Luke 1:25-38

The Birth of Jesus Foretold

26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, 27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. 28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, "Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!"

29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. 30 "Don't be frightened, Mary," the angel told her, "for God has decided to bless you! 31 You will become pregnant and have a son, and you are to name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!"

34 Mary asked the angel, "But how can I have a baby? I am a virgin."

35 The angel replied, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby born to you will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. 36 What's more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she's already in her sixth month. 37 For nothing is impossible with God."

38 Mary responded, "I am the Lord's servant, and I am willing to accept whatever he wants. May everything you have said come true." And then the angel left. (NLT)

 

Nothing is impossible with God. God can do all things. Mary believed God could do anything and He did exactly what He said He would. So then our response should be “I am the Lord’s servant, and I am willing to accept whatever He wants.”

 

2 Peter 3:14-18

14 And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to live a pure and blameless life. And be at peace with God.

15 And remember, the Lord is waiting so that people have time to be saved. This is just as our beloved brother Paul wrote to you with the wisdom God gave him —  16 speaking of these things in all of his letters. Some of his comments are hard to understand, and those who are ignorant and unstable have twisted his letters around to mean something quite different from what he meant, just as they do the other parts of Scripture — and the result is disaster for them.

17 I am warning you ahead of time, dear friends, so that you can watch out and not be carried away by the errors of these wicked people. I don't want you to lose your own secure footing. 18 But grow in the special favor and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

To him be all glory and honor, both now and forevermore. Amen. (NLT)

 

Dear friends live your life unto God in all purity and holiness. Time is running out, but yet God is patiently waiting for more to be saved. Use your time wisely to share your life and the message of Jesus Christ with those around you. Grow deeper in knowledge, understanding, wisdom and faith. Be steadfast and firm in your walk with Christ so that all you do will bring glory and honor to our Savior. God is with you no matter where you are or where you go. Therefore, let your light shine in the darkness so others may also come into the light.

 

Engage the Present – Create the Future – With Jesus Christ

2 Timothy 2:1-6

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. As you make your requests, plead for God's mercy upon them, and give thanks. 2 Pray this way for kings and all others who are in authority, so that we can live in peace and quietness, in godliness and dignity. 3 This is good and pleases God our Savior, 4 for he wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. 5 For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and people. He is the man Christ Jesus. 6 He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message that God gave to the world at the proper time. (NLT)

 

On this day of thanksgiving we need to take the time to pray and to thank God for all He has done for us. Thank Him for His mercy, grace, love, kindness, patience, inheritance, salvation, gifts, those who lead us, those who govern over us, family and especially our spiritual family. We need to pray for those that may not agree with us but when we pray for them pray that God will help them for in this it pleases God but do so with a heart attitude of sincerity. Remember He wants everyone to be saved and everyone to understand the truth.  For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and people. He is the man Christ Jesus.  He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message that God gave to the world at the proper time and this is the message we are to be thankful for and to share with everyone.

 

Happy Thanksgiving to All

                                                                  

2 Peter 3:10-13

10 But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and everything in them will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be exposed to judgment.  

11 Since everything around us is going to melt away, what holy, godly lives you should be living! 12 You should look forward to that day and hurry it along — the day when God will set the heavens on fire and the elements will melt away in the flames. 13 But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world where everyone is right with God. (NLT)

 

Based on the verses above we need to be focusing on living holy and godly lives. The day of the Lord is coming and we need to be about our Fathers business. We are not to forget about the day our Lord and Savior will return but looking forward to His coming and to look forward to the new heavens and new earth. Praise God who has promised these things to us.

 

Engage the Present – Create the Future – With Jesus Christ

2 Peter 3:5-9

5 They deliberately forget that God made the heavens by the word of his command, and he brought the earth up from the water and surrounded it with water. 6 Then he used the water to destroy the world with a mighty flood. 7 And God has also commanded that the heavens and the earth will be consumed by fire on the day of judgment, when ungodly people will perish.

