The Gift

On my desk when I returned from lunch I discovered a gay yellow wrapped gift with luscious chocolate truffles inside. What is this, I wondered? Lori, the VP of Management, gave me a gift for Administrative Assistant’s week. This sweet gesture was unexpected and certainly undeserved from my perspective, as I support another executive.

Aren’t those the best gifts? The ones we don’t expect and don’t deserve?

Peter tells us: His divine power has freely given to us everything we need for a life of godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called use by His own glory and might by means of which He has freely given to us His precious and splendid promises, so that through them you may escape the corruption that is in the world caused by sinful desire and become partakers of the divine nature. (2 Peter 2:3-4).   

God gives us everything we need, not just for a plain old ordinary life, but to live a life like Jesus did: a god-like, glorious life. We are welcome at Jesus’ table to partake in His nature. I love that word, “partake” like we get to be on His team, be invited to His party. 

This is what God has given to us when we believe in His Son Jesus. The Holy Spirit is freely given to us. It is unexpected and undeserved. It is extravagant and exhaustive. It is everything we need.

And what do we do with such a gift? As for the truffles, I opened them and ate them, of course! Later, I shared some with some of the other women in the office.

Some gifts end up in the back of a closet, or even in the garbage. We lose them, break them, re-gift them.

Like all gifts, God’s Holy Spirit is meant to be used and enjoyed. The Christian life is about just plain ordinary people tapping into the extraordinary power of God. Ordinary people like me. Like you. We don’t try harder to live a godly life. We merely grow closer to God, by staying in relationship with Him by prayer, reading His Word, meeting and worshipping together, serving others together. As we stay close to God, He transforms us.

God wants to transform you too. Have you stayed close enough to Him to let Him? Have you opened your gift?

More on opening your gift, click here.

Read what Peter said yourself: 2 Peter 1:1-11

The True Grace of God

What is the grace of God anyway?

Growing up, I associated “grace” with Mary, the mother of Jesus. “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women...” The repeated prayer convinced me grace was something extraordinary Mary had. She was favored by God, unique, perfect, something I could never live up to.

Later I discovered the Bible revealed Mary was surprised and afraid when the angel Gabriel came to her and announced she would give birth to the Messiah. It was Mary’s cousin Elizabeth who greeted her with those words when she went to visit her for understanding and comfort. While Mary was a good woman of great faith, she was not chosen because she was flawless.

When we accept Jesus as our Savior we all receive this blessing called the “grace of God.” It is a free gift. Like Mary, none of us receive it because we deserve anything from God. Grace is “the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings.” I found this definition on Google just now, so it must be true, right?

Peter gives us a more complete definition of grace.

Peter’s purpose for writing is reveals in this last chapter: I have written to you briefly, encouraging you and testifying that this is the true grace of God. God’s grace is not merely a free gift to us. It is a gift we receive to give to others. Throughout the book Peter explains how to use grace:

• Have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. (1 Peter 1:22)
• Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor. (1 Peter 2:17)
• All of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing (1: Peter 3:8-9)
• Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. (1 Peter 4:8)
• Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. (1 Peter 4:9)
• Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. (1 Peter 4:10)
• Those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good. (1 Peter 4:19)

This is not easy. Therefore Peter reminds us to be diligent and watchful. Be alert and of sober mind, he repeats three times (see 1 Peter 1:13, 4:7, 5:8). As we continue to pay attention and grow in our faith, the Lord will empower us to use the gift of grace He gave us for others. When we stay close to Jesus as we walk through life, the fruit of love will bloom.

Saturday’s sunshine enticed hundreds of people to walk, bike, and lounge under the blossoming trees in Branch Brook Park. The trees were graced with gorgeous flowers, but not for the trees. Everyone nearby enjoyed the beauty. So it should be with our lives. God gives grace to us and surely we are blessed, joyful, to be envied. But it’s not for merely for us. Everyone nearby should enjoy the beauty of God’s grace manifested in our lives.

This is the true grace of God.

