Dress Like Flowers
"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?" (Matthew 6:28-30)Here's Jesus' logic when it comes to worrying about not being able to buy clothes for yourself or your family: God clothes the flowers. They look nice. God likes you more than flowers. God will clothe you. Trust God.
The logic is air tight. The problem in our culture is that very few of us are worried we might get so poor we'll have to walk around naked. Some of the first hearers of Jesus' words did worry about that. We're more likely to worry that we might be so poor, we'll have to walk around looking like we're poor. We might not be able to buy the "right" shoes, shirts, pants, etc.
Two things about that: A) God does care about how we look. He created the beauty of lilies. He's got good taste. B) However, God cares a lot more about our gratitude for and contentment with what He provides for us today — even if it's not the clothes we wish we could buy — than He cares about us looking good in our own eyes. If you're not grateful for what you have now, you're not likely to be grateful for long when you get what you think you really want.
Think: Do you ever worry about money for clothes? Do you believe God cares that you worry about that? Why or why not?
Pray: Thank God for all the clothes you have right now. Ask Him to help you learn to be content with what He provides for you.
Do: Read 1 Timothy 6:6-10.
Worry Doesn’t Work
"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" (Matthew 6:26-27)When talking about money, Jesus is both spiritual and practical here. Don't worry about money, He said, because your Father is the God of the universe and He likes you. Then the practical: Worry doesn't work. It's not an effective response to being broke. It's wasted effort.
So why do we still worry? Partly because we want control. Worry becomes an idol we serve instead of giving up our illusion of running our own life. So we trade peace of mind for a worthless effort to "do" something by feeling bad about what we cannot change. We sabotage the day in front of us rather than surrender our circumstances to God.
Corrie ten Boom, the Nazi concentration camp survivor and a Christian, put it this way: "Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of it’s strength."
Think: Do you ever think of worry as a lack of faith in your Father? As serving a false god instead of letting go of what we can't control? As a waste of time?
Pray: Ask God to help you to let go of worrying today, especially about money.
Do: Make a quick list of five things you might be tempted to worry about this week. Write in big letters at the top of the list, "God likes me."
No Worries
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?" (Matthew 6:25)People become preoccupied with money in two different directions. Jesus already addressed the first — our want for more money, our desire to store up treasures for ourselves, to get all we can out of life. Now he deals with the other.
Sometimes, people can't stop thinking about money because they don't have any. At all. They don't know what they'll eat tomorrow. They don't know how they'll replace their kids' clothes that are two sizes too small. They don't know how long they'll make it.
Jesus wants them -- us -- not to worry. What? When would be a better time to worry? We'll see that Jesus' point is that money doesn't provide for us. God does. The Father that created life and made our bodies still loves us. Money can only buy food and clothes. The Father takes care of His kids.
Think: Are you tempted to think it's realistic for Jesus to tell people not to worry about money? Do you ever think of your need for money as on opportunity to trust your Father more?
Pray: Ask God to help you to trust Him enough not to worry about money.
Do: Know anyone in financial trouble who might be worrying about where they'll get money for food and clothes? Ask God to provide for them — and to help them not to worry.
Can You Have It All?
"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money." (Matthew 6:24)When I was in high school, the adults in my life had a habit of telling me (and every other student), "You can be anything you want to be." They said this as if it were a good thing. Because I lived in a free, prosperous country and had a good education, my life menu had endless options on it.
Here's what they didn't tell me: "You cannot be everything you want to be." We live in a "have it all" culture and "anything we want to be" easily translates itself in our ears to collecting the whole set. We want to use our lives up for God and have a comfortable lifestyle. We want to die to ourselves and look hot. We want to look hot and be pure. We want to change the world and to hang out with the pretty, funny people. We want an iPod. No, the new one.
Here's what Jesus told me: "You can't have it all." Oh. "For starters, will you serve God or money?" Yes! "Nope. Gotta pick one." But I can be anything I want to be! "True. So which will you pick?" All of the above? "Not an option. One or the other."
Oh.
Think: What do you risk by choosing to serve God instead of money? What do you risk by choosing to serve money instead of God? What are other things you can "serve" besides God or money?
