1 Peter was the natural for me to start in the Apostolic literature - the letters covering the rest of the Bible from John to Revelation - we're studying it in lifegroup on Tuesdays, and it's a chuffing good book!
The first chapter starts with the great blessings we receive from God I've included in the title, and continues to challenge us to holy living, backed some immense promises!
Is it always easy to be truly glad, as it says in v6? It acknowledges the many trials we will face, which doesn't sound like something to be truly glad for, so how on earth to we remain glad?
Firstly, there's the priceless inheritance to look forward to - how many of you have been offered a reward for doing something, and have used it to spur you on? Think of sponsored events, or exams - I'm sure we all have experienced that, and it's a truly great encouragement along the way.
Secondly, there's the prophets - what they say about Jesus and the Kingdom. You can't beat an encouraging story to help you on your way. This weekend we heard some amazing things at the Youthwork Conference about the massive steps being made towards eradicating extreme poverty in the developing world. For instance, did you know that the 21,000 children a day we talk about dying from preventable causes used to be 40,000 children not 50 years ago? That's massive progress - because of development work, 19,000 lives are being saved a day! That's about 7 million a year!
And thirdly, there's the power of the Holy Spirit. Sent from heaven as Jesus promised, He helps and guides us, if we only accept and use His power. Boom.
So...a big word with few letters.
Most important is this call to Holy living. Just as you no longer return to your previous ways when you grow up from a baby to a child and young person, no longer pooing yourself at random, needing to be burped or dribbling incessantly, as a Christian you must show you are a different person.
This looks like love, as Jesus affirmed in Luke 10 - 'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.' And, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'
This week (and hopefully for the rest of your life), think about how you can show that love to God and to those around you - thinking positively in this way is surely the easiest approach, because yes, we all screw up, so let's do something to show God we love Him.
My group challenged each other at youth lifegroup two weeks ago to show we love God in the most extravagant way - what can you think of to achieve this?
I bought gifts for some people at work from my trip to Eastbourne - not my closest friends there, but people I know, and gifts they would really appreciate and enjoy. The sense of surprise at an unexpected gift gave me an opportunity to talk about why I had gone, what I got up to whilst there, and an opportunity to share my passion for Jesus through the things I do in my spare time. I hadn't thought of that outcome -it's amazing how God can bless the little things we do.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment