Sergeant Peter

“Buck Up! I’m not your mommy!” Sergeants scream at troops.

God is not that harsh but he still requires obedience. Peter put it this way, “gird up the loins of our minds” (1 Peter 1:13).

Loins are representative of strength. So Peter’s exhortation is for us to use the strength of our minds to discipline our thoughts until we come to a place of rest on the grace that has been brought to us by Jesus Christ.

We no longer should be conforming to the world’s way of doing things (2 peter 1:14), but living holy lives (2 Peter 1:15-16).

Puzzled Saints

Most of us have faced life circumstances that have broken our hearts, tried our faith and left our minds spinning with questions. We cannot understand why he does not heal us or bring us the answers we so desperately need.

The prophets in the Old Testament also were puzzled over their life circumstances. They knew God had told them that a deliverer was coming, yet they saw no signs of the Anointed One’s arrival. They sought God for answers and he revealed to them that what he had told them was not for their generation but for a generation hundreds or thousands of years later (1 Peter 1:10-12).

Paul mentions that God used a physical illness to cause him to minister to the people who lived in Galatia (Galatians 4:13-14). Unless he had suffered this physical setback he may have missed the opportunity all together.

We are not only God’s children, but we are his messengers. We do well to remember our suffering may not only be for our spiritual growth, but may be the tool God uses to reach others with his love.

A Clear Sky

Don’t you just love those days when you feel good? The sun is shining, but not so hot that it seems to be melting your skin. The sky is a rich blue with white clouds floating aimlessly overhead. The birds are chatting back and forth and the flowers are swaying slightly in a warm late spring afternoon.

Don’t you love those days when your faith is strong, you are keenly aware of God’s presence and you know he has all things in his hands? Peter puts it this way, “Though now you do not see him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory…” (1 Peter 1:8).

It is because we are persuaded that God is actively involved in our lives that we are able to enjoy life.

Closely Held Secrets

A friend of mine sent me an email titled “When God dropped the paint.” It contained a magnificent photograph of rolling hills covered in clumps of orange, red, blue, pink, and purple wildflowers.

I have been to the top of a mountain range and gazed across thousands of miles of mountain peaks varying in colors from green to blue and distant purples. The view was breathtaking.

There is a vista point off Highway 5 where one has a full clear view of Mount Shasta covered in snow to the north and the towering castle shaped rocks of Castle Craig to the west.

When we at last stand before the magnificent throne of God we will see views of our own lives that we are unable to see here. All the intricate planning of God will become manifest to us and we will finally understand so much of what he has kept secret until now (1 Peter 1:7)