Bragging On Jesus

Proverbs in 365 Devotions

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Proverbs 19:16 Whoever keeps the commandment keeps his life; he who despises his ways will die. 17 Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.

What Is The Commandment?

R Aylor

Alright, today we find Solomon speaking of the commandment in the singular… which is quite interesting i thin… and he doesn’t say whether he’s speaking of the kings command or Gods. So… whats this about?

As far as whether this refers to the kings commandment or Gods command…. we have seen over and over in Proverbs so far how the physical things Solomon speaks of points to the spiritual things of God. So there is that aspect and it should not surprise us if that is the case here. As for the commandment being in the singular. I would suppose that this implies there is an underlying commandment that supports the others… A foundational commandment on which all the others hang…

For the king it might be something related to how the integrity of his kingdom should reflect his own values. Those who keep the commandment of the king keep their life. In keeping his command singular I think would mean to keep all his commands plural.

Jesus spoke of two commandments… one rather that was supreme… In Matthew 22 a Pharisee who was a Lawyer ask him a question:

Matthew 22:36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

So to glorify God in loving him and serving him from the heart above all others is supreme… If we do that we would no doubt keep the second command as well… and all the others. Gods glory… his character, his attributes… who he is… is to be seen by us so we may worship him as the greatest treasure in the Universe. This is what God wants… and the second is like the first… that we might love our neighbor and share the glory of God with them.

Let’s make sure we get one thing right here… trying to keep commands of God by doing works does not bring us salvation. At the same time though we are not saved by works we will be judged by works. Our works...our fruit will prove God has and is doing a work in us... these are not our works but his in us.

So in that sense those who keep Gods commandment does keep their life... because Gods work in us proves we have life in him.

And only when God has made this change in our heart are we able to do what the 2nd verse in our Proverbs text says… Only when we do this with the right spirit, the right heart… quickened by the Holy Spirit.

17 Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.

Pray

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Proverbs in 365 Devotions

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Proverbs 19:15 Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep, and an idle person will suffer hunger.

Deep Sleep & Extreme Diet

R Aylor

What is this verse saying to us? Lets start with the first half: “Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep”.

Sounds like a skit or commercial might be made out of this one: Are you tired of taking pills to in order to have a good nights rest? Why not try slothfulness or laziness as a good alternative to sleeping pills... we can train you how to be a lazy bum and attain that good deep sleep we all want.

Is that the message of the text? I think not! Solomon does not mention the word good. In fact the Bible says that good sleep comes not from laziness but honest work. Eccleasties 5:12, which is likely Solomon speaking again says: Sweet is the sleep of a laborer, whether he eats little or much,... another is Proverbs 3:24 for those who walk in wisdom and discretion… it says: If you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. And one more: Psalm 4:7-8 You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound. In peace I will both lie down and sleep;

for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

Now for the second half of the verse… “and an idle person will suffer hunger”.

The bad commercial might continue by saying something like: So, for only $19.95 let our idle hands department give you the secret to not only deep sleep but also weight loss. It’s the diet that has become a big hit in the United States. It’s called the “No work no eat diet” or the “sleep and be slothful slim down selfish skeleton diet”.

No! these are not the things that Solomon are saying.

Being idle and lazy can cause us all kinds of problems which can ruin us and begins in varying selfish ways. Maybe it starts with wanting to stay home and watch tv or maybe go fishing instead of going to work. Then again, many people want as much for free as possible. If they can get the government to pay them for not working… well, why not? And by government I mean the working peoples money… Thats where it comes from.

There are some good and bad ways that we might fight laziness… but It takes something to motivate us. The motivation to eat is a good one… the motivation to provide for family… But to be rich for the sake of a life of self centered goals… No; and thats what most people I think at least in the US work for. Its to be rich and for those riches to be tagged with being powerful and thought of as successful. So basically, selfishness goes two directions and many times in extremes. Be self serving by working to make lots of money or be self serving by being lazy and doing as little as possible.

In closing one major thing about laziness… A person who is lazy is not accomplishing the purpose God created them for. They realize their worthlessness and it brings on depression. They give up… i think about Judas who betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver? After he realized his worthlessness and even returned the silver… However he did not turn to Jesus for mercy and strength to glorify God with his life… Instead he gave up and gave in to the brokenness of sin and hung himself.

Slothfulness to not being motivated by God leads to a deep sleep concerning the spiritual things of God... Being idle to the things of God leads to never fulfilling the deep hunger in your soul. That savoring satisfaction only comes through Jesus.

