In His Service

                                          Our Faith, Hope and Holy Lives are in God 1 Peter 1:13-21 Peter stated, for the saints to have “ minds that are alert and fully sober” It is an admonition for today saints as well. As I ponder this lesson, I am alerted to all that I have seen lately in our world. The push to take an emergency vaccine, even if it has severe side-effects. The political prophets on social media and corporate owned news services are warning of the coming doom of earth because of a perceived global warming. The rebellious groups who have taken to every large city of our country with vengeance, rioting, and protesting to a perceived injustice against authorities, whether police, military, or political authority. And continual removal and censorship of history and God from institutions of government, learning and literature. Peter understood al...

                                          The Voices of the Grace of God 1 Peter 1: 9-12  There are many voices in our world, and many are calling for attention. Many are based on the tongue of the enemy of God, but there is one voice that speaks to the heart of those whose ears are open to hear the voice of truth and grace, the Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament, the prophets of God were elected and called of God to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit. And they wrote down exactly what the Holy Spirit spoke, whether it was guidance, judgment, exhortations, or revelations of the things to come in the last days. They also spoke of God’s grace and of the Lord who brings salvation by grace to all. It was these prophets that Peter alluded to in the following text - “ Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched...

                                                    While Waiting for the Revealing 1 Peter 1:3-9 Sometimes I don’t like to wait. I am driven to get from point A to point B. But many times, in the small intervening periods of waiting, there is a lesson to be learned. The ten seconds at a stop sign, or a minute at a stop light. God will get my attention on the direction in my life He wants me to think about or go. God had given Peter instructions on what would happen before the revealing of Jesus Christ in the last times: Praising the Father for the new birth and living hope in Christ, consider the inheritance we have in Christ, the genuineness of our faith through grief and suffering in Christ, and being filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy because of our salvation through Christ. Peter certainly had many of these waiting p...

  Chosen, Sanctified, and Obedient 1 Peter 1:1-2 “God’s elect who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood. Grace and peace be yours in abundance.” Strange thing about elections in our country, we only get to choose between people of varying character who have been preselected by a political party, and promoted by the media, campaign funding, and philosophical and sociological bent. In Peter’s day, there were really no elections for government rulers, but appointments by the rich and privileged. Peter later learned that God’s election was totally different. No one runs for a position, God alone has the right to select: sovereignly, unconditionally and independently by His grace, His unmerited favor.  Peter in writing this first letter to the scattered believers throughout Asia Minor. He understood the grace behind the election by God. He remembe...

  The Passion of Christ A Resurrection Devotion As I remember the graphic rendition of the passion week in Mel Gibson's movie of the same name, I was drawn to the meaning of passion. It means the suffering. I know that many have seen the movie and have come out subdued by the suffering portrayed. Let’s look at the scripture of the passion week, and the suffering of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. First, the triumphant entrance. Jesus is riding on a donkey’s colt, symbolic and prophetic of the coming king of Israel. (2 Kings 9:13, Zech. 9:9) As Jesus comes by the Mount of Olives, the people are taking up the chant, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord.” “Hosanna, Hosanna, “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest! ” It seems that they were celebrating Jesus, but these same people would come a week later and yell “Crucify Him” Jesus begins to weep as He see Jerusalem and all the people, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace...