I am late getting this posted, so, once again, we have an extra credit blog.Please read through all of I Peter for Tuesday's class. Pick out a verse or two that seems to you to be a particularly important part of Peter's recipe for leading a joyful life even in the bleakest of circumstances.
11 comments:
xI chose to comment on Peter 5 "To Elders and Young Men." What I comprehended from this reading was a lesson about christian faith and behavior to the old crowd and the young crowd. The young and the old must respect each other. Do not be proud, but be humble. God does not care for the proud, but rejoices the humble.
This is sort of a moral lesson within the reader of the passage. I think this would be a great passage for the readers that are too proud of themselves and for the readers that are depressed.
Alex Mason
As I read 1 Peter, a particular set of versus stood out to me. I recognized them from a Chpt in Pslams. The versus are 3:10-12 "Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies. Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry; the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."
To me this is a great way to lead a happy life even when it seems that things aren't going really well, because it gives us reason to believe.
in 1 Peter 1:22-23, it says 'Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.'
I think these two verses state that if you didn't believe, it's ok, and now that you do, that's great. It says that in the belief we have love for one another, in this being born again through the words of God. I think Peter offers a good lesson here for people.
-Landon Lawson
I Peter 3: 9-22 I found this to be extremely important because Peter emphasises that in order to live a joyful life we must not judge nor speak evil. ALthough we might be doing all the right things we must accept when we have to endure suffering, that we are blessed and this is the reason that we are facing difficult times. We must be optimistic about life. "For it is better, if it is the will of god, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil." Judging others and or choosing to do evil things will NEVER enhance our lives in any way and Peter reiterates this to us.For example Peter uses Christ to show how he suffered and how we must not be afraid to suffer. I think that suffering is a part of leading a joyful life. Going through hard times make one appreciate good times more.
-Maggie Madrid
Here are a couple of verses that I think are really important to leading a good life even in the worst of circumstances; peter ch 2 verse 23-25. "When he was insulted, he returned no insult;when he suffered, he did not threaten; instead, he handed himseld over to the one who judes justly. He himself bore our sins in his body upon the cross, so that, free from sin, we might live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you had gone astray like sheep, but you have now returned to thye sheperd and guardian of your souls." This helps me to think that Jesus already fought the battle against these people. It also reminds me not to worry about what they do or what they say becuase if I follow the teachings of jesus than there is nothing that they can do to harm me, for they are not the ones who judge me.
Another verse that I like is from peter ch 3 verses 10-12 "For: whoever would love life and see good days must keep the toungue from evil and the lips from speaking deciet, must turn from evil and do good, seek peace and follow after it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears turned to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against evildoers." Again for the most part this is telling the Christians to just remember what they are suppose to do and how they are suppose to act and the Lord will not forsake them. He sees what is happening and he will deal with the evil doers.
I think where it talks about christian suffering is importanted to live a joy ful life.
1 peter 2: 19-20 "(19) For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. (20) For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God."
These above passages are importanted because it tells you that if you are patient it will be acceptable to God.
It then goes on about Christ's great example 1Peter 2 :21 23 "(21)For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: (22) Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: (23) Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:"
Jesus could have easily striked down the men who hurt him. but instead he did the will of his father and did what needed to be done. By following the will of his father he got his reward.
We should be like Christ who suffered for his father for if we suffer for the kingdom of God. Great rewards will come.
Margaret Schiley
There were a couple of verses that stood out to me about leading a joyful life in even the bleakest of circumstances. The first one is the same as what Kelli Heier pointed out in the section A Call to Holy Living. The next passage i feels is part of the recipe is 2:1-10. In which he talks about people who are rejected by humans becoming the cornerstone of the church. A third part is 3:13-22. The last two passages I mentioned talked about yes a person may suffer on Earth, but they will be rewarded in Heaven. These passages would give many people hope who are going through tough times in their lives.
Eric Saathoff
"But rejoice to the extent that you share in the suffering of Christ, so that when his glory is revealed you may also rejoice exultantly." Peter is telling us in the verse that we are like Christ when we suffer in his name. If we give our life to the church in Jesus name, we are like him. He will save us from eternal tortures of hell. That would give early Christian faith that their suffering will be reward and that faith would save them from the fires of hell. It is similar to the promise that there will be 70 virgins for anyone who dies for Muhammad.
Finally, all of you be of one mind sympathetic, loving toward one another, compassionate, humble. Peter gives us the combination to lead a happy life, without it we are nothing in the eye of God except for a person who sinned and was too blind to see his own ways. There is nothing that brings happiness to a person than watching another succeed. Keeping our pride intact is one way to humble ourselves before the God.
An important part of Peter's recipe for leading a joyful life even in the bleakest of circumstances is I Peter 2:9-10 where God states to those who believe "[9] But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of Him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light [10] Once you were not a people. but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."
It is important that God chose them to face the burden of spreading the Good News of Christ to the world and that God will protect them from evil, even when they are facing persecution and other bleak circumstances.
1 Peter 2:6
See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.
Shame is one of the most suffocating and detremental emotions that any person can experience. This toxic emotion can totally drain your life of all meaning, joy, peace, fulfillment, hope, contentment. It can leave you feeling worthless, and useless.
When we put our trust in God, he frees us from this horrible emotion. We have no need for shame because he can heal us from the wounds that have caused the shame and deliver us from the effects.
Even in the bleakest circumstances (the toxic emotion of shame) we can experience joy when we trust Jesus to help us.
Donna Baskins
1 Peter 4:12-14
Peter does give pointers on how to have a joyful life. I believe a few of these are found in the verses given above. To sum everything up, we as Christians should not be surprised or discouraged when bad trials come our way. We should rejoice and give God praise because we are able to take part in Jesus’ suffering as well. We want to “walk the walk” and live like Christ did; to do this we must also take on somewhat of what Christ took on. Once we do this, it will help us become overjoyed when his glory is revealed. In Chapter 5:4 it says, “And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.” That makes me excited just thinking about it!
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