8 But you must not forget, dear friends, that a day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. 9 The Lord isn't really being slow about his promise to return, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to perish, so he is giving more time for everyone to repent. (NLT)

 

The Lord is never slow about anything He does. His timing is always perfect. It is we who are not perfect and it is we who need to learn to be patient as the Lord is patient. God is giving as much time as He can so that people can be saved. He cares about every single person that He has created and God tells us to do the same thing. As we grow in Christ we should be growing in our care for other people. If not, then we need to examine ourselves to see what it is that is causing us not to love as Jesus loves. Love needs to the driving force within our life. God is driven by His love for us and that is why Jesus came and died for us. God tells us “Love as I have loved you” and “Forgive as I have forgiven you” and “Be Holy for I am Holy.” Let God be the master of your life and obey as Jesus obeyed the Father.

 

Engage the Present – Create the Future – With Jesus Christ

2 Peter 3:1-4

This is my second letter to you, dear friends, and in both of them I have tried to stimulate your wholesome thinking and refresh your memory. 2 I want you to remember and understand what the holy prophets said long ago and what our Lord and Savior commanded through your apostles.

3 First, I want to remind you that in the last days there will be scoffers who will laugh at the truth and do every evil thing they desire. 4 This will be their argument: "Jesus promised to come back, did he? Then where is he? Why, as far back as anyone can remember, everything has remained exactly the same since the world was first created." (NLT)

 

Peter wants to remind us that Jesus is coming. He is not slow about what He is doing but it is all planned out ahead of time. Remember it is not your plan, it is God the Father's plan and it will come about in His timing.  It may come in our life time, but if it does not we are not to stop sharing the gospel.

Peter also wants to remind us that as time goes on scoffers will come and they always do. But we are not to listen to them but to continue to love as God loves. We are to endure to the end. As chapter two indicated in the end they will receive their reward, but we are to continue to obey what the Lord Jesus Christ has told us and instructed us to do. The harvest is ready and we need to be about the Father's business in sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.

 

2 Peter 1:1-22

The Danger of False Teachers

But there were also false prophets in Israel, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly teach their destructive heresies about God and even turn against their Master who bought them. Theirs will be a swift and terrible end. 2 Many will follow their evil teaching and shameful immorality. And because of them, Christ and his true way will be slandered. 3 In their greed they will make up clever lies to get hold of your money. But God condemned them long ago, and their destruction is on the way.

4 For God did not spare even the angels when they sinned; he threw them into hell, in gloomy caves and darkness until the judgment day. 5 And God did not spare the ancient world — except for Noah and his family of seven. Noah warned the world of God's righteous judgment. Then God destroyed the whole world of ungodly people with a vast flood. 6 Later, he turned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into heaps of ashes and swept them off the face of the earth. He made them an example of what will happen to ungodly people. 7 But at the same time, God rescued Lot out of Sodom because he was a good man who was sick of all the immorality and wickedness around him. 8 Yes, he was a righteous man who was distressed by the wickedness he saw and heard day after day.

9 So you see, the Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their trials, even while punishing the wicked right up until the day of judgment. 10 He is especially hard on those who follow their own evil, lustful desires and who despise authority. These people are proud and arrogant, daring even to scoff at the glorious ones without so much as trembling. 11 But the angels, even though they are far greater in power and strength than these false teachers, never speak out disrespectfully against the glorious ones.

12 These false teachers are like unthinking animals, creatures of instinct, who are born to be caught and killed. They laugh at the terrifying powers they know so little about, and they will be destroyed along with them. 13 Their destruction is their reward for the harm they have done. They love to indulge in evil pleasures in broad daylight. They are a disgrace and a stain among you. They revel in deceitfulness while they feast with you. 14 They commit adultery with their eyes, and their lust is never satisfied. They make a game of luring unstable people into sin. They train themselves to be greedy; they are doomed and cursed. 15 They have wandered off the right road and followed the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved to earn money by doing wrong. 16 But Balaam was stopped from his mad course when his donkey rebuked him with a human voice.