Pray: Ask God to free you from the illusion that you can serve Him and money at the same time.
Do: Make a short list of things Money tells its servants to do.
Money Blind
"The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!" (Matthew 6:22-23)Right in the middle of talking about money, Jesus drops in two sentences about light and darkness. Then He goes right back to talking about worrying about money. No, He didn't lose His train of thought. He's making a huge point about how money-love blinds us spiritually.
When its dark inside my house, I turn the lights on. If the power goes out, I find a candle. My eyes are fine; I just need more light. But when my eyes go dark, I can't fix that. All the light in the world can't break through blind eyes to help your mind see the truth.
When I just can't stop believing that more and better stuff will make me happy, I'm blinded by money-love. My spiritual eyes go dark. I can't see all the good things God has given me — I can't trust Him to provide what I need next — because all I care about is the money (or stuff) I don't have, yet.
Think: Have you ever felt like you were so fixated on something you wanted that you couldn't "see" anything else? Why is the want for money so powerful for some of us?
Pray: Ask God to help you have a healthy attitude toward money and material possessions. Ask Him to help you not to be blinded by greed.
Do: Make a short list of five good things God has given you today.
I Heart Treasure
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:19-21)Jesus said these words in what we usually call His "Sermon on the Mount" because He preached to the crowd while sitting on the side of a mountain. He's talking about money here, but He makes a bigger point about this life: It's not the one we're built for.
I know you know that. And you know I know that. But neither of us really gets it, I don't think. We can't quite talk our hearts out of the idea that a "good life" is all about getting what we want and not having bad things happen to us. That's why we pull out those three little words whenever an evil person gets away with murder or a good person's house gets flooded: "That's not fair."
Jesus' teaching says, "You've got the wrong score card. Nothing in this life could be good enough to make up for living with all this pain. Nothing here could be bad enough to compare to the mind-shocking glory of the next life. Don't play to win this sin-shortened existence; play for the one that matters."
Think: What treasure matters most to you — what you might get in this life or what you could experience in heaven forever? Why do you think that is?
Pray: Ask God to help you to begin to care more about the riches of heaven than the dreams of earth.
Do: Make a short list of some of the earthly treasures (stuff, experiences, relationships, etc.) that your heart loves to hope for.
The Wisdom Life
"But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness." (James 3:17-18)After hearing Wisdom's call to follow her, we're asking, "How can we know if we're on the path of wisdom?" James told us two days ago that "Wisdom is as wisdom does."
Yesterday, he showed us the counterfeit wisdom of the world: "Wise people are the ones who get everything they want out of life." He said that if our lives are full of envy, selfish ambition, chaos, and sin — that's not wisdom's path.
Today's passage describes a life following the wisdom of God: focused in one direction; motivated by peacefulness; thoughtful of others; willing to be challenged and redirected; packed with acts of mercy and other evidence of goodness; convinced that God's way is best; and not at all fake.
Think: How many of those descriptors of Heaven's wisdom can you find in your life? As you investigate your heart, do you see more evidence of God's wisdom or of the world's brand of false wisdom?
Pray: Tell God you want today's passage to become a description of your own life. Ask Him to help you find and live with wisdom every day.
Do: Read Proverbs 14.
False Wisdom
"But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such 'wisdom' does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice." (James 3:14-16)Here's what you've got to do if you want to get ahead in the world. Look around. Decide what you want out of life. Who do you want to be? What do you want to have? What experiences do you dream of? Put those together, and make your plan to get it all. Work hard. Sacrifice. And live your dreams!
Does that paragraph sound familiar? We've heard it so often, it just sounds like common sense, doesn't it? And it is a kind of wisdom. But James called it an earth-bound, spiritually dead, Satanic wisdom. Any wisdom that is focused on me getting what I want most of out life is a false wisdom. It turns my desires into my gods.
The result of that wisdom is "bitter envy." Or, "I won't be happy until I have what he has." And "selfish ambition." Or, "I won't be happy until I get everything I want — and I want everything." That wisdom always leads to a life of chaos drenched in sin.
Think: Are you attracted to this false wisdom of serving yourself to get what you want? Most of us are. What can we do about it?
