Skip to main content

the righteous and the wicked

1 Peter 3:12 
"For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and His ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil."

CHANGE will keep coming. Change from within and change from without. It's all part of God's plan. Last week we started our series titled; Seasons of Life and focused on the Flavors of Fall and the way change keeps coming like the changing seasons of the years. This week we will study how we want to ANSWER change. 

Yesterday we visited an event in the Gospel record when CHANGE was happening suddenly and violently. Jesus and His core group of Disciples were in the Garden of Gethsemane. After praying there the group is surprised by the Chief Priests, Elders and Judas. The Disciples and Jesus feel like they are being ATTACKED! Just when everything is going HAYWIRE, Peter responded by CUTTING OFF the ear of a servant there with the High Priest. Peter was swept up in the moment and reacted out of fear and gets a mini sermon from our Lord and Savior. Peter is a great example of faith for us and we can be encouraged that he is all too human and makes mistakes along the way. 

The rest of this week we dig deeper into Peter's advice for us when faced with change. Peter experienced CHANGE on a level very few of us will. What can we learn from Peter? Years later after the Resurrection Peter went on mission trips through the northern areas of Asia Minor preaching the Gospel. And, years after that he wrote the people he visited letters with advice and guidance. Which is what we have in the Epistle First Peter. Just a few years after this letter Peter will be arrested and executed by the Romans around AD 66–68. 

So, Peter has some perspective and insight when he writes the words we will study this week. From First Peter chapter three, verse twelve; "For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and His ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is AGAINST them that do EVIL." God watches over and cares for His faithful followers; the righteous. The words in the verse here echo Psalm 34:15. It's not something new that Peter is teaching. God is watching and rooting for us to choose good and right actions. This is not to say that God will make the righteous win and the wicked loose. Life is not that simple in natural disasters and pandemics alike the righteous and the wicked often perish together. Look for yourself at the lives of people of virtue and faith; do they have better health and well-being than people with wicked pursuits?

I don't want to get bogged down on this point on our way to studying ANSWERS to CHANGE. But, this is interesting findings in this research...
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/01/31/are-religious-people-happier-healthier-our-new-global-study-explores-this-question/
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

we also...

Romans 6:3&4 "3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." In our studies we are striving to understand God’s love and care. God's unconditional love for His followers, appreciating that we are part of GOD’S family! God is with us from cradle to grave. His divine presence is always giving us purpose and guidance. One of the most important milestones in the life of a Christian is baptism. When we are baptized, an indelible mark is made on our soul. This mark signifies a permanent transformation and dedication of the individual to God. The act of Baptism involves water and the invocation of the Holy Trinity. This ritual is seen as a symbolic washing away of original sin and a new birth into the life of Christ. Baptism is a foundational s...
Post a Comment
Read more

I will make you

Matthew 4:19&20 "19 And He saith unto them, Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men. 20 And they straightway left their nets, and followed Him." In our "Follow Me" series, we study Jesus calling His disciples in the Gospel of Matthew. By the Sea of Galilee, a thriving fishing hub, Jesus saw Simon and Andrew casting nets as humble fishermen. His disciples were ordinary workers, not wealthy or educated elites. Jesus approached them and said, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." Remarkably, they immediately left their jobs to follow Him. This brief exchange conveys a profound truth: Jesus says, "I will make you." Only God can transform us to accomplish His purpose. We should often pray, "Help me, God," seeking Jesus' guidance to follow His plan for our lives.
Post a Comment
Read more

Elisha’s example

1 Kings 19:19-21 "19 So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth: and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him. 20 And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee. And he said unto him, Go back again: for what have I done to thee? 21 And he returned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him." In Luke 9:54, after James and John sought to call down fire on a Samaritan village that rejected Jesus, they referenced Elijah, saying, “even as Elias did?” Jesus then taught three lessons about rejection: 1- Discipleship demands sacrifice, embracing hardship and forgoing earthly security. 2- Following Jesus requires immediate, un...
Post a Comment
Read more