Daily Meditations on the Bible / We stand with Israel
…be sympathetic …
Summary: To be sympathetic is to resonate with another person’s heart. Being sympathetic is an important component of love. Being sympathetic is essential in the Body of Christ.
Continue reading “1 Peter 3:8 (b) — The Eyes of the Heart”
Finally, all of you, be like-minded …
Summary: The ideal church holds that the Bible is the Word of God. The members are people who live in submission to God’s will and service to others. There is an openness to feedback from the church body that helps each member become more Christlike.
Continue reading “1 Peter 3:8 (a) — The Ideal Church”
… so that nothing will hinder your prayers.
Summary: The choices we make affects our relationship with God. Choosing to follow Peter’s guidance opens the door to a better relationship with God.
Continue reading “1 Peter 3:7 (e) — The Reason Why”
… and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life …
Peter has packed a lot of instruction into this one passage we have been studying. He began by telling husbands to be considerate of their wives. Then he adds, “treat them with respect.” Before we, his readers, can even begin to form the question, “Why?” in our minds, Peter offers the answer. Because your wife is your partner, and because she is physically weaker, you must take extra care to show that you respect her. Oh yes, Peter adds, there is one other reason. Because she is an heir with you of the gift of life.
Continue reading “1 Peter 3:7 (d) — The Gift”
…as the weaker partner…
What was life like two thousand years ago? Was it much different than life was two hundred years ago? How is it different today?
Life in our world is defined by our electronic servants. “Alexa, turn up the thermostat.” “Alexa, play some music.” We can push a button and order everything from dinner to a new car and have it delivered to our home. If we need heavy lifting done, we can hire a contractor or use a power tool. The need for physical strength is less important than it has been in the past.
Continue reading “1 Peter 3:7 (c) — A Little Psychology”
…and treat them with respect …
Today’s topic is Part Two of Peter’s instruction to husbands. He started with what the NIV translates as “be considerate.” As Rich pointed out yesterday, the word “considerate” was translated from the Greek, “gnōsis.” This word is most often translated as “knowledge” or “knowing.” Peter intends that men should be mindful of how women are different.
Today we look at the second part of this passage, “… and treat them [your wives] with respect.” The first question that comes to mind is, “Why wouldn’t a husband treat his wife with respect?” Peter continues the passage referring to wives as “the weaker partner.” So let’s look at the question in the context of physical size.
Continue reading “1 Peter 3:7 (b) — Giving to Get”
Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives…
Peter has instructed wives and now turns his attention to the husbands. He begins, “… in the same way….” In the same way as what?
To find the answer, we have to go back to Chapter 3, verse 1. Peter writes, “Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands.” Wait a minute. In the same way as — what?
If we go back to Chapter 2, verse 21, we read: “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.”
Continue reading “1 Peter 3:7 (a) — The Cost of New”
You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.
As a kid, one of my favorite things to do was to play in the dirt. If there was water nearby, that was even better. When I was about six years old, there was a small creek that ran through the woods at the end of the road by our house. As an adult, I wouldn’t look twice at this “creek.” It was just a trickle of ditch water that meandered away from the road under the trees. As a kid, though, it was a world unto itself.
In the mind of a six-year-old boy, the woods and the creek took on mythic dimensions. Lit only by the soft green light of the sun filtering through the trees, shadows added another dimension of mystery. Sticks, rocks, and mud all transformed from the mundane into magical building materials. Within the space of an eye blink (time did not exist in this place), the trickle of water had transformed into a lake behind a large dam. There were roads, causeways, canals, and rivers. It was a peaceful and idyllic miniature world — until disaster struck!
Continue reading “1 Peter 3:6 (b) — Displaced Fear”
For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves. They submitted themselves to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord.
Today’s passage is interesting. If I read through it quickly, I think, “That’s nice…” But, if I stop and think about what Peter is saying, I have to cringe a little.
Peter begins by talking about “the holy women of the past.” That is a broad brush to paint a picture with! It includes all holy women in the Bible. Who would you put on that list? Who wouldn’t make the cut?
Continue reading “1 Peter 3:5-6(a) — The Brush”
Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.
When I think of “outward adornment” my mind wanders back to Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee. The year I was born Elvis Presley was already twenty years old. He had just signed his first recording contract with RCA Records. As a kid, there was always an Elvis song on the radio. Maybe I was a bit jealous but I decided at an early age that I didn’t think much of him or his music.
Continue reading “1 Peter 3:3-4 — Godly Values”