Pray: Ask God to help you spot this false wisdom in your life and to know how to kill it dead.
Do: Read Proverbs 13
Stupid Is
"Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom." (James 3:13)We've spent the last couple of weeks listening to Wisdom's call to us to find her, to walk with her, to live by her teaching. But how do you know if you're really doing that? How can you tell if you're living wisely?
James will help us. He quotes Forrest Gump. Okay, that's not right. Forrest Gump quotes his mom who quotes an old saying that may be based on what James wrote here. Forrest liked to say, "Stupid is as stupid does." James wrote, "Wise is as wise does."
Think you know wisdom? Then your life should show it. Specifically, you should be living a "good life" full of humble good deeds. We'll get more specific in the next few days, but don't be afraid to take an honest look at your life to see if God's wisdom is guiding your steps.
Think: Do you think it's possible to be wise and not make wise choices in your life? Why or why not?
Pray: Ask God to help you move His wisdom from your head out into your lifestyle and choices.
Do: Read Proverbs 12.
Wisdom Favors
"For whoever finds me finds life and receives favor from the LORD. But whoever fails to find me harms himself; all who hate me love death." (Proverbs 8:35-36)Lady Wisdom concludes her 36-verse plea for our lifelong attention with these words. She won't hide, but we must seek. And our search brings huge rewards. Those who find wisdom — those who live wisely by living life from God's perspective — they find favor from God.
This favor comes in at least two flavors. On the one hand, living with Wisdom brings practical, natural rewards. People who don't jump off cliffs are less likely to fall to their deaths. People who don't tell lies are more likely to earn trust and closeness in relationships. The natural benefits of wise living are endless.
But God's favor is supernatural, as well. To seek out His wisdom — and live by it — is an act of humility. It's saying, "I don't know nearly enough on my own; I need God's help; I need to understand God's way." He promises to lift up everyone who humbles him- or herself before Him in this way.
Think: Do you think it's intolerant for Wisdom to say that hating her is the same as loving death? Is it true?
Pray: Ask God to help grow your appetite for His wisdom.
Do: Read Proverbs 11.
Doing Nothing for Wisdom
"Now then, my sons, listen to me; blessed are those who keep my ways. Listen to my instruction and be wise; do not ignore it. Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway." (Proverbs 8:32-34)For the first time in her passionate speech about how much we need her to find a life that matters, Lady Wisdom reveals herself in the role of mom. But unlike your mom — the one you're growing up and away from — this mom is one we grow more and more dependent on as the years go by. We can't really live in a meaningful way without the Wisdom of God.
So now she urges. She pleads. She prods. She promises. Don't walk away from her. You've listened this long; don't decide you're better off with your own street smarts. Don't decide to reject God's wisdom. From this point on, any path you walk without her is the path to self-destruction.
Notice that finding wisdom sometimes involves waiting for Wisdom. We're often better at being enthusiastic that patient. I know people who would wrestle crocs and climb mountains to do the right thing, but they can't bring themselves to sit still for an hour to wait for Wisdom.
Think: What's harder for you — sacrificing for wisdom or waiting for it? Why is patience such an important part of living wisely?
Pray: Ask God to help you to be patient to avoid running ahead of wisdom.
Do: Read Proverbs 10.
Wisdom Feels
"Then I was the craftsman at his side. I was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing always in his presence, rejoicing in his whole world and delighting in mankind." (Proverbs 8:30-31)Not only is Wisdom the key to finding a successful life. Not only does she provide the path to wealth beyond riches. Not only was she created by God and instrumental in creating the universe. She's so emotional.
She is no cold system for getting ahead in the world, a secret shortcut to making good decisions. She's not like counting cards (for gamblers) or inputting a cheat code (for gamers) to discover the will of God. Solomon wants us to think of her as a she, not an it.
Last week, she told us we must love her to truly know her. She wants to love us, to share with those who keep their eyes on her all her best gifts. Today, she describes her delight in creating with God, her joy in being with Him, and her joy and delight in His brand new world and, especially, in humanity. Wisdom is happy when she serves God and His creation.
Think: Are you ready to make a lasting commitment to walk with wisdom in a relationship that involves your emotions? Are you willing to look for happiness with her in serving God and enjoying His creation?
