Faithful people, exhortation, and the true grace of God.

1st Peter 5:12 By Silvanus, our faithful brother as I consider him, I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God in which you stand.

1st Peter 5:13 She who is in Babylon, elect together with you, greets you; and so does Mark my son.

1st Peter 5:14 Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to you all who are in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Silvanus, or Silas, helped Peter to write his letter. Peter dictated the letter, and Silvanus wrote it down for him, and also apparently delivered the letter to the readers. 

Peter says that Silvanus was "our faithful brother" He belonged to the entire body of Christ, and was known by others as a dependable, trustworthy, reliable, the kind of person you could trust. What a blessing he was to Peter, and to others. You could trust him, he would do what he said he would do. 

This letter was an exhortation, or an encouragement. An exhortation, is a call or a request, an expression of desire, a beseeching of another person. 

So, when you read the letter, the things in it, are the things that God is calling you to believe, and to do. 

It is also a letter that explains the true grace of God. God's grace is true, and there are often attempts to distort it, and twist it around. But, this letter says it the way the Lord intended it to be said. Grace is never an excuse for sin, but rather an answer to sin, and a loving and powerful way for lives to change and bring glory to God, and to show and share His love. 

A final thought here about Mark. He is an example of someone who had at one time failed in his duty, but, was now being used by God. So, his life says to anyone who has also failed, that it's entirely possible to be placed back into useful and effective service for Christ. 

Love and peace are mentioned here at the end. Only God's love can truly bring peace. Man can try all he wants to to make peace and find it etc, etc. but, only the Lord can make peace for man, and then make peace between men. 

Amen........

Pastor Bob Grenier. 

What happens after you suffer a while?

Peter answers that question in the verse below. 

1Pet 5:10 But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.

Peter is actually praying in this verse, but, tells us a little about God, and what God has called us to, and what God will do in our lives.

First of all, God is the God of all grace. He is not just the God of grace, but the God of all grace. All grace is from God, and all grace would also include all the grace that God could give, and all the grace that one could need. 

Secondly, God has called us in Christ to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus This speaks to the fact that our salvation, includes not just the forgiveness of sins, and the giving of a new life, but of the giving to us eternal glory. We will share forever in the glory of God. 

After we have suffered awhile, which speaks to the fact that there is at some point an end to suffering, and the context deals with this life. But, the point that Peter is making has to do with the work that God does in our hearts during the time of suffering. A number of specifics are mentioned. 

Perfect, establish, strengthen and settle you. 

Perfect is translated to mean, to complete, or mend, equip, arrange and adjust, to fit, to frame, and to prepare. 

Establish, to make stable, place firmly, set fast, make firm, to render constant, confirm, one's mind. 

Strengthen, is to make strong, and is used of one's soul. 

Settle, meaning to found, ground, lay the foundation, make stable, and to establish. 

So, these are the blessings that come into our lives through the times of suffering as we walk with the Lord, and allow Him to work in us, that which is well pleasing in His sight. 

I pray that this devotional today, is of help and comfort to you, in that it gives you some ability to see down the road abit, and realize that God is at work, and will work to bring these blessings into your life. 

Pastor Bob Grenier

What to do with the devil, and how to do it.

1st Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

1st Peter 5:9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.

Peter moves from the call to humility and the reception of grace from God, to how we posture our lives in light of the devil who is seeking whom he may devour. 

First of all, he says to be sober, be vigilant. Or be self controlled and alert. When we are out of control, it's easy to get tripped up, and do things that one later regrets, and or at the same time becomes less strong against spiritual darkness, and is an easy target for the devil's attacks and temptations. Being alert is a companion strength to self control. Paying attention is needful. Both of these are the basis of how we are to deal with the devil. 

Peter then explains that we have an adversary, the devil, who is our enemy, also called the slanderer, is always actively seeking an opportunity for a vicious attack against us. And, this is why we need to be sober and alert. In other words we need to be on our guard as it were. 

What satan wants to do is to devour the Christian, that is to destroy the work of God in his or her life. He wants to stop any progress towards spiritual growth and maturity. He is a fruit devourer. 

