Wow, we are moving right along, aren't we?! Hang on tight for the next several days as we make our way through 2 Peter and 1 John!
Hooray, we finished reading in 1 Peter on Sunday with chapter 5! Here is my S.O.A.P. for chapter 5 of 1 Peter:
Sunday, September 14, 2014
1 Peter
Scripture: 1 Peter 5:5-7 In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
12 With the help of
Silas, whom I regard as a faithful brother, I have written to you briefly,
encouraging you and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast
in it.
14 Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to all of you
who are in Christ.
Observations: In these verses Peter
speaks of 7 attitudes we should have as Christians:
1. An attitude of submission (v. 5)
2. An attitude of humility (verses 5 and 6)
3. An attitude of trust (v. 7)
4. An attitude of vigilance (v. 8)
5. An attitude of self-control (verses 8 and 9)
6. An attitude of faithfulness (v. 12)
7. An attitude of affection (v. 14)
Application: It is only as the truth of God is poured into us every day as we sit at His feet in His Word and as we attend church to learn and grow there too, that our character and our attitudes will begin to change into these 7 attitudes I’ve observed in 1 Peter 5.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, I thank You
so much for the truth of Your Word. Help me to understand the importance of
being in your Word daily and sitting under the teaching of my Pastor at church.
I pray that You would mold and shape my character with these attitudes I’ve
found in your Word so that Your glory may be seen in me and draw other
Christians into a deeper relationship with You. I want to be a vessel for Your
honor and glory. In the wonderful name of Jesus I pray. Amen!
Moving on to 2 Peter
Monday we began reading in 2 Peter, and we are finishing it today since it's only 3 chapters! *smile*
I would love to read your thoughts on what you've been reading this week in 2 Peter. Please be sure to leave your comments below and let's grow in the Word of God together!
Here are my S.O.A.P.s for the reading we've done in 2 Peter:
Scripture: 2 Peter 1:1-4 Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours: 2 Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
Observations: Grace, God’s divine power, has been imparted through the Holy Spirit to all believers so that we can live out a godly life while here in this world. This is what we have been called as believers to do and God has equipped us with His Holy Spirit – His empowering presence – enabling us to live as He is calling us to live. We have been called to live as new creations and have the glory and goodness of Jesus Christ’s life as our example in how we should live. We can have His grace and peace in abundance as we choose to surrender to His power at work within us.
Application: God will not ask us to do anything that He will not equip us to do. As we grow in our knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ by spending time daily in His Word, we learn more of how He is calling us to live as believers. We learn more of the power of His divine grace that lives within us that equips us with His power to overcome in such an ungodly world. We can walk in a peace that surpasses understanding as we surrender to His power at work within us.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your empowering presence in my life as a believer. I surrender my heart and life to Your power at work within me. Help me to be who You created me to be and to do all that You have called me to do. Thank You, Jesus, for Your example in the life You lived while here on this earth. I pray that as I spend time in Your Word daily, that Your truth would continue to transform my heart and my life for Your glory. I love You and thank You for giving me everything I need for living a godly life in such an ungodly world. I pray that my life would be a witness to others who have yet to call on the name of Jesus and would give them the desire to do so. All glory and honor and praises to Jesus alone! In His life-changing name I pray. Amen!
2 Peter 2
Scripture: 2 Peter 2:1 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.
Observations: False prophets have always been around. In the previous chapter, Peter was speaking about the men that were inspired by God to write His truths. Here he is telling us that there were false prophets as well during his time and warning us that they will be among us today too. These false prophets are from the devil sent to spread destructive heresies – beliefs or opinions contrary to the true Word of God; they deny the sovereign Lord who gave His life for all who would believe; and they bring their own destruction upon themselves because of their denial and the destructive heresies they spread.
Application: It’s so sad to see how false prophets have perverted the Word of God. It’s rampant in our world! The Bible is our final authority. We must hold everything up to the light of the true and inspired Word of God. I must be in His Word every single day – reading it and studying it – so that I am not deceived by the lies of today’s false prophets who are led by the devil in their deception and mishandling of God’s Holy Word.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, You have given us the truth of Your Word that we can hide in our hearts so that we might not sin against You. Thank You for giving us the sword of the Spirit, Your very spoken Words, to fight off the lies of the devil. I pray that I would continue to hunger and thirst for Your Word every day and not let anything get in my way for time spent in Your truth. Open up our minds so that we can comprehend Your Scriptures as Jesus did with His disciples. Help us not to be deceived by the devil or his false prophets. In the powerful name of Jesus I pray. Amen!
2 Peter 3
Scripture: 2 Peter 3:1-2 Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. 2 I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.
2 Peter 3:8, 10 8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 10But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.