John 6:35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

Pray

Proverbs in 365 Devotions

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Proverbs 19:13 A foolish son is ruin to his father, and a wife’s quarreling is a continual dripping of rain. 14 House and wealth are inherited from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the Lord.

Good Comes From The Lord

R Aylor

First let’s look at verse 13, then tie it in to verse 14. How does a foolish son become a ruin to his father? Well, it proclaims to the world that his was a bad father whether he was or not. He did not bring up his son right… He did not teach him to be a man who would do good and walk in wisdom. He brings ruin to his father by polluting his family name… We may think we will be known by our own deeds in life but people also form an opinion about us by who is in our family and even those in our close circle whom we fellowship with… These things, sometimes rightfully and other times wrongfully… still they mark us as one to make judgements about by the world.

So a foolish son can be ruin to his father…. But Solomon also says something about a mans wife… she could even be the mother of the foolish son that brought ruin to his father. She is always arguing with her husband… she continually has a falling out with her friends and some have disowned her for good. She considers herself a victim in life and thinks she deserves things and money and fame and people who deprive her of it are evil and so she is always grumbling hoping somehow she might get her own way.

This continual dripping that Solomon compares her to makes me think of some form of torturing with water. It is like an itch you cant scratch… And if you possibly are able to scratch it just gets worse. If you argue back this woman will make threats to you or to harm herself. It seems like a no win situation.

Well, verse 14 gives hope to someone whether man or woman, boy or girl who is in a difficult situation and life is out of their control. Solomon says in this world houses and wealth are passed on to children in the form of an inheritance… But a prudent wife is from the Lord. Yes, relationships are what Solomon is focusing on in these verses… Relationships between people like the foolish boy and the quarreling wife and even the father… all their relationships with God first… then with one another.

Relationships filled with foolishness, arguing and grumbling are that way whenwe are seeking to find satisfaction in the world… We are believing satans promises…

But the good things that bring peace and true joy and life… innumerable unsearchable riches… Good loving relationships… a purpose for living… They come from the Lord through Jesus Christ who gave his life that we might live… and he defeated death that we might live in victory and new life with a purpose and then be raised up with him incorruptible forever.

Pray

Proverbs in 365 Devotions

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Proverbs 19:12 A king’s wrath is like the growling of a lion, but his favor is like dew on the grass.

Supreme Ruler And Leader

Jesus Christ

R Aylor

Today Solomon gives us and example of one character… A king. Being a king himself he may have been considering his own position in comparison to kings throughout the world. And to go along with this character Solomon gives us two metaphors.

Let’s look at the first: “A king’s wrath is like the growling of a lion”.

A king has the right to have extreme anger. It is not a sin for him especially if he is a good and just king. It’s a good thing for him to be angry with people who steal or kill or take advantage of the poor, the unlearned or those who cannot defend themselves. He is the final judge. Sometimes kings would make individual judgments against wrongs within their kingdom. If not a good king would at least set up judges who would discern truth with fairness to all concerned. But the king took responsibility for the justice system in his kingdom.

As for us… it’s not a sin to be angry with sin… not only in the lives of others but in our own life as well.

But we are not king of our own life or anyone else’s. Even our nation is not run by kings or dictations. In the United States we have a system of laws which govern us with judges and jury’s that are intended to help to make sure justice is given at least to the best of our knowledge. Therefore, since we are not king or judge we are not to execute extreme anger by showing wrath toward individuals who are accused of taking advantage of others. Since there is no king in our administration we let the laws of our own system with judge, jury, lawyers, police officers and such use the authority given to them to carry out justice. And yes… even then in our system of government there are lawful ways to contest wrongs done in our own system.

So while a kings wrath (and we might say a jury’s wrath) is like the growling of a lion… A kings favor is like dew on the grass. This metaphor… “dew on the grass” is an image that make me think of a new day… even new life, as in spring… It clearly invokes “favor” because it’s in the text. It’s a new day… it’s a fresh slate. The king has said “not guilty”. It’s peace and joy and acceptance… It’s “happy ever after”.

Of course there is only one King who is supreme ruler and its not Putin of Russia or Kim Jong-un of North Korea… whom are referred to as supreme rulers… It’s Jesus Christ and as it says in Acts 10:42 “he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead”.

Speaking of a king today's text says “his favor is like dew on the grass”.

