Apr 09 2023

Today's Bible Verse

But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

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In this verse from 1 Peter, we are reminded that the suffering we face each day will soon come to an end. At the time the verse was written people were often martyred for their faith, just as people in some parts of the world today are martyred for their faith. Even if your suffering does not take this form, the Christian's life is difficult, and it can be easy to become weary. Peter's words are a comfort to us today.

Peter calls God "the God of all grace." This serves as a reminder that the Lord is full of grace, and our suffering does not change that. Clear evidence of this grace is the fact that He has called us unto "his eternal glory." We will enjoy His presence forever—a gift we could never have earned ourselves, but nevertheless are the beneficiaries of.

After we have suffered, the verse says that God will make us perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle us. That's a lot of promises! Making us perfect means that God will continue to sanctify us; suffering evidently plays a part in helping us live holy lives. Establish means that we will be rooted and grounded in the Lord. Strengthen means that the Lord will make us strong in Him, giving us the ability to follow Him, even when it becomes difficult. Settle means that we will have peace. Even if our own suffering may seem unbearable, we can remember that it is pointing to something better if we endure it unto the Lord.

Remember that God does not look down on us when we suffer. He is not watching us with indifference or wishing that we would endure it more faithfully. Much to the contrary, He stepped into suffering for our sake. He did not sit and watch; rather, He came to Earth and died on a cross for us. He endured tremendous suffering so that one day we could experience eternal glory in Him.

Today's Prayer

Dear Lord, thank you for the promise of eternal glory. I look forward to the day when I will rest in your Kingdom perfectly forever. Thank you for being with me and guiding me every moment of my life. Thank you for your precious love. In Jesus' name, amen.

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Apr 08 2023

Yesterday's Bible Verse

For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. :

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Yesterday's Bible study

At one point in Jesus' ministry, James and John asked to sit next to Him. This frustrated the other disciples, and Jesus responded with today's verse. He emphasized that the greatest among them is not necessarily the person in authority, but instead the person who serves the most. He said that His life would demonstrate this; He did not come into the world to be ministered to, but to minister and ultimately give His life away.

We are the beneficiaries of Jesus' ministry. He saved us once and for all on the cross, and we are able to have a relationship with Him because He has atoned for our sins.

Jesus was a minister. He modeled for us what ultimate sacrifice and perfect love look like. Now, like James and John, we are supposed to spread Jesus' love throughout the world as servants. Just as Jesus came to minister to us, we are called to minister to other people.

Servanthood is a high and holy calling. Jesus lived a perfect life, and He spent it in service to the lowest of people. If we are truly imitating Jesus, we are making sacrifices to our personal comfort, choosing instead to live as Jesus did and look for opportunities to serve.

Serving others is not primarily about the people we serve. Instead, it is all about being faithful to God. When we serve, we are able to better understand the love that Jesus has for us. It instills humility and teaches us that true greatness is not about authority, power, money, or thrones, but instead in actively loving the people that God has given us the opportunity to minister to.

Yesterday's Prayer

Dear Lord, thank you so much for coming to this earth as a servant. Thank you for being a God who gives and helps us to be servants who love well just as Jesus did. Please help us as we honor you through serving, and remind us to be humble as Jesus was. In Jesus' name, amen.
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