2 Peter Chapter 1       (ESV)

 

Confirm Your Calling and Election

³ His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, ⁴ by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. ⁵ For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, ⁶ and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, ⁷ and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.⁸ For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.⁹ For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.¹⁰ Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. ¹¹ For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

¹² Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. ¹³ I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder, ¹⁴ since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. ¹⁵ And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.

 

Reflection

1. An exercise bicycle helps us build stamina and slims thighs. But it does no good at all unless we put in our daily effort. Our relationship with God is something like this. The resource we need to live a God-pleasing life is always there for us. But to benefit from what God has provided, we have to put in the effort.
2. We are to make every effort to live a Christian life. We begin with faith, and we go on, and concentrate on developing the following Christian virtues: Good character (virtue), spiritual understanding (knowledge), alert discipline (self-control), passionate patience (steadfastness), reverent wonder (godliness), warm friendliness (brotherly affection), and generous love. If these qualities “are increasing”, they will keep us from “being ineffective orunfruitful”
3. Take time to ponder each character trait. Then think about those you are doing well in. Think about those you need to grow in.
4. Admit your need for God’s guidance and help in your growth in him. Ask him to help you grow in those areas where you recognize you need the most improvement.

 

Prayer & Journaling:

Stay with God for a little longer. Continue to converse with God and listen to what he wants to tell me. Then write down any thought and/or prayer in the “Spiritual Journal” book.

 

 

1 Peter Chapter 5       (ESV)

 

Shepherd the Flock of God

¹ So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: ² shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; ³ not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. ⁴ And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. ⁵ Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

⁶ Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, ⁷ casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. ⁸ Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.⁹ Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. ¹⁰ And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. ¹¹ To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

 

Reflection

1. It’s hard not to be anxious when we’re suffering. Leaving everything to God seems difficult indeed. But Peter said that suffering lasts only for a little while. God will restore you, and make you strong. And in His time, God will “restore,confirm, strengthen, and establish you”. Whatever today’s pain, we have the promise of strength, and the prospect of glory – forever.
2. Recall times that you have been especially aware that God cares for you. Did you feel easier to “cast” your anxieties on God then or during other times when His love didn’t seem so close? What causes these differences in feeling?
3. What anxieties do you still have? Read this passage again. Tell God your worries one by one and ask for His guidance and care.

 

Prayer & Journaling:

Stay with God for a little longer. Continue to converse with God and listen to what he wants to tell me. Then write down any thought and/or prayer in the “Spiritual Journal” book.

1 Peter Chapter 4       (ESV)

 

Stewards of God’s Grace

¹ Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, ² so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. ³ For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry.⁴ With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you; ⁵ but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. ⁶ For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does.

⁷ The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. ⁸ Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. ⁹ Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.¹⁰ As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: ¹¹ whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

 

Reflection

1. Peter described the Roman world of his day as a society filled with violence, oppression, cruelty, the abuse of power, and sexual insanity (v3). Christians faced tremendous pressure from all sides. Living under such situations, how, for example, is it possible for Christians to maintain sexual purity in such a sexually overheated society? Peter encouraged them to live “no longer for human passions butfor the will of God” (v2).
2. The more hostile the world is to us, the greater our need for support and encouragement. The antagonism of outsiders has the effect of bringing us closer and closer to others who think and feel as we do. Christian community is a close, warm and supportive fellowship where we can find encouragement and strength to get on with life in the grim outside world.
3. If you are missing the warmth of fellowship with other Christians, you lack something essential to your growth and well-being. If you are not a part of a cell group in the church, speak to the pastor, your SS teacher or members of the church.

 

Prayer & Journaling:

Stay with God for a little longer. Continue to converse with God and listen to what he wants to tell me. Then write down any thought and/or prayer in the “Spiritual Journal” book.

 

1 Peter Chapter 3       (ESV)

 

Suffering for Righteousness’ Sake

⁸ Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. ⁹ Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.¹⁰ For

“Whoever desires to love life
and see good days,
let him keep his tongue from evil
and his lips from speaking deceit;
¹¹ let him turn away from evil and do good;
let him seek peace and pursue it.
¹² For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears are open to their prayer.
But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

¹³ Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? ¹⁴ But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, ¹⁵ but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, ¹⁶ having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. ¹⁷ For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.