Here's what else to do....it's a short sentence concept and action to take. "Resist him, steadfast in the faith"

 We are to stand immovable against him, by being rock solid in our faith. In other words the best defense against satan, is a consistent walk with the Lord. Be steadfast in the faith, in your faith. Be firm, solid, hard, rigid. Walk with the Lord, that's how you stand against the enemy. 

Finally, Peter brings in what his readers knew, or were coming to know, and that is, the same kinds of sufferings were going on in the lives of other christians in other parts of the world. 

In life, it often helps to know that other people go through the same things. And, so often when we are suffering, we forget that others are also. We tend to think that no one knows the kind of trouble I'm going through. But, when you do meet someone who has a similar trial and challenge, or is also suffering in some painful way much as you are, there is a comfort and encouragement found there. Thus, Peter says, "your not the only one" etc.

So, while it's true the devil and his angels are tricky and deceitful, it's no secret as to how we are to deal with him. To sum it up then........

1. Be sober, or self controlled.

2. Be alert, and aware.

3. Resist the devil by being stedfast in your faith. 

4. Remember, other christians are also going through it. 

Well Lord, once again, Your Word is so simple and yet true. Thank You for it. In Jesus name Amen...

Grace, and exaltation in God's timing.......

1Peter 5:5b “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”

1Peter 5:6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,

God is who He is, and can do what He does, and does do what He wants to do. He is holy, loving, gracious, just, right in all His ways, full of mercy, and His compassions do not fail. 

God also resists the proud...But as we see above, He gives grace to the humble. So, He does the one and the other also. 

In light of the resistance and giving of God, Peter calls us to "humble ourselves under His mighty hand, that He may exalt us in due time"

Our call and blessing is to humble ourselves under His mighty hand. His promise is also connected with His timing. He will exalt you, and He will do it in His own timing, or in due time. ( If not in this life, certainly in the hereafter )

Jesus said the same things.......

Mt 23:12* “And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. 

Humble, or humility, means to abase, bring low. to level, reduce to a plain, to assign to a lower rank or place. To be ranked below others who are honoured or rewarded. And, of course our call to humble ourselves, is to humble ourselves under His "mighty" hand. Or His strong and powerful hand. ( by the way, it's the same hand that hold us. We are in His hands, 

Due time, means, always,, a fixed or definite period of time. The time when things are brought to crisis, and the right time. So, if you are humbling yourself under His mighty hand, rest your hope fully on His promise to you. He will exalt you, in the right time. Exalt by the way, means, to lift up on high, to raise to the very summit of something. To raise to dignity, honor and happiness. That's what the Lord will do for the humble person. 

Thank You Father. In Jesus name, amen....

Submit, Humility, Pride, and a promise from God to the Humble

1st Peter 5:5  Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”

1st Peter 5:6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,

These verses are directed to the young and to "all of you" or us.

Peter had been talking to the elders, or pastors, and now he has something to say to everyone, but he starts with the younger people, and then adds everyone. 

The message here is one of humble submission.  He says to submit to your elders, that is to come under their authority. And, to be submissive to one another. Same idea, come under in  a humble way, to other believers. So, this covers the attitude towards those in leadership, and to the entire body of Christ. 

Not only the attitude of being submissive, but, additionally, to be clothed with humility. Then quoting from Proverbs, 3:34, and from Isaiah 57:15 ( Where God through Isaiah was encouraging the repentant and humble, and warning the wicked ) two thoughts, about how God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. 

So, these two things. Submissiveness towards leaders, and to one another, and clothing ourselves with humility. 

To clothe ourselves with humility, or lowliness of mind, is to put that attitude on, just as you would if you were putting on some piece of clothing. It's something we choose to do. To be humble, 

making yourself low, bringing yourself into a humble condition, to place yourself below others, to bring down one's soul, bringing down one's pride, to have a modest opinion of one's self. To behave in an unassuming manner, and to be devoid of all haughtiness. To demote yourself in your own opinion. 