Pray: Ask God to help you to love wisdom and to experience some of her joy in serving Him.
Do: Read Proverbs 9.
The Ancient Lady
"The LORD brought me forth as the first of his works, before his deeds of old; I was appointed from eternity, from the beginning, before the world began. When there were no oceans, I was given birth. . . . I was there when he set the heavens in place, when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep." (Proverbs 8:22-24,27)Whoa. We've been listening for a while. Wisdom called out as we were rushing by, charging through our day. She has explained how she can show us the path to a life well lived. She just invited us to love her and be loved by her and to follow her to riches beyond riches. She has our attention.
Now she drops the bomb. This lady, Wisdom, is ancient. She announces that God created, appointed, birthed her before anything we know existed. More than that, God used her to create and design . . . everything that is. She's not just really smart; she's the key, the blueprint to all that God has ever made.
To know her is to know the secrets and mysteries of all of creation. To love her is to love God's mind and heart and creative spirit and craftsmanship. Why is she talking to us?
Think: Can you imagine what it would be like to know some of the same wisdom God used in the creation of the world? What would that be worth?
Pray: Ask God to help to gain all the wisdom you possibly can.
Do: Read Proverbs 7.
Love Me, Find Me
"I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me. With me are riches and honor, enduring wealth and prosperity. My fruit is better than fine gold; what I yield surpasses choice silver. I walk in the way of righteousness, along the paths of justice, bestowing wealth on those who love me and making their treasuries full." (Proverbs 8:17-21)Wisdom isn't looking for a fling. She's not a get-rich-quick scheme or an easy way to pass that big test at school. She wants a real, lifelong relationship. She's looking for people who are ready to be changed by her. In short, she wants to be loved.
It's a commitment, true, but loving Wisdom brings benefits. You might not make quick cash, but you'll learn how to manage finances in a way that will keep more in your "treasuries" (or bank account). But, again, she doesn't want you to love her as a means to make dough. It's not about the money; wise living is about a life that matters.
Yes, being wise with money usually brings more money, but it's about the places you'll go with her: righteous paths, the way of justice — a life not wasted on worthlessness but well spent on all the most important things.
Think: Are you ready to love Wisdom and walk with her? Do you believe that wise living is worth more than dollars in the bank?
Pray: Ask God to help you love Wisdom and to never stop looking for her.
Do: Read Proverbs 6.
Decide 2008
"Counsel and sound judgment are mine; I have understanding and power. By me kings reign and rulers make laws that are just; by me princes govern, and all nobles who rule on earth." (Proverbs 8:14-16)In her ongoing campaign to invite us to get to know her, Wisdom offers another of her benefits — making good decisions. She identifies one group constantly faced with the pressure of making tough choices: leaders. Specifically, national leaders must choose good laws, make difficult management decisions, and plan for and against war.
Another group comes to my mind: students. Maybe more than any other time of life, people in high school and college face big and little choices that carry giant, longlasting consequences. Will I go to college? If so, where? How will I pay for it? Should I get a job now? How many hours should I work? Do I have time to help out at church? Should I spend more or less time with my friends? Should I get involved in a serious dating relationship? Should I break up this relationship?
All those decisions can get overwhelming. Wisdom can help. She can give you the power of understanding and "sound judgement." She can help you sort out all the options and zero in on the best ones. As the manager of your life, you need her in the same way kings and rulers do. Knowing her if often the difference between a great choice — and one you'll regret.
Think: When faced with decisions, how do you look for wisdom? How has wisdom helped you? Where did you find it?
Pray: Ask God to help you look for — and find — wisdom for the next major decision you face.
Do: Read Proverbs 5.
Good Hate
" 'I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence; I possess knowledge and discretion. To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.' " (Proverbs 8:12-13)What do you hate? What do you truly loathe deep in your spirit? God wants us to get in touch with our dark sides. He wants us to learn how to hate deeply and honestly. He wants us to get to the point where our vision blurs a little and our stomach roils at the thought of "pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech."
In short, God wants us to hate sin. Most of us are lousy haters. We might talk casually about hating certain foods, music, TV shows, or even a teacher or a sibling. But we don't mean real hate; we mean those things annoy us or make us angry.
