1 Peter 2

Hope you are fabulous this New Year's Eve! Grateful for 2009, excited for 2010.
Here are my thoughts on chapter 2. Again we see the word "living". May we never, may I never, forget my God is alive! Jesus is alive. We are "chosen". Not because we are good, as my A Call to Grace book points out so well, we were sinners before we ever sinned. Not because we are weak and God likes to let us get beat up so we have to come to Him. He chose us because He loves us. He knows we are weak and He knows that in that weakness, if we allow Him, His strength can makes us strong. He will be glorified and honored. Lastly, and this was a tough one, honoring your bosses. Even the not nice ones. I am not talking about the ones who threaten you physically and emotionally. I mean the ones who are just rude jerks. Or insensitive. Or proud and take credit and quickly push blame. Not that we sit quietly and let them do whatever, but even in the disagreement we can honor them for the position they hold. I have failed at this many times. I am a right fighter.... for my rights or what I deem to be right or for someone else's rights...especially students. Don't get me wrong, I am a huge proponent of individual responsibility for learning. I think we do kids, especially high school kids, a HUGE disservice when we coddle them and baby them instead of holding them responsible for their actions, but I also believe in equality of opportunity. They should all be given the same chance. If the commit the same offense, they should receive the same punishment. Consistency in expectations and in discipline. One of my favorite lines form Remember the Titans is when the white coach is asking Denzel to back of the kids and Denzel replies something like " I may be a mean old cuss, but I am the same mean old cuss to each and every one of them." Yes please. Anyway, I have had bosses over the years I have disagreed with strongly and I did not always disagree with honor. At times I bad mouthed, I argued publicly, I sinned. So obviously I need to work on that one (even for my boss at the house).
Whew that turned into a mini soapbox.
Hope you have a safe New Year.
May Lord be gracious to you in 2010.
May He show Himself strong on your behalf and may you be drawn and wooed into a closer relationship with Jesus.
He loves you so. So do I.

1 PETER 1

Hi there. Remember me? I finally have some thoughts on chapter 1. My sister gave me a MacArthur Bible Commentary for Christmas and I whipped it out for this chapter. Of course, I only got up to the "Background and Setting" portion of the introduction, so none of this comes from that. I did find it interesting that according to the MBC, Peter's wife ministered with him AND (according to tradition) he had to watch her be crucified. Just some trivia.
1. Verse 3 talks about our "living hope". Just another reminder that my God, my Savior, my Comforter are all alive. Living, breathing, full of life. Full of emotion for me and for you. Attentive to my every moment, my every prayer, my every concern. In the words of the song, "He's alive! He's alive! He is risen from the dead and He's alive!"
2. Verse 5 - I am protected by the power of God through faith. The scripture in the NKJV says "kept" and then translates that into protected. Like a military guard. Armed and ready to protect me.
3. Verse 6- My redemption was not cheap. MY REDEMPTION WAS NOT CHEAP. Christ's death was the greatest price that could have been paid. Flip it around, in the eyes of God, I was worth the price. That is how much He values me, He values you, and He values this world. Regardless of what the world tries to tell you and me, we are not worthless. We are not of no value. We are worth the very blood of the One True Son of God. Every drop. Every lashing. Every mocking. Not because we are worthy, but because He deemed us worthy. His grace deemed us worthy.
I am still walking through "A Call to Grace". I should say working through because apparently grace is a tough one for me. I am not even really sure what part of it is hard for me, but we are walking and working it out together.
Hope you had a blessed Christmas.
Get those Bibles out and let's talk about Peter. More importantly, let's talk about Jesus Christ.

1 PETER

I am trying to read 1 Peter 1. Note the term trying. I can not get my head past the opening verse. So check back tomorrow. Maybe I will be around it by then.

ABOLISHED

I am on Day 5 of A Call to Grace. So far so good with no facebook. I actually found myself getting "lonely" on Saturday because I had not been on. Day 5 returns to the theme "become who you are". Nasser uses slavery as an example. After abolition, the slaves were free. However, many of them continued to believe they were still slaves. They had always been slaves and knew nothing else to be. They believed those that told them you will always be slaves. They did not walk in the freedom they were given. Nasser goes on the describe our lives like that. Once in Christ Jesus we are free. Many of us, though, continue to believe the lies of the enemy that we will never be more that what we were. We have always been that way, will always be that way and there is no way we are going to change. We refuse, subconsciously or not, to accept the new identity we have obtained through Christ Jesus.