17 These people are as useless as dried-up springs of water or as clouds blown away by the wind — promising much and delivering nothing. They are doomed to blackest darkness. 18 They brag about themselves with empty, foolish boasting. With lustful desire as their bait, they lure back into sin those who have just escaped from such wicked living. 19 They promise freedom, but they themselves are slaves to sin and corruption. For you are a slave to whatever controls you. 20 And when people escape from the wicked ways of the world by learning about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and then get tangled up with sin and become its slave again, they are worse off than before. 21 It would be better if they had never known the right way to live than to know it and then reject the holy commandments that were given to them. 22 They make these proverbs come true: "A dog returns to its vomit," and "A washed pig returns to the mud." (NLT)

 

The Scripture this week is long but it all fits together. The ungodly and the false teachers will all get their reward in the end at judgment. They live among us so you need to let the Holy Spirit show you God’s path for you. Let us take this as a warning that we need to be careful in what we teach so study the word carefully, spend much time in prayer, let the Holy Spirit lead you and give all the glory to God. Follow Jesus’ example in all that you do.

 

Engage the Present – Create the Future – With Jesus Christ

2 Peter 1:16-21

Paying attention to Scripture

16 For we were not making up clever stories when we told you about the power of our Lord Jesus Christ and his coming again. We have seen his majestic splendor with our own eyes. 17 And he received honor and glory from God the Father when God's glorious, majestic voice called down from heaven, "This is my beloved Son; I am fully pleased with him." 18 We ourselves heard the voice when we were there with him on the holy mountain.

19 Because of that, we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. Pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a light shining in a dark place — until the day Christ appears and his brilliant light shines in your hearts.   20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophets themselves   21 or because they wanted to prophesy. It was the Holy Spirit who moved the prophets to speak from God. (NLT)

 

Pay close attention to the Word for it is a light that shines into your being. It will guide you through this life until the return of Jesus. Remember that the scriptures are from the Holy Spirit and that it was the Holy Spirit who moved the prophets to speak from God. Therefore be careful as you read, understand the words and take them to heart.

 

Engage the Present – Create the Future – With Jesus Christ

2 Peter 1:12-15

Paying attention to Scripture

12 I plan to keep on reminding you of these things — even though you already know them and are standing firm in the truth. 13 Yes, I believe I should keep on reminding you of these things as long as I live. 14 But the Lord Jesus Christ has shown me that my days here on earth are numbered and I am soon to die.   15 So I will work hard to make these things clear to you. I want you to remember them long after I am gone. (NLT)

 

It is always good to go back to the basics from time to time. Peter near the end of his life wanted to remind them as well as us that we need to continue to work hard for the Lord Jesus Christ to His praise and glory. We need to have moral excellence, self-control, patience, godliness and love within our lives. We need to continue improving these skills so that they become second nature to us. Peter calls us to remember these things so that we can continue to grow in Christ. Never give up and never give in to the world but continue in your walk with Jesus so that these things can be seen in you.

 

Engage the Present – Create the Future – With Jesus Christ

Words of Encouragement

                                                                   

2 Peter 1:5-11

Growing in the Knowledge of God

5 So make every effort to apply the benefits of these promises to your life. Then your faith will produce a life of moral excellence. A life of moral excellence leads to knowing God better.  6 Knowing God leads to self-control. Self-control leads to patient endurance, and patient endurance leads to godliness. 7 Godliness leads to love for other Christians, and finally you will grow to have genuine love for everyone. 8 The more you grow like this, the more you will become productive and useful in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But those who fail to develop these virtues are blind or, at least, very shortsighted. They have already forgotten that God has cleansed them from their old life of sin. 10 So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Doing this, you will never stumble or fall away. 11 And God will open wide the gates of heaven for you to enter into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (NLT)

 

Work Hard! God wants you to work hard for Him and for yourself. Apply the things that God has written in His word. Love as God Loves, be Holy as God is Holy. You may not be perfect, but you need to do your best because Jesus gave His best for you. Remember that you are in a process moving forward toward a goal; toward a higher calling for you have been called to be a child of the living God. Seek God and He will open wide the gates of heaven for you to enter into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Let God do His work in you and through you to His glory and honor. Trust Christ and you will never stumble or fall away. So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen.