If they do not believe

1 Peter Chapters 2 and 3

How do you draw an unbelieving husband towards faith?

This is a question heavy on my heart, not only because it is an issue for many of my friends, but also because it was my concern for years. I came to faith and then waited 18 years for my husband to make a commitment to Christ. During that time, I read and re-read these words from Peter as if he had written them especially for me.

Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.

Note Peter does not recommend a straight-on Evangelical technique. He does not urge wives to share the four spiritual laws or the ABC’s of faith. Peter does not tell us to sign our husbands up for ALPHA or some other spiritual activity. I tried all those things with my husband Al with no immediate success. No, Peter’s advice is to love our husbands by submitting to them.

As we continue to read his letter, Peter is consistent, no matter who he is talking to:

• Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives (1 Peter 3:7)
• Slaves, in reverent fear of God submit yourselves to your masters (1 Peter 2:18)
• Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, or to governors (1 Peter 2:13-14)
• Be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil … repay evil with blessing (1 Peter 3:9)

Submit - be considerate - repay even evil with blessing. Why would Peter say that? What about when the husband is dead wrong? When he is doing something clearly hurtful to his wife or to his children? Surely we are to speak up then? He’s the one who’s the unbeliever! Hello?

No offense, ok, but why are we convinced we are always the one in the right and they are the one who needs to change? Honestly, I am talking to myself here as well. Why can’t we allow them to make their own choices (which they will anyway!) and choose to do right ourselves, no matter what they are doing?

Let me repeat: our response is our responsibility. Are there ways we can serve our man with integrity? Are there areas where we can defer to them and say “I don’t want to but because you want to, I will”? Can we put his needs before our needs? Can we forgive the hurts? Can we consider how he must feel? Can we stop judging him, repeatedly pointing where he is wrong?

Peter pulls out the trump card with the example of Jesus’ life.

Photo by Caroline Pierce

To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His steps... When they hurled their insults at Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats. Instead, He entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly.

Jesus was able to submit to the cross because He trusted God the Father to vindicate Him.

• He did not trust His disciples to stand by Him – they did not.
• He did not trust the religious leaders to give Him a fair trial – they did not.
• He did not trust the Roman governor to see through the schemes of the Jewish leaders and release Him because He was innocent – he did not.
• He did not trust the Roman soldiers to be gentle with Him because He was not rude to them – they did not.

EVERYONE did wrong to Jesus, and not just a little wrong. They betrayed Him, beat Him, spit on Him, mocked Him, and nailed Him to a tree.

Jesus submitted because He trusted God.

Peter invites us to do that too.

Sure, if there are people being hurt, there need to be boundaries. And sure, we are to use words to share the gospel…

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect…

Love people by serving them with humbleness and kindness. Trust God because He’s got this. That is the bottom line. I think this works with not only husbands but also teens, co-workers, neighbors, and extended family members.

“He himself bore our sins” in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness… the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their prayer…

How do we die to sin and live for righteousness? Submit to others. Even our husbands. Even when they can’t be trusted. Because we can trust God.

For how it turned out for me and my husband, click here.

Not my true home

1 Peter 2:11-25

The first thing we saw when we walked in was the fireplace flanked on each side with beautiful wooden bookcases. It was love at first sight and we bought it. Almost 30 years later this remains my favorite place in our house. Al and I love to sit in front of the fireplace in cozy Queen Ann chairs, a cup of tea on the nearby table and a good book in our laps.

As much as we love our house and have tried to make it comfortable for us and welcoming to family and friends, Peter reminds us, this is not our true home.

I love how The Message says it: Friends, this world is not your home, so don’t make yourselves cozy in it. Even better is the ERV: Dear friends, you are like visitors and strangers in this world. So I beg you to keep your lives free from the evil things you want to do, those desires that fight against your true selves.

When we forget that this is not our home, we feel angry when things aren’t fair. When government officials overtax us or the local municipality over-regulates us we grow indignant. By getting caught up in where we live, in trying to make it pleasant for our family, we get distracted from our primary goal as followers of Christ: His Kingdom come. We complain, blame, and sometime cheat, because after all, this is OUR home so we should be able to do as we please.