Wisdom's message to us is this: If you really understood life from God's perspective — if you caught a glimpse of the beauty and power of His holiness and love — the ugliness of sin (especially your own) would send your soul into a murderous rage. Your hate would make you want to kill your sin.
Think: Have you ever felt real hate toward your own sin? Would you want to?
Pray: Ask God to help you to fear Him enough to hate your own sin.
Do: Read Proverbs 4.
Dollars v. Value
"Choose my instruction instead of silver, knowledge rather than choice gold, for wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her." (Proverbs 8:10-11)Wisdom calls out to us to listen, to hear her, to slow down and grow wise. Yesterday, she said we could trust her; she knows what she's talking about. In the next breath, she emphasizes that she's not selling anything — and her goal isn't to make us rich.
Wisdom is not offering us the path to wealth. Instead, she says she can show us the way to a life of value that makes money look cheap. Money isn't the point. All the stuff money can buy isn't the point. You can own the world and still be a majorette in the parade of fools.
The longer we listen to wisdom, the more we'll be convinced: Chasing dollars always leads to foolishness. It takes God's wisdom is know how to live with money without living for money. It takes no money to become Wisdom's student and invest in a valuable life.
Think: We all want money. Do you want wisdom more than money? Do you believe wisdom is more valuable than cash?
Pray: Ask God to help your desire for money and wisdom to be in proportion to the true value of each of those things.
Do: Read Proverbs 3.
Trust Her
"You who are simple, gain prudence; you who are foolish, gain understanding. Listen, for I have worthy things to say; I open my lips to speak what is right. My mouth speaks what is true, for my lips detest wickedness. All the words of my mouth are just; none of them is crooked or perverse." (Proverbs 8:5-8)We're walking through Proverbs 8 together this week, and Wisdom has been standing at a high-traffic spot in town calling out to get our attention as we rush through our busy lives. She seems convinced she has something we need, if we'll just slow down and listen for a minute.
Her message, she says, can change our lives forever. If we'll pay attention, she can help simple, foolish people like us who normally get used by the world to become prudent. She can help us understand all the most important things.
She knows. She knows. We've heard these pitches before. We've seen all the infomercials for diets and face creams and exercise machines and get-rich schemes. That's not her bag. She insists: "What I'm going to tell you is worth your time. It's right. I don't lie; I hate lies. I don't want to cheat anyone. I'm not asking for your money."
Think: Do you ever pay less attention to wisdom because it seems like she promises too much? Are we too cynical these days to believe in anything that promises to "make us wise"?
Pray: Ask God to help you trust Him to give you real life-changing wisdom.
Do: Read Proverbs 2.
Wisdom Doesn’t Hide
"Does not wisdom call out? Does not understanding raise her voice? On the heights along the way, where the paths meet, she takes her stand; beside the gates leading into the city, at the entrances, she cries aloud: 'To you, O men, I call out; I raise my voice to all mankind.' " (Proverbs 8:1-4)For the next week, we're going to listen to Wisdom. Yes, I capitalized that "W" on purpose. That's because Proverbs 8 quotes Wisdom herself, calling out to us. Yes, I wrote "us," even though Proverbs 8 was written thousands of years ago. Wisdom wants to talk to you this week.
Notice this first: Wisdom is not hiding. She's not a secret available only to those of us rich enough or smart enough or spiritual enough to find her. She's not a prize awarded to the most popular or most attractive or most polite. She wants to be found. She wants you to find her.
That's why she's standing there at the top of the hill, at the gate to the city, and the one spot that everyone must pass by sooner or later. And she's not whispering. She's yelling, calling out, looking you in the eye. She wants to be heard. She wants you to pay attention.
Think: Do you ever think of wisdom as being secretive and mysterious instead of obvious and available to all? Why or why not?
Pray: Ask God for the boldness and courage to listen to Wisdom this next week. Ask Him to help you slow down long enough not to miss what she wants to tell you.
Do: Read Proverbs 1.
Pain with Honor
"It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit . . ." (1 Peter 3:18-19)The Apostle Peter didn't work for Hallmark. These verses aren't meant to be comforting rhyming poetry decorated by soothing pastel colors. Peter is NOT saying, "Sorry you have to suffer, but at least it's better to suffer for Jesus than for being an idiot."