And the true supreme leader… the King of kings… Jesus… His favor is implied in Luke 2:14 as proclaimed by the angels to the shepherds when they the announced the good news of Jesus birth:

“Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” That word pleased can mean satisfaction, delight, or kindness and is even interpreted as on one whom his favor rests.

Jesus is good news because through him we escape the wrath of the King that we deserve for our rebellion. If we delight in him we are granted Gods favor through Jesus righteousness being given… even imputed to us and through him taking the wages of our sin by dying on the Cross… And Jesus is good news because in him raising from the grave he gives us power over sin in this life and will raise us up incorruptible to be with him forever.

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Pray

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Proverbs in 365 Devotions

For more go to braggingonjesus.com

Proverbs 19:8 Whoever gets sense loves his own soul; he who keeps understanding will discover good. 9 A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will perish. 10 It is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury, much less for a slave to rule over princes. 11 Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.

Good Sense To Love Ourselves

R Aylor

Today we have 4 verses that are somewhat related I think. And that link is something called sense.

Verse 9 says the one who has it loves his own soul.

Do you think it is important to love yourself?

Jesus said to love your neighbor as yourself so even his words imply… I believe that we are to love ourselves if we are to love our neighbor.

Verse 9 talks about the person who breathes out lies… This person does not have the wisdom to love himself because if he had the good sense and appreciation to read he would find that his lies to his neighbors will lead to his own perishing.

So loving ones self means to seek and find what is good for us… What truly makes us happy… Its not in the empty promises of the world… they lead to our perishing.

In what context should we then love our own soul?

I mean… well, even looking ahead to eternity… we know we love ourselves if we do not want to go to a place called Hell that is prepared for the devil and his angels. I love myself enough not to want to go there.

But there are more reasons to have the sense to love ones self even here on this earth. We are to want joy for ourselves. Great joy!

Galatians 15:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

This passage flows and goes right into verse 11 of our Proverbs text. Verse 11 says: Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.

The Holy Spirit gives us this godly good sense… It does not come from us or from anything in the world but from God. It brings good sense to love and forgive others, to be patient and kind and all the things mentioned (the fruit of the Spirit) and this includes having joy.

Romans 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Why might God want us to love ourselves enough to have great joy?… and to love us enough to live for eternity in heaven? Because He is glorified when we look to him. You see, great and true joy and life and peace and forgiveness and righteousness are all found in Jesus. And eternity is to be spent with Jesus. He is the greatest treasure in the Universe and good news for our sinful soul. In our joy we are willing to turn away from all the empty promises of the world for Jesus. It glorifies God to give us the good sense to look to him… It glorifies God to bring us joy and adoption and an eternal inheritance sharing in his glory forever.

But for those who do not love themselves enough to believe Gods word… and all he wants for us… They will believe the lusts and desires found in and encountered by the flesh and in their own body and will perish.

Pray

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Proverbs in 365 Devotions

For more go to braggingonjesus.com

His Poverty, Our Gain

Proverbs 19:6 Many seek the favor of a generous man, and everyone is a friend to a man who gives gifts. 7 All a poor man’s brothers hate him; how much more do his friends go far from him! He pursues them with words, but does not have them.

You may have heard the saying “It’s all about the money”. Well that's the way it works in the kingdoms of this world. We find that people in the broken world give to those who are wealthy in order to gain more for themselves.

That’s how it works in politics and thats how it works with our neighbors and acquaintances.

In Politics people give support including money to their chosen candidates… not with hopes to overflow their favorite nominee’s pockets with cash but to better their own pockets and those of their own families.

As for our rich acquaintances, we fall into the same trap as we do in politics. We seek for them to be our friend with gifts and various forms of flattery, not for their benefit… not for the ultimate purpose of proclaiming their glory, but in hopes for our own exaltation.

This is why no one flatters the poor… except in the areas they are rich in. If the poor have something others want… the poor can be the most vulnerable and easy to flatter for that prize. The poor are most often taken advantage of by others to gain power… and especially in politics where we see many who make promises to the poor with insincere motivations. Politicians want their vote… they want them to be their friends… why? Because their vote will give them power and control… So they appeal to their needs and they appeal to mankind’s weaknesses in order to enable them to stay poor that they might hold on to their sense of supremacy over them. No matter where you stand in politics you can surely see this in your own party’s appeal to the poor at times.

Thankfully the kingdom of God operates much different than the world… and Jesus himself gives us the example to follow.

Speaking of Jesus 2nd Corinthians 8:9 says: ..for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.