Peter tells us: For the Lord’s sake, submit to all human authority—whether the king as head of state, or the officials He has appointed. For the king has sent them to punish those who do wrong and to honor those who do right. It is God’s will that your honorable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you.

I think this is easier to do when we remember we are just passing through; it’s not our home anyway. We must respect authority for Christ’s sake, not for the person who is making the laws.

Recently we moved our office and my boss encouraged me to make my mark on the barren dusty desk that greeted me on my first day. So I placed my beloved family photos around and settled in. But don’t be deceived, Peter reminds me, it is not the man in the corner office who I am serving. I am serving Jesus. Like my home, I can get too involved in my work, becoming possessive about it, forcing my ways on others because “my way is better.” I can feel entitled to slander my boss or gossip about co-workers because, after all, this is my job, they are messing up my work and therefore they deserve it.

Even when the boss and co-workers act foolishly or our clients treat us badly, we do not have to act in kind. No matter what the other person does, our response is our responsibility. We can still submit to authority, be respectful and kind even when the other person does not deserve it. Like Jesus we can trust God to work things together for good.

It is not about the person in authority at all! It is all about me and Jesus. I serve, submit and do right for Jesus, because I trust Him. It has nothing to do with what others are doing.

Father, help me take the time to pause and pray before I react, gathering wisdom and strength from You. Allow me to see the other person’s perspective. Free me to serve because You are worthy, You can be trusted and You love me. And I will give You all the glory.

the price of reconciliation

1 Peter 2:1-10

So then, stop doing anything to hurt others. Don’t lie anymore, and stop trying to fool people. Don’t be jealous or say bad things about others.

Sounds simple right? Don’t say bad things about other people. It would be easy -- if I just put duct-tape over my mouth.

Now they are together and they smile.
Later they will talk behind each other's backs.

I find women are drawn to disparage other people. It is natural for us. We bond by talking about relationships. We share our feelings. We empathize and encourage each other. We work things in our hearts and minds by talking. We need to be honest and share about our relationships. We’re just being honest. Right?

Wrong. It’s sin. It is bad to say bad things about others, even if it’s true.

We are called to be living stones, with Christ as a cornerstone. God desires to use us to build a spiritual house. If our words break down relationships with one another, how’s that going to work out?

We are called to be priests, leading others who are far from God towards reconciling with Him. How’s that going to work out when we cannot even reconcile with each other?

Why do we find ourselves having conflicts with our husbands and then talking about that with our girl friend? When our teens disappoint us, why do we call our sister? When the boss irritates us, why do we complain to a co-worker? Is it because we want to resolve the conflict? Hardly. It’s because we want sympathy. We want someone to comfort us and tell us the other person is wrong and we are right. Or is it only me?

Peter tells us “you were saved from that way of living. You were bought, but not with things that ruin like gold or silver. You were bought with the precious blood of Christ’s death.” (1 Peter 1:18-19) Our reconciliation with others is also bought at a price. We pay it with humility and sacrifice. Maybe we need to forgive. Maybe we must muster the courage to confront the person who has hurt us. Whatever the price we have to pay, Jesus paid a higher price.

What do we do when we find ourselves with a friend who is talking badly about others?

• We can say something positive 
• We can change the subject
• We can walk away
• If it is a sister in Christ, we can gently correct and redirect her to the person with whom she needs to reconcile.

To indulge in the conversation and offer only sympathy and reassure them they are right may derail reconciliation and ruin relationships.  Besides, let's face it, what we say about others says more about us than them.

Beloved, it is easy to see this now as I sit alone at my keyboard. Remind me again when I am hurt, disappointed, or frustrated. Remind me You have paid the price for me. Give me the strength to turn away from sins of the tongue. I can’t do it myself obviously! I need Your help. When I am in conflict please give me the courage to talk to the right person and the humility to be kind. I will give You all the glory.

What do you think about Jesus?