¹⁸ For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, ¹⁹ in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, ²⁰ because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. ²¹ Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, ²² who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.

 

Reflection

1. Peter reminds us that God’s eyes are on the righteous, so that in the normal course of affairs, good things do happen to good people. But there are situations when you do good, and suffer for it. When this happens to you, “you are blessed”. Peter than told us how to react in such situations. Don’t fear or be frightened; remember that Jesus is Lord and sovereign over all circumstances; be prepared to explain your hope to anyone who asks why you’re living the way you are; keep a clear conscience; remember that if God chooses to let you suffer, it’s much better to suffer for something you didn’t do than for committing some sin! (vv14-17)
2. Jesus Christ suffered innocently and yet all this happened according to God’s will. God wonderfully and graciously turned injustice into a means of grace and blessing for all mankind. So, when bad things happened to God’s people, we can be sure that He is personally involved and out of the evil God will bring out some very real good.
3. Our world is often unjust. Bring to mind some of your past or current sufferings. In the context of these sufferings, how can the suffering and consequences of Christ in this passage bring you hope? Thank God for the hope we have been given in Christ.

 

Prayer & Journaling:

Stay with God for a little longer. Continue to converse with God and listen to what he wants to tell me. Then write down any thought and/or prayer in the “Spiritual Journal” book.

1 Peter Chapter 2       (ESV)

 

Submission to Authority

¹³ Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, ¹⁴ or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. ¹⁵ For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. ¹⁶ Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. ¹⁷ Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.

¹⁸ Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. ¹⁹ For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. ²⁰ For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. ²¹ For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. ²² He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth.²³ When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. ²⁴ He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. ²⁵ For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

 

Reflection

1. None of us likes to be unfairly treated. It is most frustrating when we can’t do anything about it. In this passage, Peter calls for submission even when we are treated unfairly. Peter went on to tell us that we should do what Jesus did when He suffered unjustly. Jesus didn’t retaliate, or hurl insults back at those who insulted Him. What Jesus did was to entrust “Himself to Him who judges justly.”
2. Peter did not always understand that Christ’s disciples should expect to suffer unjustly. When Jesus first announced that the Messiah must suffer and finally die unjustly in Jerusalem, Peter attempted to stop Him. (Matt 16:21-23) But now Peter understands that out of the innocent suffering of the Saviour, God worked out our salvation. The suffering of Jesus was not meaningless; it was permitted that through it good might come. Therefore Peter teaches that if we would commit ourselves into God’s hands, we can be sure that not only justice will be done for us, but also that our suffering will serve the cause of God’s grace.
3. Have you ever experienced unjust treatment or hardship because of following the Lord? Pray for courage to walk “in his steps” even in the face of suffering, today, this week, this month.

 

Prayer & Journaling

Stay with God for a little longer. Continue to converse with God and listen to what he wants to tell me. Then write down any thought and/or prayer in the “Spiritual Journal” book.

 

 

1 Peter Chapter 1       (ESV)

 

Called to Be Holy

¹³ Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. ¹⁴ As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, ¹⁵ but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, ¹⁶ since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” ¹⁷ And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, ¹⁸ knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, ¹⁹ but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. ²⁰ He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you ²¹ who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

²² Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, ²³ since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; ²⁴ for

“All flesh is like grass
and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
and the flower falls,
²⁵ but the word of the Lord remains forever.”

And this word is the good news that was preached to you.

 

Reflection

1. Peter’s call to holiness can be confusing and intimidating. We are often bombarded by the media depicting “holy” people as stiff, sexuality repressed, boring, lifeless, self-righteous, judgemental, and deeply hypocritical. Yet to be holy is to be transformed into Christ’s image. Peter talked about “be holyin all your conduct” (v15), what does it mean practically?
2. Jot a quick list of all you have to do today (or tomorrow). How could you begin to tackle this list with the goal “be holy in all your conduct”?
3. Pray specifically from your list that you would be holy and would strive to improve relationships with those around you.