The last line of the day says this,

"Through God's pardon, we no longer have to act like who we were. We can become who we are" (p. 33).


The person I was before Jesus, the sin I carried, it has been abolished. It is no more in the eyes of the Lord. I am free from that. Whether or not I walk in that is my choice. Sometimes I think we stay with who we "were" because it is "safe" for us. It actually may not be safe at all, but it is safe in the sense that we know what to expect. We know how it is going to play out. The future of this "new person" is anything but safe. Especially this new person who has now given her life to Christ, and that includes everything - reactions, emotions, words. It is scary not knowing how people will react to the new you. Will they even let you be the new you? Will you have to leave your old friends behind? Will your old friends allow you to change? Will your family? Will your husband and kids?
While the future is uncertain, it is there. It is worth walking towards. It can be full of hope and life.
The person I was before, she is abolished. She is no longer. To try to return to her is to return to death. There is nothing there to go back to. It is time for me to start believing in the identity I
have in Christ Jesus and become who I am.
What about you?

A CALL TO GRACE

Before we start our next book I wanted to share with you a book I am reading right now. It is written by David Nasser and is titled A Call to Grace (a 39 day look at how the grace-filled life is not about doing but about being...). My friend Lisa gave it to me years ago. We were supposed to go through it together, but stuff happened and we didn't. God's timing is perfect and I have picked it up again. It is a very interactive book. Questions, journaling, FASTING! Nasser asks the reader to fast from some "unnecessary daily activity". Facebook was on the chopping block. So for 2 days I have not logged onto facebook, and hopefully for 37 more I won't. I still get emails so if someone sends me a message that requires attention I can, but for the normal stuff I am not responding. It will 2010 before I log back on...w.o.w.
As someone who battles "being good enough" and "following all the rules" I am pretty sure this book is going to rock my world. I hope it does. I hope it draws me closer to the Lord and helps me cast off the "sin which so easily ensnares" me.(Hebrews 12:1 NKJV)
The first line of Day 1 really has me thinking. Four little words... Become who you are. Nasser says it is pretty much the point of the book. Become who you are in Christ Jesus. Become the person God has created you to be. Become the person He has called you to be. Become. Ever changing, alive, growing. Present tense. Now.
I am working on it. Becoming the wife I am created to be. Becoming the mama I am meant to be. Becoming the sister, friend, daughter, and woman God desires for me to be.
So, I will let you know occasionally how it goes.
Hope you have a great weekend. Fellowship with your church family. Don't have one...go find one.

JAMES 5

Anyone else find it ironic after yesterday's talk about the "mula", James 5 would open with a warning to "rich oppressors"?
Anyone?
Anyone?
Bueller?
Bueller?

1. DON'T BECOME A RICH OPPRESSOR!
2. Guard my mouth against grumbling (especially at home for me)
3. If I have a need... tell people. Prideful sin is what keeps me from doing so.
No... everything is great.
Oh sure... I got this....
Nope I am super...
If I have a need, tell them!
4. I have a responsibility to the Truth. However, that does not make me the Truth police. I don't get to or need to run around checking if everyone is living according to the Truth of God's Word, but if the Truth is compromised or challenged then I have a responsibility to speak out on that.

ASKING

I am going to stay on James 4 today. #1 from yesterday is still rolling around in my head. There have been things that I have asked for that I have not gotten. Now I know God knows all and there are things I ask for that would only hurt me. However, this phrase has me wondering if I have been asking for the wrong reasons. Searching my heart for the motivations as to why I was asking. Pride? Selfishness? Flesh serving reasons that I had hoped I had grown out of. Take money for instance. Like so many of you, times are tight. Partly due to my decision to stay home, partly due to factors out of my control. I have prayed and asked God for wisdom, for doors to be opened and closed, and honestly for money. Not so we can live lavishly, but so we can have some breathing room. Is that wrong? Is that selfish? Does it say more about me than I want it to? Or am I simply in a disciplining period where He is growing and maturing me. Maybe it is not even me. Maybe it is my kids getting used to the word "no" or maybe He is maturing my husband and we are along for the ride. Maybe they are going along this ride for me. I am not sure, but I am asking Him today. To reveal any wrong motives in me so that when I ask I may receive.