And, the promise here, is that grace flows to the humble heart. Not to the proud. God resists or opposes that kind of heart.  Proud, means to show oneself above others, overtopping, being conspicuous above others, pre-eminent. It means the over estimation of oneself, and to despise others, or even treating them with contempt and being haughty. That type of heart and person is resisted by God.

Here are a few synonyms for the idea of pride as taught in the Bible.

Synonyms for Boaster, Proud, Insolent.

alazwn is properly a boaster, who tells great things concerning his own prowess and achievements, with the implied idea that many of his claims are false. This word naturally describes a trait which manifests itself in contact with one's fellow men, not one which exists simply within the heart.

uperhfanov describes one who thinks too highly of himself, describing a trait which is simply internal, not referring primarily to external manifestation, although this is implied. It means one who is proud, the external manifestation when it appears being in the form of arrogance in dealing with others.

upristhv describes one who delights in insolent wrong-doing toward others, finds pleasure in such acts. Cruelty and lust are two of the many forms which this quality assumes. These three words occur together in Ro 1:30.  They are never used in a good sense. They may be said to move in a certain sense in an ascending scale of guilt, designating respectively "the boastful in words, the proud and overbearing in thoughts, the insolent and injurious in acts" (Cremer).

Lord Jesus. Help us to be humble, and to put it on, and to resist being proud, so that You do not resist us. 

Thank You for the fact that You would even give grace to anyone. Thank You that humility is sought after by You, and that we an walk in that way before You. So, Lord, teach us to walk in humility. 

Humility, and a promise from our God.

Encouragement for Pastors. Pt 2

1Pet 5:1 The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed:

1Pet 5:2 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly

1Pet 5:3  nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock

1Pet 5:4  and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.

We saw first of all ( in 1st Pet 5:1 ) the exhortation he was going to give them,  was from one elder/pastor-teacher to another. Secondly, He witnessed the sufferings of Christ there on the cross. Thirdly, Peter was also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed. He uses these two terms to describe the life and ministry of Christ, His first coming, ( suffering ), and His second coming ( glory ). Earlier in the letter, Peter also indicated that this is what the Spirit of Christ who was in the prophets indicated to them, and was testifying to them. In a very real sense, this is what the Bible teaches about from front to back. Jesus will come to the earth first time, and suffer for the sins of man. Jesus will then come back to the earth a second time, and reign in glory upon the earth for 1000 years. 

Now in verses 2-4, he gives the exhortation. We remember, that an exhortation, means to encourage, to comfort, by way of instruction, to admonish, to console, to strengthen by consolation, to instruct, and to teach. So, here is what he says to them.........1. Shepherd the flock of God which is among you as overseers. 2 Not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly. 3. Nor as being lords over those entrusted to you. 4 But being examples to the flock. 5. And then the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away. 

So, these five things really round out if you will the responsibilities of those called to pastoral ministry, those who lead the flock of God. To shepherd means to feed by teaching the Word, to rule by loving servanthood, to govern the flock, to supply all that is needed for the sheep, to protect them, and to lead them. To nourish the sheep, and to supply to them all that is required for their soul’s need. 

All this is to be done then, not because you have to, but rather willingly. Leaders should want to lead, not have to be pushed to lead. Adding, that the leading also should not be done to make money, but rather, just eagerly, with a ready mind. And, they are not be lord it over, or be like big bosses over the flock ( leaders are to rule, but not as lords, but has helpers of their joy ) and, he sums their duties up by say, but “being examples” to the flock” In other words the flock should see in you what they ought to be. And a leader ought to look like Jesus in action. 

The last thing he says to them, it remind them of the hope that they have as Christians, and pastors’ Jesus is coming. We are shepherds who serve under the Chief Shepherd. He is going to appear visibly. We will see Him face to face, and at that time, we will receive something from Him, is is the the crown of Glory, and this crown does not fade away. What is it?. Not exactly sure. It could be a simple reference to our new glorified bodies. Or it could be some other reward, that is reserved especially for those who have been in leadership down here among God’s flock. Either way, it will not fade away. It will last for eternity. 

Lord, we love You, and we love Your Word. Thank You for giving it to us. In Jesus name. 

Pastor Bob Grenier