 

Engage the Present – Create the Future – With Jesus Christ

2 Peter 1:5-9

Growing in the Knowledge of God

5 So make every effort to apply the benefits of these promises to your life. Then your faith will produce a life of moral excellence. A life of moral excellence leads to knowing God better.  6 Knowing God leads to self-control. Self-control leads to patient endurance, and patient endurance leads to godliness. 7 Godliness leads to love for other Christians, and finally you will grow to have genuine love for everyone. 8 The more you grow like this, the more you will become productive and useful in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But those who fail to develop these virtues are blind or, at least, very shortsighted. They have already forgotten that God has cleansed them from their old life of sin. (NLT)

 

Faith, moral excellence, self-control, patience, endurance, godliness and love, these virtues are what you should be working on and developing in your life. These things lead you closer and closer to Christ. Put your faith in Christ to lead you in this development so that you will be productive in life and go deeper in the knowledge of Christ.

Do not be one who forgets these things and lives only for themselves. Remember what it says about those who do not follow Christ “the blind leading the blind will fall into a pit.” Shortsightedness brings sorrow and pain, for they have forgotten that God has cleansed them from their old life of sin.

Remember that you are now a new creature in Christ and that the old person has passed away.

 

Engage the Present – Create the Future – With Jesus Christ

2 Peter 1:5-7

Growing in the Knowledge of God

5 So make every effort to apply the benefits of these promises to your life. Then your faith will produce a life of moral excellence. A life of moral excellence leads to knowing God better.  6 Knowing God leads to self-control. Self-control leads to patient endurance, and patient endurance leads to godliness. 7 Godliness leads to love for other Christians, and finally you will grow to have genuine love for everyone. (NLT)

 

Knowing God leads to self-control. In truth you cannot control your life because there are just too many variables that you cannot control. The more you try to control your life or even those around you the more out of control things will become. God has given you a free-will and that gives you the freedom to do two things – accept Him or reject Him. By accepting Him you need to allow Him to lead you into self-control and as He leads you into self-control that will then lead you into patient endurance and patient endurance leads to godliness. He will lead you through a progression into that which He created you to be. You cannot get there through your own power; you must trust God and His leading. Ultimately God leads you into unconditional love to love as He loves.

This is a walk with God that leads you into a progression of things, a walk that is a process, a walk that leads you to God's ultimate goal and a walk that is most satisfying. It is not always an easy walk -- if it was then everyone would be doing it. God has called you to this walk with Him because He knows that you can make it all the way with Him.

 

Engage the Present – Create the Future – With Jesus Christ

2 Peter 1:5

Growing in the Knowledge of God

5 So make every effort to apply the benefits of these promises to your life. Then your faith will produce a life of moral excellence. A life of moral excellence leads to knowing God better.  (NLT)

 

Apply this promise to your life daily. God has given you something to do and that is to take His promise and plant it in your life and let it produce fruit in your life. You begin with faith in Christ, as your faith grows it will produce moral excellence. What is moral excellence? Moral excellence is doing that which is right in Gods eyes, standing for what God stands for, doing the things that Christ did and doing them consistently. You are to imitate your heavenly Father as Jesus did, not grudgingly, but from the heart. A life of moral excellence leads to knowing God better.

 

Engage the Present – Create the Future – With Jesus Christ

2 Peter 1:1-2

This letter is from Simon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ.

I am writing to all of you who share the same precious faith we have, faith given to us by Jesus Christ, our God and Savior, who makes us right with God.

2 May God bless you with his special favor and wonderful peace as you come to know Jesus, our God and Lord, better and better. (NLT)

 

Your faith is given to you by Jesus Christ. You have all the faith you need within you. If you feel that your faith is small it is not. Jesus has given you faith that can move mountains all you need to do is believe and trust that He has. God has given us a free-will and He allows us to make choices. You can choose to have strong faith in Christ or you can chose to doubt, it’s your choice. But realize this  -- God has granted you special favor, wonderful peace and the ability to know Jesus on a personal level. You share the same faith that Peter had in Christ. You can know Jesus just as intimately and powerfully as Peter and the other Apostles did. Put your faith in Jesus and get to know Him better and better every day.

