Sayre Woods Bible Church

Meditate on 1 Peter 3:5-6 today…

⁵ For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands, ⁶ as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose daughters you are if you do good and are not afraid with any terror.

Wow, these are two fun verses!

I appreciated Greg’s words yesterday on true beauty. We are such an image-based culture. Outward appearance means so much to us. We work out, diet, buy new clothes, use make-up, primp in the mirror, dye our hair (or try to regrow hair), etc. often in large part to “look good.” Of course, there is nothing spiritual about looking slovenly, unkempt, or haggardly (there’s a word not used very often) but we have to be careful that we don’t prioritize outward appearance to the point of neglecting the true beauty of inward integrity and a godly life.

In our culture (as well as in Peter’s), women in particular were pressured and obsessed with outward appearance. Peter tries to pull them back on focus in this passage. Godly women “adorn themselves” best by being respectful and supportive of their husbands, doing good, and living in security and confidence in God.

The calling your husband “lord” thing certainly wouldn’t go over big in our culture. I’m sure this passage has been used to deride the message of the Bible at some point or another. Of course, they forget how radical the message of Christianity was in a Greco-Roman culture where women/wives were seen as little more than property to a husband. Anyway, I think Peter’s main point is that Sarah showed respect to her husband according to the cultural norms of her day. Respect means so much to a man. Men value strength and need to know that their efforts make a difference. To have a wife that supports you and builds you up is invaluable. Sarah was obviously not a perfect wife…see the Hagar incident…but overall she loved her husband, followed his lead, supported him (even when he said, “Honey, let’s leave Ur and go to some place I’ve never seen before because God spoke to me.”), and built him up with simple verbal encouragement and respect.

It’s amazing to me how much research is now confirming how different men and women are. When Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus first came out, it was considered “revolutionary.” The funny thing is that all it did was confirm the message of the Bible. One of John Gray’s (the author) main points in the book was that “men are motivated and empowered when they feel needed…women are motivated and empowered when they feel cherished.” Wow, there you have the basic message of 1 Peter 3:5-7. Wives, encourage and respect your husbands. Let them know that they are important in your eyes. Men, cherish and care for your wives. Let them know that they are loved more than anything else in your eyes.

Lord, thank You for the practical wisdom of Your Word.

Meditate on 1 Peter 2:24-25 today…

²⁴He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. ²⁵For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

When Jesus was on the cross, He bore my sins. He carried them. Every stubborn, foolish, stupid, selfish thought, decision, and action I have every made was placed on Jesus. He bore them all…all mine, all yours. It is a wild thought. I wasn’t even born yet. My great-great-great-great grandfather wasn’t even thought of yet. But Jesus bore my sins. They are paid for. They are covered. There is, therefore, now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). Wow. I no longer have to live in guilt or fear. My sins…all of them…are forgiven.

Why did Jesus do this? Out of love. To save us from eternal condemnation. And Peter says, “…So that we might die to sins and live for righteousness.” Jesus saved us from sin…not only to give us eternal life but also to free us from the bondage and deception of sin in this life and enable us to live in righteousness.

We are so deceived. Deep down we still think that sin has some good elements to it. It is fun, enticing, exciting. Let the eyes linger a little longer. What’s the harm? Let the thought circulate in the mind a little longer. It doesn’t hurt anyone. We flirt with sin all the time because we have no idea how ugly it is, how deceptive it is, how destructive it is. Jesus says, “Look at my beaten body. Look at my stripes. Look at my pain. Look at my disfigurement. This is what sin does to your soul. Look at me and then live for righteousness.”

Imagine it this way…we were in massive debt. We had creditors everywhere. We had people knocking on our door ready to take everything from us. Every wage we had ever earned or would ever earn was going to a bottomless bucket of debt. We had no hope of escaping the hole. Then a rich relative came to our house one day and, out of love, offered to pay everything off. He sacrificed all he had to pay every one of our creditors off. When he was done, he turned to us and said, “You are totally free from debt. Now go live in freedom.” Only a fool would turn around and go right back to spending recklessly. Only someone who had no idea of the bondage of debt or no sense of the love of the sacrificing relative would take advantage of this situation to selfishly spend more. Instead a wise person, a truly grateful person, a humbled person would deeply love and appreciate the sacrifice of the relative, celebrate the freedom, and live responsibly (avoiding debt) and generously (sharing the blessings that they had received).