Prayer & Journaling:

Stay with God for a little longer. Continue to converse with Him and listen to what He wants to tell you. Then write down any thought and/or prayer in your “Spiritual Journal” book.

 

Jude (ESV)

 

Judgment on False Teachers

³ Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. ⁴ For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

⁵ Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. ⁶ And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day— ⁷ just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.

⁸ Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones.

 

Reflection

1. Some things in life are relative. One prefers green, the other prefers blue. One like popcorn, the other likes potato chips. But truth is different. It is absolute, remains fixed and sure despite human preferences. Contending for truth (v3) doesn’t mean being hostile. But it does mean making sure people realize that truth isn’t a matter of preference.
2. Jude, as did Peter and Paul, wrote two identifying marks of the false teachers: (1) they deny Jesus Christ, making Him out to be less than God, (2) they twist that grace which frees us from the grip of sin into a license for sin. God will certainly punish the false teachers who share the spiritual and moral depravity exhibited by the Exodus generation, by fallen angels, and by the depraved communities of Sodom and Gomorrah (vv5-7).
3. What errors in faith and life do you see as subtle dangers to today’s Christians? How can you protect yourself, and other believers whose lives you touch, from falling into these errors? Pray that you and your church would be protected from false religion.

Prayer & Journaling:

If you have a prayer journal, as you listen to God, write down a few thoughts, questions, words, names, drawings, or anything that has come to your mind during this time.

 

 

James Chapter 5 (ESV)

 

The Prayer of Faith

¹³ Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. ¹⁴ Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵ And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. ¹⁶ Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. ¹⁷ Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. ¹⁸ Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.

¹⁹ My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, ²⁰ let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

 

Reflection

1. Recall a time when you came very close to wandering from the faith (v19)? Who helped bring you back? Spend some time revisit that experience and all your emotions then and now. We are all broken people—physically, emotionally, spiritually, etc—and we need each other in the community of faith to pray that we might be healed.
2. Is God putting someone in your heart that is in the “wandering from the faith” situation as you were? How would you help him/her come back to the faith?
3. Pray for the people in the church and in your cell groups. Ask God to give you a spirit of harmony, acceptance, forgiveness, compassion, and love so that you would care for one other and witness God’s power.

 

Prayer & Journaling:

If you have a prayer journal, as you listen to God, write down a few thoughts, questions, words, names, drawings, or anything that has come to your mind during this time.

 

 

260 Devotional: September 1, James 4

 

James Chapter 4 (ESV)

 

Boasting About Tomorrow

¹³ Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— ¹⁴ yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. ¹⁵ Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” ¹⁶ As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. ¹⁷ So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

 

Reflection

1. Setting goals and making plans can be good. However, when we plan, we’d meet the temptation to think that we are in control of our lives and our future. And we may often push God away from our lives. When God is not at the centre of our planning and our lives, we are not in His will.
2. If you knew that you were going to die tomorrow, how would your attitude toward life today be different? What future plans do you often dwell on? In what area of your life do you need to turn your plans over to God’s will?
3. If God were to intervene your life plan, and rearrange it for you, will you be willing? Are you willing to let go and let God take charge of your plan though you may face the unknown and follow the path laid out by God? In fact, it’s only when you allow God to direct your path, can you truly live out the abundant life God has planned for you.

 

Prayer & Journaling:

If you have a prayer journal, as you listen to God, write down a few thoughts, questions, words, names, drawings, or anything that has come to your mind during this time.

 

James Chapter 3 (ESV)

 

Taming the Tongue

¹ Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. ² For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. ³ If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. ⁴ Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. ⁵ So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.

How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! ⁶ And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. ⁷ For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, ⁸ but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. ⁹ With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. ¹⁰ From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. ¹¹ Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? ¹² Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.

 

Reflection

1. If you were to record everything you said last week to have it played back during church service, what would you want to erase from the recording?
2. Meditate on vv9-10. Have you been doing more praising or cursing? What are some ways that you can praise and encourage others more?
3. During this week, pray for a person with whom you find difficult to speak with love. And pray that God will help you to speak words of kindness and grace to this person and others.

 

Prayer & Journaling:

If you have a prayer journal, as you listen to God, write down a few thoughts, questions, words, names, drawings, or anything that has come to your mind during this time.