God’s Plan – Page 25 – Three Minute Bible

August 16, 2020August 17, 2020

1 Peter 3:1(b)-2 — Without Words

… so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.

Why would anyone want to submit to God? Mmmm…. because God is the creator of the universe and everything in it? Because when our body dies our spirit remains? Because God is the one who determines whether our spirit is with Him for eternity or tossed into the burning lake of fire? I guess that would be a good reason to submit to God.

And what does God want from us? He wants our love above all else and that we should love others as ourselves. (Matthew 22: 35-40) Oh, and he wants us to “go and make disciples.” (Matthew 28: 16-20)

August 15, 2020August 15, 2020

1 Peter 3:1 — The Same Old Deception

Picture: A statue of a child listening to a sea shell.

Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands …

One of the things that is difficult to get our heads around in this life is that we are not alone. There is a saying that goes, “What you see is what you get,” but that is not true for the world we live in. There is so much more to life than what we can see.

In our recent post, “The Back Side of the Page,” we took a look at what is behind the facade of what we call reality. Behind the stage props we call “life,” there is a larger and more real existence. It is where we find God, the angels, Satan, and his demons. It is also where we find our spiritual existence. What is hard to see are the connections between the physical and the spiritual, but they are very real.

August 14, 2020August 15, 2020

1 Peter 2:25 — We are the Sheep

Picture: A goofy looking sheep gazes at the camera with a, "Who, me?" look.

For “you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

I have to confess that I do not have any direct personal experience with sheep (outside of seeing one in a petting zoo once or twice). I do know a couple of people who have had experience working with sheep and neither one much cared for it. Sheep are dirty, stubborn, stinky, and troublesome. It is interesting that Jesus would choose to use sheep as a metaphor for people as often as he did.

What I do have experience with is going astray. I have LOTS of experience there. I don’t know how much trouble a lost sheep can get into, but people seem to have an unlimited range of options when it comes to going astray. I am pretty sure that everyone reading this has their own experience in this department, so there isn’t any need for more description here.

August 13, 2020August 13, 2020

1 Peter 2:24 (c) — The Back Side of the Page

Picture: Earth as seen from space with an unearthly glow.

…“by his wounds you have been healed.”

As we work our way through Peter’s letter, I find myself marveling at how much information Peter was able to pack into a few words. I also admire how well it correlates with the rest of the Bible. In a way, it is as if Peter has handed us a key to understanding the rest of Scripture.

In “Innocence Found” (1 Peter 2:24 (a)), we explored a thought experiment that ended with a close-up view of Jesus on the cross. To say that we have been healed by Jesus’ wounds is, at the very least, thought-provoking. How does that work? We know what kind of wounds Jesus suffered for our sake, but what kind of wound were we healed from?

August 12, 2020August 12, 2020

1 Peter 2:24 (b) — Signpost

Picture: Rustic sign pointing to the "Next Step."

… so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness …

Today’s passage speaks to a theme that has been on my heart quite strongly for the past year or so. What does it mean to “die to sins and live for righteousness?” If we want to follow Peter’s guidance, what do we do? Moreover, if we want our church body to follow Peter’s teaching here, what do we do?

If we are to die to our sin, we have to be aware that we are sinning. If we are to live for righteousness, we need to have some concept of what that means. Is it possible for us to do either without being in God’s Word every day?

August 11, 2020August 11, 2020

1 Peter 2:24 (a) — Innocence Found

Picture: An old teddy bear sits alongside an abandon railroad track.

“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross…

Experimenting is an age-old way of testing something to see if it is true. For example, when somebody says, “Try this, you’ll like it!” you might believe them or you might not. When I was twelve, my uncle handed me an oyster and gave me that line. It tasted terrible! “Try it again,” he said. I did. It didn’t taste any better the second time. So he took the oyster, tried it, and spit it out. “No wonder,” he said, “it’s rotten!” So I still don’t know if I like oysters or not, but I do know that I don’t like rotten ones.

There is another kind of experiment that can be helpful. It is called a thought experiment. In this kind of experiment, we imagine a situation and then ask ourselves questions about what we see. I think it might be helpful to do an experiment like this to help understand today’s passage.

August 6, 2020August 8, 2020

1 Peter 2:21 — Jesus’ Footprints

To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

Peter tells us that Jesus was an example for us. We should follow in his steps. This is good advice if we apply it correctly. The problem is that it is easy to misapply.

When you look at Jesus, what do you see?

August 3, 2020August 3, 2020

1 Peter 2:18 — Modern Slaves

Picture: Graphic of large grey finger pointing down at fearful employee.

Slaves, in reverent fear of God submit yourselves to your masters, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh.

The word “slave” has become a kind of dirty word these days. It is a word like any other. The condition it describes is not pleasant nor is it desirable, but slavery has existed for thousands of years. Even God’s own people, when they lived in Egypt for 400 years were slaves to the Egyptians for most of that time.

Do not misunderstand me. I am not condoning slavery. Yet, look around. How much of the world is free? If people are not free, aren’t they the same as a slave? Slavery still exists and always will until Jesus Himself comes to rule the earth.

August 2, 2020August 2, 2020

1 Peter 2:17 (d) — Honor

Picture: A veteran and our flag at attention during a Memorial Day ceremony.

… honor the emperor.

At first, when I looked at today’s text I thought, “Great! I get a day off!” After all, in our country, we have no emperor. Nothing to see here, right?

Wrong. There is a lot to see.

July 31, 2020July 31, 2020

1 Peter 2:17 (b) — Family Love

Picture: A dozen or more goslings are all the same but all different.

… love the family of believers …

Peter’s theme is submission. He wants us to “submit … for the Lord’s sake.” We are to put ourselves under others in importance. By doing this we lift others up. They become more important in our eyes.

This feels counter-intuitive to our egos. The part of us that stands apart from God does not want to submit. We glory in our independence and our power. We enjoy taking control of our lives and living large. At least as long as things go well.