Peter was a fisherman when he met Jesus. At first, Peter was merely curious about Jesus, but after He provided a miraculous catch of fish, Peter became a follower. Peter followed Jesus and watched Him heal the sick, lame and blind. He experienced Jesus feeding thousands with a lunch for one. He was there when Jesus cast out demons and walked on water. Peter watched as Jesus brought dead people back to life. Finally, he witnessed Jesus’ resurrection and return to heaven. 

But Peter also ate with Jesus and slept beside Him. He saw Jesus sweat, sigh, laugh, cry, and bleed. Peter felt the grasp of His hand, saw the smile of His face. Peter knew who Jesus was.

Scholars think Peter was a teen when he encountered Jesus. A natural leader, Peter became a prominent advocate for the church. Towards the end of his life, Peter wrote letters and told us who he learned Jesus is and therefore who we are as His followers. 

…It was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through Him you believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and glorified Him…(1 Peter 1:18-21)

God created us like Himself, with free will. His intent was to have a loving relationship with us. We were born free to choose to love God, or not. However, choosing not to love God leads us away from God and ultimately away from each other too. Knowing we would stray like a rebellious teen, God always had a plan. Jesus was God’s plan, from the very beginning, even before He created the world.

That is so amazing to me. It is difficult to wrap my mind around how an awesome and infinite God would love us that much. He knew the pain and the price He would have to pay to create me and then save me, yet He created me anyway. 

He created you anyway too.

It is easy to buy into the fuzzy image of Jesus we see in movies and photos. Jesus is portrayed as a mild-mannered Clark Kent, long hair and long robe with children on His lap. Yes, that is Jesus: loving, gentle, kind. But like Superman, the mild exterior is covered a great strength and purpose. Beyond the Babe in the manger is God who existed before time. Word and pictures fail to describe Him in all His grandeur. 

Who is Jesus? Peter, who walked with Him, will tell us more. It is important that we know.


Father, Your love is so amazing, so beyond what we can comprehend. Help me see You more clearly. Allow me to be astonished by You today! 

Disappointed again

As I opened my Bible this morning, I had a question for God.  Disappointed again, back in that place where  I wonder about my path, my self, my future.  Will it always be like this?  Should I turn back? Turn away?

Instead, I turned to 1 Peter 5:7-14:

Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.  Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. 

It is easy to think the world, and Satan, is out to get me when things do no go the way I want or expect. Nothing extraordinary, this is the normal expectation of the believer.  The key to the scripture is the BUT GOD part that comes next:

But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. 

God is in this thing.  The Great I AM is with me.  He has called me to follow Him and I know His voice and His desire for me.  If I run to Him and submit myself to His care, casting all my cares on Him, He will care for me.  Specifically, He will:

• Perfect ~ He is working on me.  His goal is not the thing I am doing or what I want. His goal is to make me perfect, complete, lacking nothing. Even the Kingdom expanding is secondary to the Kingdom in my heart.  My heart always comes first. Healing my heart is of utmost importance to Him because only after that can I obey and serve Him well.
• Establish ~ He desires to put me on the firm foundation of trusting in Christ alone, who is faithful, true, loves me and never changes.
• Strengthen ~ In the power of Christ I can do all things.  I can withstand all things.  Even hurt, disillusionment and disappointment.  Sometimes my dreams can be accomplished.  Sometimes doors close.  Either side of the door I am on, Christ is with me.
• Settle ~ He will give me His joy and peace that is never about the stuff, always about His love and acceptance of me.

And to Him alone -- not to me or some leader, boss, pastor, family member or friend -- be the glory and dominion.  He is in charge, no one else.  And that is for ever.  And ever.

If I remain in Christ, and not do my usual routine of mulling it over, licking my wounds, complaining to all my friends, plotting other plans, or worse yet, revenge  -- then He will show Himself in my life.  If I remain prayerful, if I continue to do what I know is right, trusting in Him alone, then He will be glorified. If I keep my eyes on Him, not on anyone else, He will give me peace.

Peace to you all who are in Christ Jesus.

And all I can say is Amen!