That is what Jesus has done for us.

Now that we have returned to the Shepherd, to the Lover and Guardian of our souls, we should no longer seek to go astray.

Thank You, Lord, for the freedom of forgiveness! May I live in gratitude, joy, and generosity today.

Meditate on 1 Peter 2:17 today…

Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.

Four simple commands…yet so hard to live out!

Honor all people. No exceptions. Honor them not because of their actions but because they are made in the image of God. James reminds us that we can’t say we honor God when we regularly blast those who are made in His image. With our tongue we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so (James 3:9-10). Show honor to those you meet today. Everyone of them is created by God, loved by Him, and in need of Jesus Christ.

Love the brotherhood. We honor all people and love those who are fellow believers in Jesus. In Christ, we have a family. We don’t always like our family members but we are called to love them. We are called to be patient…bearing with personality traits that irk us. We are called to be kind…using our words and actions to encourage our brothers and sisters and stir up love and good works in the body of Christ.

Fear God. And then don’t fear anything else! God is the sovereign King of the universe. He is in control. He is the giver of life and the taker of it. He is the judge and the evaluator of hearts. He is the good Shepherd and the loving Father. Trust Him. Follow Him. Worship Him. And put the rest of your fears in His hands.

Honor the king. Even a crazed lunatic like Nero. Whoa. You can’t be serious, Peter? C’mon, aren’t you the same guy who tried to chop the head off a Roman soldier? Yep, but if you fear God and honor all people, then you are also called to honor and respect the king. God knows who He is. He can knock him off his throne any time He wants. He can send him out into the fields to act like a cow for a few years if He wants (just ask Nebuchadnezzar!). So even if you don’t like the leader of the land, honor him for the office he possesses. And pray to God that He works in the leader’s heart to guide it onto the right path.

Lord, I can’t seem to obey any of these commands on a consistent basis. But help me to grow each day. May I show honor today to those I meet. May I show love to a brother or sister that crosses my path. May I fear You and not the anxieties of this world. May I honor Barack Obama and other political leaders even though I do not necessarily trust them or agree with their policies

Read and meditate on 1 Peter 2:13-14

“Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and praise those who do good.”

My son Owen (3 1/2) is now at the age where he knows better than us.  We are no longer in charge.  I know this because every time we ask him to do something he doesn’t want to do, he reminds us that he is in charge.  He then proceeds to order us to do the opposite.  This never ends well for him.

This has actually gone on for a little while now.  It is happening less and less frequently than it used to.  I think he’s understanding the way things actually are.  More than that (he probably understood them a while ago), he’s accepting the fact that this is the way things are and submitting to it.

There is something within us that constantly tries to tell us that we are above the law.  We have rights.  We are entitled.  We don’t like someone else telling us what to do…especially when we know better - which is most of the time (so we think).  Our own way is often much better.  It doesn’t seem like such a big deal to adjust some money on a tax return…especially because the government is so inefficient in handling money.  I’m going to do my work my own way, because my boss is incompetent and doesn’t know what he’s doing.  I’m not going to listen to my parents, because they don’t understand what it’s like to be me.

We have tons of excuses, and can probably recite them all day.  We want to be a part of a church, but don’t want to be a part of the discipline process when we’re wrong.  We want a government to protect us, but we hate when we get a speeding ticket when we drive in a way that can endanger others.  We want a paycheck, but don’t want to do what earns that paycheck.  We have reasons why we think we know better.  Peter says that doesn’t matter.  We are to subject ourselves to every human institution, whether we have confidence in them or not, if they are in authority over us.  This command came during one of the most wicked rules we have seen, specifically toward Christians.  This far surpassed our bosses, governors, and congress.  Yet, Peter was firm that we need to be under the rule that God has placed over us.  Part of our faithfulness to God’s calling on our lives is living an exemplary life, regardless of circumstances (and we see the intended results in the next couple of verses).

Lord, help our lives to be lives of examples and proper submission.  We know that we follow you first and foremost.  May our lives reflect obedience to you, when it is easy and when it is not.  Give us the strength to do both the easy things, and the hard things.

Posted by Adam Wormann

Read and meditate on I Peter 2:9-10 today.

9But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

“You are a chosen people” – Christians are separate from the world. Christians are royalty, holy, and a belonging of the King of Kings.This is not a minor role. It is a role of honor. It reminds me that I count for something. I cannot live my life like I am not testimony for someone greater. I do not live for myself or anyone else around me. I live for Him who chose me.