Suffering for Jesus — being persecuted for believing in and following Him — is not a consolation prize. It is one of the highest honors a Jesus-follower can experience, and not everyone will get the opportunity.
After all, Peter reminds us, Jesus died for us, "the unrighteous." Just for the record, He died one time and paid for all of our sins in that moment. Nobody who suffers for Him pays for any sin, obviously, but we will be resurrected as He was. And there will be special rewards for those who suffer under persecution.
Think: Do you ever think of suffering for Jesus as an honor? Do you know anyone who has been persecuted for believing in Jesus?
Pray: Ask God to provide courage and comfort for Christians under persecution around the world today.
Do: Check out persecution.net.
Why So Hopeful?
"But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. 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, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander." (1 Peter 3:15-16)How can you possibly be loving your life? I don't understand, with all you're going through, how you could call this a "good day." Why don't you just stop talking about Jesus? Be done with Him and move on. What has being a Jesus-follower done for you? Why are you still so hopeful?
Those are the kinds of questions you should expect, according to Peter. Did you notice that he just expects, assumes, anticipates a few things here? Christians who make Christ first in their hearts will be hopeful. When the hard times come, people will notice that Christ-as-Lord Christians are hopeful. They will see joy and purpose where they would expect to see sorrow and defeat. Eventually, someone will ask "why?"
Then what? The command here is, "Always be prepared." How? Ask yourself the question, "Why are you so hopeful?" and come up with a short, truthful, gentle, and respectful answer. Hint: It has something to do with what you're hoping for.
Think: What are you hoping for? What could possibly happen to you in this life that would change that?
Pray: Ask God to help you to set apart Christ as Lord in your heart today.
Do: Write a paragraph answering the question, "How can you be so hopeful right now?"
Don’t Be Frightened
"Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened." (1 Peter 3:13-14)Two of the most powerful motivators are anger and fear. We know instinctively that selfish anger can motivate us to do hurtful things. But when we are ruled by the fear of the wrong thing, that also motivates us — to NOT do right things, to NOT boldly walk the path God has called us to.
Peter wrote these words to people who had good reason to be frightened. They all knew that following Jesus could lead directly to painful persecution. Peter said that was less likely if they were known for doing good. He didn't say it wouldn't happen anyway. Hard times will come to all of us. So how can he say, "Don't be frightened."?
When we organize our lives to avoid suffering — to dodge all the things that scare us — we make fear our god. We serve fear by letting it tell us how to live. Peter says, "You may suffer; you may not. Either way, you have a mission to serve the God who loves you. Don't run from the line of fire if that's where He calls you."
Think: How many of your decisions are based on a fear of what others might think? Or of the work that might be involved? Or of losing something you care about?
Pray: Ask God to make you a fearless follower of Jesus.
Do: In today's passage, Peter quotes Isaiah 8. Read Isaiah 8:11-17.
Conditional Love
"Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil." (1 Peter 3:10-12)So what's the key to loving life and seeing good days? According to King David in Psalms, which Peter quotes in this passage, it's all about what we say and how we live.
1) Don't speak evil. (Hurtful words, gossip, disrespectful talk . . .)
2) Don't lie. Ever.
3) All sin — even the little ones — are evil. Don't hang out there. Turn around.
4) Do good.
5) Always keep your eyes peeled for peace; when you see it, chase it down.
6) Live like God cares how you live. Because He does, and He will respond to you accordingly. Because He loves you.
Think: Are you motivated by the idea of "loving life" and "seeing good days"? Are you motivated enough to change how you live? Do your really believe living this way will bring that result?
Pray: Tell God you really want to love life and see good days; ask Him to help you live in a way that makes that possible — even on the hardest days.
Do: Dictionary time again: Look up and write down the definitions for evil, good, and righteous.
Loving Life?
"For, 'Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech.' " (1 Peter 3:10)If you're reading this passage out of NIV, you'll notice a header at the top of the section: "Suffering for Doing Good." Peter is writing to people who have or will likely experience suffering for expressing their faith in Jesus. Spoiler alert: He's going to tell them — and us — to live right even when life hurts so that we can point people to our hope in Jesus.