 

Engage the Present – Create the Future – With Jesus Christ

2 Peter 1:3-4

Growing in the Knowledge of God

3 As we know Jesus better, his divine power gives us everything we need for living a godly life. He has called us to receive his own glory and goodness! 4 And by that same mighty power, he has given us all of his rich and wonderful promises. He has promised that you will escape the decadence all around you caused by evil desires and that you will share in his divine nature. (NLT)

 

Your blessings or happiness depends a lot on you. The more you know Jesus and the closer you get to Jesus the happier you become. Because it stops being about you and it becomes more about Jesus and what He has done for you and what He is doing through you. He called you to receive His glory and goodness. He called you to receive His mighty power to accomplish His will. He has given you everything you need to succeed all you have to do is to except what He has given you and use it to His glory. He has called you to be a part of His ministry and to share in His divine nature.

 

Engage the Present – Create the Future – With Jesus Christ

                                                                   

1 Peter 5:8-14

8 Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour. 9 Take a firm stand against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.

10 In his kindness God called you to his eternal glory by means of Jesus Christ. After you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation. 11 All power is his forever and ever. Amen.

12 I have written this short letter to you with the help of Silas, whom I consider a faithful brother. My purpose in writing is to encourage you and assure you that the grace of God is with you no matter what happens.

13 Your sister church here in Rome sends you greetings, and so does my son Mark. 14 Greet each other in Christian love. Peace be to all of you who are in Christ. (NLT)

 

It seems sometimes that people have forgotten that Satan is real and that he is roaming the earth looking for victims to destroy. He especially wants to distract Christ followers from their walk with Christ. This is why we need to be careful and watchful of our walk. We need to stand firm in Christ and resist the Devil. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are. Peter has written this letter to encourage us and to remind us to put on the full armor of God and to stand firm on the Word of God and Christ our Savior. All power is his forever and ever. Amen.

 

Engage the Present – Create the Future – With Jesus Christ

1 Peter 5:1-7

And now, a word to you who are elders in the churches. I, too, am an elder and a witness to the sufferings of Christ. And I, too, will share his glory and his honor when he returns. As a fellow elder, this is my appeal to you: 2 Care for the flock of God entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly — not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God. 3 Don't lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your good example. 4 And when the head Shepherd comes, your reward will be a never-ending share in his glory and honor.

5 You younger men, accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, serve each other in humility, for

"God sets himself against the proud, but he shows favor to the humble."

 

You who are elders, who are older, who have walked with Christ longer, lead by example, lead willingly and with much patience. Be eager to serve the Lord, care for others and be a good example. Do not look down on the weak or on those who are struggling in their walk but be patient with them as the Lord was patient with you. Do not let pride be found in you but be humble.

6 So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and in his good time he will honor you. 7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about what happens to you. (NLT)

You who are younger or early in your walk with Christ accept the leadership of those over you, learn from them and give Christ Jesus all the glory.

1 Peter 4:14-19

14 Be happy if you are insulted for being a Christian, for then the glorious Spirit of God will come upon you. 15 If you suffer, however, it must not be for murder, stealing, making trouble, or prying into other people's affairs. 16 But it is no shame to suffer for being a Christian. Praise God for the privilege of being called by his wonderful name! 17 For the time has come for judgment, and it must begin first among God's own children. And if even we Christians must be judged, what terrible fate awaits those who have never believed God's Good News? 18 And

"If the righteous are barely saved,

what chance will the godless and sinners have?"  

19 So if you are suffering according to God's will, keep on doing what is right, and trust yourself to the God who made you, for he will never fail you. (NLT)

 

Be Happy. God never fails. God loves you. God has your best in mind. You are privileged to be called by His wonderful name. Trust yourself to the God who made you. Keep doing what is right. God smiles because of you. Be Happy.