“Out of darkness into his wonderful light” – Honestly, the dark is somewhat calming to me. It reminds me of rest and relaxation. I think of bedtime when I think of dark. I love bedtime. However, I think God took us from our metaphorical state of spiritual sleep so that we may live in his light awake. We are to live our life deliberately and with purpose. Our world is not a playground; it is a battlefield. In Matthew 10:34, Jesus says that he “did not come to bring peace, but a sword.” It would be wise for me to be alert while holding my sword. It would also be calming to me to remember that his light is wonderful. The imagery of a sword and a battleground may bring about images of death but it is the death of “malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander of every kind” (I Peter 2:1) that brings about true joy.

“Once you were not a people” – Christians have humble roots. We do not come from greatness. We were invited in and washed by the blood of the lamb. We must remember that we deserve nothing. We live in eternal mercy. He demonstrated compassion that we did nothing to receive. When we accept that mercy, we can count ourselves among the people of God. It is because of Him, we are great.

Lord, I have an important role to fulfill with wakefulness. Thank you for giving me exactly what I do not deserve.

Posted by Marian Fontanilla

For this is contained in Scripture: “BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A CHOICE STONE, A PRECIOUS CORNER stone, AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.” This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for those who disbelieve, “THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME THE VERY CORNER stone,” and, “A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE”; for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also appointed. (1 Peter 2:6-8 NASB)

A ‘CHOICE STONE’, A ‘PRECIOUS CORNER STONE’:

CHOICE: by implication meaning favorite

PRECIOUS: meaning “more honorable, precious in reputation”.

For all who believe in HIM (Jesus) will not be disappointed.

Will not be DISAPPOINTED: Literally “will not be put to shame or disgrace” or be made to blush…

This precious value, then, is for YOU who believe!

As we meditate on HIS words today, let us rejoice in “This Precious Value”!

Lord, Thank You!

Posted by Hector Gonzalez

Meditate on 1 Peter 2:4-5 today…

⁴As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— ⁵you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Paul also utilized this analogy in Ephesians 2.

¹⁹ So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. ²⁰ Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. ²¹ We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. ²² Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.

In other words, in God’s eyes, there is no longer a physical temple made out of mortar and brick. Instead God has established a living temple in the world. Jesus, the living Stone, is the cornerstone–the first stone laid and the one that determines the placement of all the other stones. As we come to Him and align our lives with His, then we, along with all other believers, are being built into an active, moving, living temple.

In the OT, people had to travel to the temple. In the NT, the temple travels to them. The temple is alive…in us.

Three thoughts hit me…

1. We must constantly align our lives with Jesus. As a living stone, we can move around. One day we are aligned with Him; the next day we are doing our own thing. Thus, each day we have to look to Jesus, come to Him, seek to pattern our lives after Him. Each morning we have to consciously say, “Lord, help me to keep my eyes fixed on You today.”

2. We must join ourselves to other believers. Together we form a spiritual temple. One brick does not make much of a building. It takes many bricks joined together to make a building. God never intended us to live the spiritual life independent from others. In fact, He purposely made us weak in certain areas to force us to seek out the help of others. When we “go it alone,” we inevitably redefine the Christian life to meet our own personality and thus we miss a vital aspect of the Christ life. I need my brothers and sisters in Christ. And just as I intentionally seek to align my life with Jesus, I must also intentionally seek to connect my life with others in the body of Christ.

3. We are to be a moving temple, touching the lives of others. A living temple is so much more practical than a static one. Spiritual pilgrimages to some holy site are no longer necessary. Instead the “holy site” is to make spiritual pilgrimages to those who need it. Practically that means that I must intentionally seek out opportunities to enter the lives of others. I must enter their world, learn their culture, know their hurts, dreams, desires, and serve them out of love.

The whole spiritual life is summarized in these two verses. Align myself with Jesus. Connect myself with other believers. Move out into the world. Hmmm…sort of sounds like rooted in faith, growing in love, and branching out with hope too.

Lord, it is too easy to drift through life. Forgive me when my focus is only on myself and meeting my own needs. Give me Your eyes and Your heart for the world, for my neighbors. Strengthen the fellowship at SWBC so that we can be a true living, moving, active temple in our community.