometimes, serving is different for each of us, based on our areas of giftedness. There are other types of serving that we should all be doing – praying for others, investing in others, modeling what following Jesus looks like, loving and supporting others, and meeting needs.
Serving benefits others. But it also challenges us and helps us grow and become more like Jesus. In fact, just in preparing this journal entry, I have been challenged TWO separate times to serve and show God’s grace in action!
Will we serve others with the same grace that Jesus shows us?
Prayer
Jesus, thank you for prodding me and teaching me and helping me to grow. I was feeling pretty comfortable in serving, but there is so much more that you want from me. Help me to always listen to your voice.
- Debbie Dunn
1 Peter 3 - 6.4.24
SCRIPTURE: 1 Peter 3:8 - 9
8 Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. 9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.
OBSERVATION:
The prior verses, 1 – 7, are focused on instruction to wives and husbands (which is a great topic too – a must read for all married couples) but this section is about how all Christians are called to handle difficult situations, relationships and harsh treatment.
Peter begins by calling all Christians to be like-minded. The Greek translation of the word “homophron” is to be single-minded or of one mind. Dictionary.com says “having a similar or identical opinion, disposition, etc. To the early church and to even the church of today, we’re all so different yet we’re called, within the fellowship of believers, to have the same perspective, in unity. How can this be accomplished when we might have different opinions or viewpoints? Personally, I can say on one hand it’s easy and on the other it’s tough. The easy way is when I view a fellow Christian or situation as Christ sees it/them. When viewed through my human eyes, the thoughts and opinions can sway in different directions.
Peter goes on to discuss how to handle the sufferings and difficulties that happen from unbelievers (and could also apply in any situation) towards us. We’re charged with not responding to evil with evil or insults with more insults. Our sinful nature can easily go to the “get even” mode or responding back with the same words or actions we’re encountering. It’s so easy to walk down the wrong path when suffering or being insulted or treated in a wrong way. We’re encourage to repay the evil deeds, word, or actions with a blessing. Here’s the sweet part – we inherit a blessing when our response is a blessing to the person doing wrong.
APPLICATION
I think God understands the challenge of being single-minded by taking the instruction a step further by saying we should be “sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.” When showing sympathy, the focus is off the current situation and towards the other person’s situation or thoughts. Maybe the other person has a history on the disagreement, is going through a rough time, maybe was hurt by someone, received bad information or instruction, etc. When being sympathetic towards someone else, we’re actively showing them love, compassion and being humble.
God also knows our sinful human nature. We want to defend ourselves when evil or insults are thrown around. It’s easy to quickly respond back when we’re the victim. We want to fight and make it “right” in our own eyes. But God has a better way! Repaying evil with a blessing will have a profound impact on the other person. Can you imagine the other person receiving a blessing instead of what they might deserve from the evil or insult they are giving out? They might feel convicted, shocked and even curious why you’re not responding in the normal, human way. Isn’t this the exact reason we came to know Jesus? We’re loved and forgiven (given a blessing) when we justly deserve the opposite from our sinful life. Ultimately the person who has done wrong might come to know Jesus because of a kind response. No matter the outcome with the other person, God’s promise to us for handling the wrongs with the right response is “so that you many inherit a blessing.” Praise God for his blessings!
PRAYER
Lord, you created us all as individuals yet we’re one family in you! Help me to always remember to be unified with my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. If there is ever a disagreement or difficulty, help me to sympathize, love, show compassion and humble myself to the other person and before you. Ultimately, I want to be in unity with all believers especially knowing I’ll be spending eternity with them. If anyone (non-believer or believer) shows me any form of evil or insult, help me to shower them in your blessings. I pray any person who is shown blessings comes to know you! Amen
- Mary Oberg
Proverbs 4 - 6.3.24
Scripture
Proverbs 4:23 NIV
“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”
Observation
King Solomon, writer of the book of Proverbs, is comparing and contrasting wisdom to wickedness in this chapter. He is teaching/speaking in the tone of a father to his children. He talks about the importance of pursuing wisdom and the benefits of it, to the downfall and destruction of those who go down the path of wickedness.
Our wise and foolish acts always begin at the heart level. (That’s why in Matthew 5, Jesus would expose the heart of sin, before the outward act, such as when He talks about a heart of hate against a brother/sister is murder or how a heart of lust is adultery.)
Verse 23 says that we must GUARD our heart for EVERYTHING we do flows from it.
Application
The Word of God exposes our hearts. That’s why it’s important to wash our heart and minds with God’s Word everyday.
We live in a day and age where we have access to so much information on TV and especially on social media. It starts to become confusing and hard to discern between right and wrong; real and fake. It’s hard to know what to let into our minds and hearts and what to guard it against. That’s the beauty of the Bible, God’s Word!
Just like Jesus, it never changes (Heb. 13:8), because He was and IS the Word (John 1). It exposes the motives of our hearts (Heb. 4:12). It lights our path (Psalm 119:105). It helps us to discern between good and evil (Heb. 5:14).
Sometimes, we need to say “No” to the crowd or to what’s popular or what our feelings say, (since our heart is deceitful-Jer. 17:9) and allow God’s Word to guide us.
What are we exposing our hearts to that we must eliminate? Have we meditated and washed our minds and hearts with His Word today?
“All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.” -1 Peter 1:24-25
Prayer
Dear Lord,
Help me to guard my heart by keeping complete focus on You and what Your Word says. Thank You that You are the God of order and peace and not confusion or chaos (1 Cor. 14:33). When I begin to lose my way, I pray for discipline to run to You first through prayer and Your Word and to apply what You tell me to do. Make my heart’s desires Yours alone. Amen.
-Michelle Gaddi