 

Engage the Present – Create the Future – With Jesus Christ

1 Peter 4:12-13

12 Dear friends, don't be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. 13 Instead, be very glad — because these trials will make you partners with Christ in his suffering, and afterward you will have the wonderful joy of sharing his glory when it is displayed to all the world. (NLT)

 

When you suffer for Christ be glad that God counts you worthy to suffer with Christ. When you suffer you must be joyous and happy for Christ is with you in it and it draws attention to Jesus. The lost will ask you “how is it that you are so happy and joyous in this suffering? “ and you will be able to answer because of Jesus Christ. Remember you are partners with Christ in all things.

 

Engage the Present – Create the Future – With Jesus Christ

1 Peter 4:11

11 Are you called to be a speaker? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Are you called to help others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then God will be given glory in everything through Jesus Christ. All glory and power belong to him forever and ever. Amen. (NLT)

 

What are you called to do? Are you called to be a speaker, a teacher, a preacher, an evangelist or something else? Learn what God has called you to do and then do it with all your strength and energy to bring glory to God. God will supply you with everything you need to answer your calling. Then God will be given glory in everything through Jesus Christ. All glory and power belong to him forever and ever. Amen.

 

Engage the Present – Create the Future – With Jesus Christ

1 Peter 4:10

10 God has given gifts to each of you from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Manage them well so that God's generosity can flow through you. (NLT)

 

God has given you a gift a spiritual gift and this gift is to be used to bring glory to God. He wants you to use it so that He can be seen working through you. Manage your gift well and use it to draw people to Christ. God has been very generous to you. Do not use it for yourself, but use it to demonstrate God’s love for everyone.

If you are unsure of what your gift may be spend time in prayer with God and in His word to discover what He wants you to do. He will reveal it to you. Use your gift and allow the Holy Spirit to lead you and to flow through you to the glory of God.

 

Engage the Present – Create the Future – With Jesus Christ

1 Peter 4:4-6

4 Of course, your former friends are very surprised when you no longer join them in the wicked things they do, and they say evil things about you. 5 But just remember that they will have to face God, who will judge everyone, both the living and the dead. 6 That is why the Good News was preached even to those who have died — so that although their bodies were punished with death, they could still live in the spirit as God does. (NLT)

 

Read this verse several times and give glory to God for He is the God of the living. We will live forever with Him and the Lord Jesus Christ forever. Amen.

 

Engage the Present – Create the Future – With Jesus Christ

1 Peter 4:7-9

7 The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers. 8 Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay. (NLT)

 

Each day we come closer to when Christ will return, so we must be about the Fathers business. We must be earnest and disciplined in our prayers as well as the word. Love must be what drives us and flows from our lives. Sharing and caring for others must also be part of our characteristics as Christ followers. What Christ has done for the lost so we must do too.

 

Engage the Present – Create the Future – With Jesus Christ

1 Peter 4:1-3

So then, since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude he had, and be ready to suffer, too. For if you are willing to suffer for Christ, you have decided to stop sinning. 2 And you won't spend the rest of your life chasing after evil desires, but you will be anxious to do the will of God. 3 You have had enough in the past of the evil things that godless people enjoy — their immorality and lust, their feasting and drunkenness and wild parties, and their terrible worship of idols. (NLT)

 

Because Christ has suffered in the flesh, so must we -- but we must have the proper attitude. It must be one of joy and not sadness. For if we show sadness, it profits nothing but when the world sees us suffer with joy and happiness it draws them to Jesus Christ. In so doing you will be anxious and excited to do the will of God and turn from all unrighteousness.

 

 

Engage the Present – Create the Future – With Jesus Christ

1 Peter 3:18

18 Christ also suffered when he died for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners that he might bring us safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit. (NLT)

 

He never sinned, but He died for you and me: the sinners. That is what you call unconditional love. He did not think of Himself, but of you and me. Jesus wants us to come home to be with Him and the Father forever. Lift your voice in praise to God who raised the Lord Jesus Christ up to life in the Spirit and through Him you are raised up with Him to life in the Spirit. Amen.