2 Peter 3:17-18 Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.
Observations: This is Peter’s second letter to persecuted Christians. Scoffers who follow their own evil desires are mocking believers because Jesus hadn’t returned yet. We still wait for His return today because our time is not God’s time as we see in verse 8. We are told in verse 10 how God will destroy everything by fire.
Peter wrote this letter to encourage the persecuted Christians of his time and it is our encouragement for today as we too are living in a world that is filled with scoffers who follow their own evil desires. There is truly “nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 4:9). We are to find comfort and WHOLESOME THINKING in the Word of God given to the holy prophets and by the apostles who share with us the commands given by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Our timing is not God’s timing. We can be certain that the Day of the Lord is coming when He will destroy everything with fire.
We have been “forewarned” through the Word of God what is going to happen in the day of the Lord. Knowing this, we are to be on our guard against the errant twisting of God’s Word by false prophets and by the scoffers who deny the return of Christ. The only way that we can guard ourselves in these matters is to be growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. We do this by spending time reading and studying the Word of God.
Application: I find in the Holy Scriptures of God the way to wholesome thinking needed to live in such an ungodly and evil world. The only way I can “recall” any information gleaned from the Word of God, to “grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ” as Peter encourages us to do, is to actually BE IN THE WORD OF GOD FOR MYSELF.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of Your Holy Scriptures. Thank You for the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ that is found in Your Word that helps me guard against the lies of false prophets and scoffers. You desire wholesome thinking as we live in this evil and ungodly world and have provided us with everything we need in Your Word. Give us a hunger and a thirst for more of You and Your Word I pray. In the powerful name of Jesus I pray. Amen!
Monday, September 15, 2014
2 Peter 1
Scripture: 2 Peter 1:1-4 Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours: 2 Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
Observations: Grace, God’s divine power, has been imparted through the Holy Spirit to all believers so that we can live out a godly life while here in this world. This is what we have been called as believers to do and God has equipped us with His Holy Spirit – His empowering presence – enabling us to live as He is calling us to live. We have been called to live as new creations and have the glory and goodness of Jesus Christ’s life as our example in how we should live. We can have His grace and peace in abundance as we choose to surrender to His power at work within us.
Application: God will not ask us to do anything that He will not equip us to do. As we grow in our knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ by spending time daily in His Word, we learn more of how He is calling us to live as believers. We learn more of the power of His divine grace that lives within us that equips us with His power to overcome in such an ungodly world. We can walk in a peace that surpasses understanding as we surrender to His power at work within us.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your empowering presence in my life as a believer. I surrender my heart and life to Your power at work within me. Help me to be who You created me to be and to do all that You have called me to do. Thank You, Jesus, for Your example in the life You lived while here on this earth. I pray that as I spend time in Your Word daily, that Your truth would continue to transform my heart and my life for Your glory. I love You and thank You for giving me everything I need for living a godly life in such an ungodly world. I pray that my life would be a witness to others who have yet to call on the name of Jesus and would give them the desire to do so. All glory and honor and praises to Jesus alone! In His life-changing name I pray. Amen!
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
2 Peter 2
Scripture: 2 Peter 2:1 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.
Observations: False prophets have always been around. In the previous chapter, Peter was speaking about the men that were inspired by God to write His truths. Here he is telling us that there were false prophets as well during his time and warning us that they will be among us today too. These false prophets are from the devil sent to spread destructive heresies – beliefs or opinions contrary to the true Word of God; they deny the sovereign Lord who gave His life for all who would believe; and they bring their own destruction upon themselves because of their denial and the destructive heresies they spread.
Application: It’s so sad to see how false prophets have perverted the Word of God. It’s rampant in our world! The Bible is our final authority. We must hold everything up to the light of the true and inspired Word of God. I must be in His Word every single day – reading it and studying it – so that I am not deceived by the lies of today’s false prophets who are led by the devil in their deception and mishandling of God’s Holy Word.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, You have given us the truth of Your Word that we can hide in our hearts so that we might not sin against You. Thank You for giving us the sword of the Spirit, Your very spoken Words, to fight off the lies of the devil. I pray that I would continue to hunger and thirst for Your Word every day and not let anything get in my way for time spent in Your truth. Open up our minds so that we can comprehend Your Scriptures as Jesus did with His disciples. Help us not to be deceived by the devil or his false prophets. In the powerful name of Jesus I pray. Amen!
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
2 Peter 3
Scripture: 2 Peter 3:1-2 Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. 2 I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.
2 Peter 3:8, 10 8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 10But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.
2 Peter 3:17-18 Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.
Observations: This is Peter’s second letter to persecuted Christians. Scoffers who follow their own evil desires are mocking believers because Jesus hadn’t returned yet. We still wait for His return today because our time is not God’s time as we see in verse 8. We are told in verse 10 how God will destroy everything by fire.
