Reflections from October 13, 2010

After missing three days, it's good to be back in God's Word. When I don't start the day with Him, the whole day seems out of kilter.

Today we read in 1 Peter 4:8-10, "And above all things have fervent love for one another, for love will cover a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God."

Have you ever thought deep and hard about the little things that your spouse might do that can really bother you? Probably not too much, because you love your spouse, so you put it out of your mind. Your love for your spouse covers that annoyance and it just doesn't concern you. That's what Peter wants us to do for one another; just let our love cover up the little sins we commit toward one another. When we have a foundation of love in our relationship with our Christian brothers and sisters, we have better harmony.

And too, each of us have various gifts. We need to use our gifts for the whole body's sake, that the body might be benefited by the gifts that God has given to us, being good stewards of that which God has entrusted to us. God has given to each of us, entrusted to us gifts, abilities, talents. Now I want to be a good steward of that which God has given to me. I want to use it, and use it well. It's been entrusted to me and I'm responsible.


And finally, we close out our reading of this book by reading in 1 Peter 5:6-7, "Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you."

This is one of the scriptures that I think is somewhat overlooked. By humbling ourselves, we acknowledge that God is almighty, and that we are only as good as He allows us to be. By being His humble servant, He will exalt us to do great and mighty things for Him. Great and mighty is subjective, but whatever He has in store for us, is for His glory, not ours. But by exalting us, we will be greatly blessed in some manner that is right for us.
First, to get to that point, we need to remove anxiety in our lives, and to do that, we cast our cares upon Him. He is so big and strong, that He can carry every concern of every person at any time. It's just no problem for Him, and it makes sense to do that so we can be rid of it! God cares for us and loves us, and wants us to give away these concerns. Recall that He will take care of the birds in the air, and that He loves us even more. God will take care of these concerns and anxieties, and will ensure there is a way out of anything we find ourselves in. If we only trust in Him.

Blessings to all