But right in the middle of that teaching, he quotes David's Psalm 34: "Whoever would love life and see good days." What? I thought we were talking about suffering. Sure, we can grit our teeth and do good even when life is hard — but isn't it a bit much to expect to "love life" and "see good days"?
Peter says no. Lousy external circumstances do NOT have to determine our internal state of mind. Like Paul, who said he'd learned the secret of contentment in good and bad times, Peter says "good days" have more to do with my heart choices than what happens to me from the outside.
Think: Why do you think saying evil things and telling lies kills our love for life and ruins our good days?
Pray: Ask God to help you love life and see good days by telling the truth and saying unevil things.
Do: Make two lists: three hurtful things and/or lies you said this last week -- and three helpful things you said. How did your words help or hurt your days?
No Touch-Backs!
"Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing." (1 Peter 3:9)In yesterday's passage, Peter told this group of Christians to live in harmony with each other, to give themselves away, to show sympathy and compassion, to live like close family.
In the very next verse, he seems to admit that families sometimes fight. Some of the angriest, meanest fights I've ever had were with the people closest to me. Brothers, especially, can be vicious to each other. If they're going through hard times, they can really lash out.
Peter admits that even in this Christian family, there will be evil and insults done to each other. How should we respond? Don't return the favor, he says. Take the hit, and let it go. No, more than that: Take the hit, and give back something good. Stop the cycle right now. That's how a Jesus follower lives. That's what we get rewarded for.
Think: Have you ever made the conscious choice in the moment not to "get even" in words or actions with someone who hurt you? How did that feel? What were the results?
Pray: Ask God for the maturity to stop the cycle of traded hurt and insults when it is in your power to do so.
Do: Look for an opportunity this week to hand a blessing to someone who says or does something hurtful to you.
Hurting in Harmony
"Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble." (1 Peter 3:8)Peter is a writing here to a group of Christians, some of whom are being (or about to be) mistreated because they follow Jesus. He's about to give them some guidelines for how Christians can live in an honorable way even when we're going through hard times.
He starts with this: Treat each other right. No, that doesn't go far enough. He really says, "Treat each other as close family." It's easy when you're living through a painful season to excuse meanness. It's easy to say to yourself, "Everyone will just have to understand how much I'm hurting; I don't have the energy to be nice."
What Peter will tell us this week is that's exactly backwards. God can make our suffering count for something, especially if we'll live like we're His in the middle of it. So keep getting together with believers. Look for ways to show sympathy to others (not just yourself). Be compassionate and humble. Give them "family access" to your heart (and visa versa).
Think: Do you live in harmony with other Christians? When you're hurting, do you get closer or pull away from your Christian family? Why?
Pray: Ask God to help you to treat the believers in your church the way this verse describes.
Do: Look up the word "harmony" in an online dictionary and write down the definition.
Know Love?
"And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. " (Ephesians 3:17-19)I wanted to be a dad for several years before I actually got there. During that time, I paid attention to how other guys described the experience of being a father. I noticed that relationship pictured in movies and books. I had a certain knowledge of what it was like to be a dad. I could imagine it.
But when I held my son for the first time on the night he was born, I felt something completely unexpected. I'm not usually an emotional guy, but I was overwhelmed by powerful feelings of connection, protection, and love for 7 pounds of crying baby wrapped in a blanket. Honestly, it was weird and wonderful.
Paul prayed that the Ephesians would have the power to "know this love that surpasses knowledge." He wanted them to move past knowing about God's love to experiencing it in their souls. To be rocked by that weird, wonderful love connection with our Father God is the key to filing our whole lives up with Him. It's a knowing beyond words that leads to satisfaction with Him.
Think: Do you feel like you "grasp" Christ's love for you, that you have experienced His overwhelming love in a way words can't quite describe? If not, why do you think that is? Have you ever prayed this passage for yourself?
Pray: Thank God for His enormous love for you in Jesus -- and that His love doesn't change even on the days you can't "feel" it.
Do: Pray this final passage for the 6 people on your list. (See the "Do" section for last Monday's devo for details.)
