Value

I just finished – well that is probably too strong.  I just finished this time through an overview of 1 Peter.  I meet with three men on this book in about 3 hours.  This is not the first time I have studied this book.  Actually I am not sure without some archaeological digs through some old file cabinets in the garage how many times I have been through 1 Peter.  It is one of the three or four books I memorized.  So I am very familiar with the book.  But in these studies I start with a new file.  No markings or notes.  Like prof exhorts us we need to approach a passage like it is the first time.  Read it with fresh eyes.

This AM I saw something in chapter 1 that I have not seen before.  Something in which I will need to invest some time as we study that section in detail – by the way we study a book by looking at the book as a whole first, then each section, and finally put it back together as a whole – whole to parts back to whole.

Look at 1:18 – 19 and 1:23 note the parallels:

State	Means	Description
Redeemed	Blood of Christ	Imperishable
Born Again	Living and Enduring Word of God	Imperishable

The parallels are striking.  Both the blood of Christ and the Word of God are described as imperishable.  Both have a hand in our eternal state before God.  At this point in my study this comparison has flagged something at which I need to take a closer look.  But at the very least this structure strongly emphasizes the importance of the Word of God as foundational to both our standing before God and our assignment to live a holy life in the world.

We do well to pay close attention to Peter’s thought here.

Tying a Knot and Hanging On…

Sometimes the day gets away from you.  It has been like that today.  I spent the first part of the morning dealing with technical issues with the Bible program I use, and I just closed the day with a failed conference call due to technical issues.  In between my schedule was disrupted by a call at 11:15 that absorbed three hours of my day that I had planned to use for other things which included working on this post…

So the day did not go as planned.  At least as I planned.  I have prep to do for a Bible study tomorrow morning and I found myself squeezing in every opportunity to read through the book.  Sometimes that is how it has to be.  We just have to do what Paul tells us in Ephesians 5:15 – 16.  He says that we are to redeem the time, I read that we tie a knot and hang on…

Bless the Lord

If you are like me there are times when you are not all that happy with God.  Your life may not be working out as you planned.  You may not have received the answer to prayer that you were expecting.  If you were God you would certainly be doing things differently…

Be honest now.

Apparently David was in the boat with us.  In Psalm 103:1 – 2 he commands his soul to bless the Lord.  This is helpful to me in at least two ways.

First, it tells me that I am in good company.  The man who God said was after God’s own heart commanded his soul to bless the Lord.  So it seems that there were times even David did not automatically respond to life with a blessing to the Lord without some effort.

Second, it gives me a model to follow.  I can do what David did and decide to bless and remember even when I do not necessarily feel like it.

Remember.  That is not always easy.  That is one of the reasons that it is important to keep track of what God has done in my life.  Journaling helps with that.