Today's focus is on 1 Peter 4:1-2
December 29, 2022
Take Time to Pray
Psalm 116:1-2
1 I love the LORD for He heard my voice;
He heard my cry for mercy.
2 Because He turned His ear to me,
I will call on Him as long as I live. (NIV'84)
Examine
1 Therefore, since Christ suffered in His body, arm yourself also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. 2 As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly live for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. (NIV'84)
Notice
God
Jesus suffered.
Jesus is an example.
God is our leader.
Lesson
Jesus suffered in His human body. He felt pain, hunger, thirst, etc... just like we do.
Jesus knows what it is like to be human.
Jesus is our example of how to live our lives.
Do/Thoughts
The thought of living like Jesus seems so intimidating. After all, I am just a sinful human being. I do not have the ability to live a perfect life as Jesus did. That is why Jesus suffered and died for us. Our sin is washed away. We are clothed in His righteousness. All the sins I committed yesterday are gone, so in a way I did live a perfect day.
But there is so much more to this blessing. When we look at our behavior or our decisions, we must compare them to Jesus to know what to do. What would Jesus do? This may sound trite, but to me it is a key question. (September 6, 2024 - Perhaps a better question is "What would Jesus have me do?) Yes, there are times when there is no clear choice based on all of our Biblical knowledge. Sometimes neither choice is a problem. Then we make our best choice and trust God to work it for our good.
The knowledge that God came down from Heaven to live in a human body here on earth is so powerful to me. He lived a perfect life in an imperfect body. He felt pain. He got hungry and thirsty. He got tired. I have a Savior who truly knows my sufferings - spiritual and physical. That thought strengthens my trust and faith.
Question
What can I do to remind myself to live a life like Jesus?
Response
A bracelet on my wrist as a reminder.
September 1, 2024
The Greek word "ennoia" is translated differently in each of the translations I looked at:
New International Version (NIV) - "attitude"
Evangelical Heritage Version (EHV) - "mindset"
English Standard Version (ESV) - "way of thinking"
King James Version (KJV) - "mind"
All four of these translations describe what we should share with Christ as we share in His sufferings. What is the attitude of Christ? Christ came to serve. He was humble and gentle. He loves unconditionally and without discrimination. These are traits that we should seek to emulate.
We share in Christ's sufferings as His death brought us life and set us free from the bondage of sin. Does this mean we no longer sin? Unfortunately, no, we still are sinners. The difference is we are no longer bound to our sins and forever lost. Our sins are washed away and we are free to live for Christ. We are no longer bound to a life of hopelessness. We live in joy knowing God's Love and what Christ has done for us. We have hope. Our hope is in God's promises. We no longer have to search through earthly things to fill our hearts and bring us happiness, which is only a shadow of the joy we have in Christ. All we need to do is look to God, who can truly fill our hearts and give us joy. Our joy does not come from earthly things, but from heavenly things. God does give us earthly blessings to enjoy. We enjoy them best when we remember where are blessings come from. When trouble rears its ugly head, we do not despair as the world does. Rather, we hold fast to God's promises and trust Him to bring us through. It is God who is in charge of our lives. I am so very thankful He is. I do not want to be the one in charge of my life. Who knows what kind of chaos would result! I often wish I could see God's will for me better, but I trust that it will be done, no matter the missteps I make.
What is this teaching me about God?
God gave us the Law to show us our sin and our need for Jesus. Jesus is where we see the best way to live. Jesus shows us how to love unconditionally and with open arms. Jesus shows us how to have joy no matter what befalls us.
Comments