 

Engage the Present – Create the Future – With Jesus Christ

Words of Encouragement

                                                                   

1 Peter 3:13-17

13 Now, who will want to harm you if you are eager to do good? 14 But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don't be afraid and don't worry. 15 Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if you are asked about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. 16 But you must do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak evil against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ. 17 Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong! (NLT)

 

God can say it so much better. Do good, do what is right in the Lord and follow His word. Continue in obedience and do what is right and God will reward you. Do not be afraid or worry but worship the Lord Jesus Christ with all your heart, mind, soul and strength. Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong! Always be eager to do good.

 

Engage the Present – Create the Future – With Jesus Christ

1 Peter 3:8-12

Finally, all of you should be of one mind, full of sympathy toward each other, loving one another with tender hearts and humble minds. Don't repay evil for evil. Don't retaliate when people say unkind things about you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God wants you to do, and he will bless you for it.  For the Scriptures say,

 

"If you want a happy life and good days,

keep your tongue from speaking evil,

and keep your lips from telling lies.

 Turn away from evil and do good.

Work hard at living in peace with others.

 The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right,

and his ears are open to their prayers.

But the Lord turns his face

against those who do evil." (NLT)

 

Do good, do what God wants you to do and be a blessing to others. Don’t repay others for the wrong they have committed against you but instead pay them back with good and God’s love. Watch what you say, always speak the truth, work hard, be at peace with others and pray. The Lord hears the prayers of those who do what’s right in His sight and blesses them for being a blessing to others.

 

Engage the Present – Create the Future – With Jesus Christ

1 Peter 3:7

7 In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat her with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God's gift of new life. If you don't treat her as you should, your prayers will not be heard. (NLT)

 

As husbands God has a high standard for you to live up to. God wants you to treat your wife as God treats you. Honor your wife, treat her as an equal partner because she is. Be patient, understanding and listen for God has given her to you because he loves you. God created woman from Adam's rib, which is on his side; therefore do not treat your wife as beneath you or above you but she is right alongside you to help on the journey God has for you and her. Treat her as you should, as God intended you to or your prayers will not be heard. Pray with her as a team as one helping the other that God’s blessings will overflow in your life together.

 

Engage the Present – Create the Future – With Jesus Christ

1 Peter 3:3-6

Don't be concerned about the outward beauty that depends on fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should be known for the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God. That is the way the holy women of old made themselves beautiful. They trusted God and accepted the authority of their husbands. For instance, Sarah obeyed her husband, Abraham, when she called him her master. You are her daughters when you do what is right without fear of what your husbands might do. (NLT)

 

God cares about one thing and that is your heart. He cares nothing about outward appearances He only cares about your inward person. A wife is to first trust God and then accepts the authority of her husband. Does this mean she gives up who she is or who God created her to be? No. In Genesis God says “a man shall leave his Mother and Father and cleave unto his wife. The marriage is about how the two become one with each other and with God. Marriage represents the trinity, “God, the husband and the wife,” it represents, “God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit and these three are one.” Putting God first in everything.

 

Engage the Present – Create the Future – With Jesus Christ

1 Peter 3:1-2

In the same way, you wives must accept the authority of your husbands, even those who refuse to accept the Good News. Your godly lives will speak to them better than any words. They will be won over by watching your pure, godly behavior. (NLT)

 

God has order in all He has created. When things are done according to God’s Word and God’s will blessings come in abundance. God has placed the man as the head and the authority of his household. But a husband who does not listen to his wife is foolish and if a wife does not accept her husband’s authority is also foolish. To have peace and harmony in the marriage you must accept the role and position God has placed you in. God’s will done God’s way gets God’s blessing.

When it comes to the gospel, if you have an unbelieving spouse you are not to belittle them or beat them with the Bible or verbally bash them. But instead you must live out the Christian life in front of their eyes so that they may be won over by your godly behavior. This you must do also to your neighbors and co-workers that they may be won over by seeing you living out the gospel of Jesus Christ in front of them. Remember they are watching you to see if you are walking the walk and talking the talk.

 

Engage the Present – Create the Future – With Jesus Christ