Peter wrote this letter to encourage the persecuted Christians of his time and it is our encouragement for today as we too are living in a world that is filled with scoffers who follow their own evil desires. There is truly “nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 4:9). We are to find comfort and WHOLESOME THINKING in the Word of God given to the holy prophets and by the apostles who share with us the commands given by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Our timing is not God’s timing. We can be certain that the Day of the Lord is coming when He will destroy everything with fire.
We have been “forewarned” through the Word of God what is going to happen in the day of the Lord. Knowing this, we are to be on our guard against the errant twisting of God’s Word by false prophets and by the scoffers who deny the return of Christ. The only way that we can guard ourselves in these matters is to be growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. We do this by spending time reading and studying the Word of God.
Application: I find in the Holy Scriptures of God the way to wholesome thinking needed to live in such an ungodly and evil world. The only way I can “recall” any information gleaned from the Word of God, to “grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ” as Peter encourages us to do, is to actually BE IN THE WORD OF GOD FOR MYSELF.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of Your Holy Scriptures. Thank You for the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ that is found in Your Word that helps me guard against the lies of false prophets and scoffers. You desire wholesome thinking as we live in this evil and ungodly world and have provided us with everything we need in Your Word. Give us a hunger and a thirst for more of You and Your Word I pray. In the powerful name of Jesus I pray. Amen!
Well, friends, I'll see you back here at Grace-Filled-Moments on Friday where we will be discussing our reading of 1 John!
***It's your turn...please share your thoughts about 2 Peter in the comments section below!
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Walking in His Grace,
Laurie
2 Peter
ReplyDeleteMonday, September 15, 2014
2 Peter 1:
Scripture: 2 Peter 1:5-8- 5For this very reason, adding your diligence to the divine promises, employ every effort in exercising your faith to develop virtue, and in exercising virtue develop knowledge, 6and in exercising knowledge develop self-control, and in exercising self-control develop steadfastness, and in exercising steadfastness develop godliness, 7and in exercising godliness develop brotherly affection, and in exercising brotherly affection develop Christian love. 8For as these qualities are yours and increasingly abound in you, they will keep you from being idle or unfruitful unto the full personal knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Observation: The development of qualities such as diligence, virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and Christian love leads to a more effective walk with God. It is important that we grow in these areas to prevent us from becoming idle and to help us live a more fruitful life that is pleasing to the Lord.
Application: A quality that I want to focus more on is Christian love, making sure that I’m showing Christ’s love to other people. In order to do this successfully, I believe we must daily go to God and be renewed in His Word and Spirit so we are able to pour out His love that He fills us with onto other people.
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
2 Peter 2:
Scripture: 2 Peter 2:5-7- 5And He spared not the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven other people, when He brought a flood upon the world of ungodly people. 6And He condemned to ruin and extinction the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, reducing them to ashes and thus set them forth as an example to those who would be ungodly. 7And He rescued righteous Lot, greatly worn out and distressed by the wanton ways of the ungodly and lawless.
Observation/Application: From these verses, we see that God spares (has mercy on) the righteous and brings destruction to the unrighteous (ungodly). When we walk with God and live in obedience to Him, we never have to worry about the fate of our future. God has prepared a place (Heaven) for all those who follow Him and live according to His word.
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
2 Peter 3:
Scripture: 2 Peter 3:9- The Lord does not delay and is not tardy or slow about what He promises, according to some people’s conception of slowness, but He is long-suffering toward you, not desiring that any should perish, but that all should turn to repentance.
Observation: God loves us so much, and He longs for us to repent and come to know Him as our personal Lord and Savior. However, He will not force us to do anything since He has given us the power to choose. This is why He is patient with those who don’t know or follow Him, because He doesn’t want anyone to be eternally separated from Him in the end. This says a lot about the character of God- He is very loving and patient, willing to wait on people to turn away from sin and live a life pleasing to Him.
Application: Just as God is patient with us in turning away from sin and repenting, so we too should be patient with others when trying to help lead them to Christ. The patience God shows us comes out of His love for us. Therefore, it is crucial that we first show love to those we want to come to know the Lord, living as a Christ-like example. More than anything, I believe people are won to the Lord by the way Christians live their daily lives. Like the saying goes, our actions often speak louder than words.
I enjoyed reading your observations and applications Sarah! I love how you focused on the love of God that is patient with us and how we are to be patient with others who have yet to repent and show love to them as we pray for their salvation. Thanks so much for sharing! :)
DeleteWhen Cain killed Abel..was he punished? I know that he left Eden and went east to Nod.
ReplyDeleteHere is what we know from Genesis 4:11-15 about Cain's punishment:
Delete11 So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth.”
13 And Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear! 14 Surely You have driven me out this day from the face of the ground; I shall be hidden from Your face; I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth, and it will happen that anyone who finds me will kill me.”
15 And the Lord said to him, “Therefore, whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him.