Jesus was not like us… he was not like most politicians. He willingly gave up everything including life so we might have true life and receive an inheritance in him.

Mark 10:42 And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 43 But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 44and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Pray

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Short People (Being Snappy & Angry)

R Aylor

Randy Newman's 1977 album included a song entitled “Short People”. It was a song about prejudiced from an extreme biased lunatics viewpoint… and it was actually about people who are short in stature. But today I’d like to think about “Short People” a little differently.

This month, we are to include a pun within our brag on Jesus talk and basically the whole subject and message of the sermon is the Pun. The world has way too many short people.

By “short” I'm not talking about Brad Chase or Joe Espinosa... No, its not about being short in stature... these men may be some of the tallest, biggest men around these parts within the kingdom of God.

I am referring to a culture of people who are short tempered... not patient with others... always in a hurry to do their well intentioned plans... One person I am talking about is myself because I fall into that “short” category quite often. I want us to look at James 1:19… and James says to be in a hurry in one way and to slow down in two ways… let’s take a look at that.

James 1:19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;

James says to be in a hurry in one way that we are usually very slow in... in our hearing... We should listen to the downcast and those who need Gods love. Listen to the Widows and Elderly, listen to brothers and sisters in Christ going through troubles and need encouragement.

So yes, maybe think of it like this... we should have not really short ears but big ears to be a good listener… not ears for hearing gossip but for understanding and showing compassion to others… The world has way too many short ears. Maybe you’re like me and when you were growing up you looked in the mirror and you thought… “wow my ears are big”… Well that's a good thing… and especially from a Spiritual standpoint.

James said we should be not only quick to hear but also be slow to speak. Another text that goes along with that is:

Proverbs 18:13 If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame.

Have you ever watched Jeopardy on tv? Alex Trebek always does what this text says… He gives the answer before the contestants give the question…

I know Jeopardy is a bit different than what we're talking about today.

How many a time has another person interrupted you and tried to finish your sentence as if they knew exactly what it was?

If this happens occasionally it may be that they are just showing you that they are listening well.

Many times I think that for someone who frequently interrupts, quite often the problem is that they are not patient. They are being short…

One thing about always being in a hurry… We think our agenda… our task… our purpose for the day is more important than listening to others.

Even as believers although we may want to be on mission for Christs every minute of the day… and there's so much mission work to do that we have to finish peoples sentences and hurry off to do more mission work and change the world…

Like the song I love by Sweet Brown a few years back... we think: Aint nobody got time for that...

That's the way we feel sometimes I think... even as we are ministering to others. ...

The irony may just be that slowing down and being better listeners… trusting God instead of ourselves and all of our running… may be the mission and we may be missing it every day.

James also says to slow down in our anger.

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Impatience and anger keeps us from a spirit of worship to God and it also keeps us from mission. And I think the mission of God shows itself in the interruptions of our daily life.

We can't escape the busyness of the world... nor should we want to 100%... God does not want us to be hermits but to participate in relationships in this broken world. The mission is hidden within the busyness we encounter.

Proverbs in 365 Devotions

For more go to braggingonjesus.com

Proverbs 19:5 A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will not escape.

Yarn Spinner

R Aylor

Of course this text points us to the 9th commandment in Exodus 20:16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor."

One might think this is referring to our life on earth and that a liar will be punished in being brought before the magistrate and sentenced… Or maybe someone who lies on the witness stand? Is the verse referring to either of these situations? Maybe Solomon, when he heard of it… punished those who breathed out lies in his kingdom.

But, I suppose in every society there are liars who never stand before a court for all their false witnesses. Even in a general sense every person I suppose breathes out deception to others. We lie with our body language and the inflections of our voice every day. We deceive at work and home and to our spouse. When we allow false impressions to continue… We become experts at leading people on without actually saying lying words… that is in addition to the lying words we actually do say. Still, in all this we are usually not thrown in jail or punished by those in authority.

And yet there is a way we suffer because of all our lying. Like the boy who cried wolf wolf… liars, even those who lie in the way they carry themselves…. liars loose trust with others. Some liars lie about things in hopes to help others. We may at times when giving advice try to relate to someone we are counseling and say “I went through the same thing you went through”. We may tell another person we never experienced the same thing or else give a deviation of our story so we can build trust with that person. In the long run, lying breaks trust and relationships.

You know… For someone who defends themselves with lies… I think it is easier to trust them in everyday things that are not related to their guarded sins than to trust someone who makes up stories to gain trust. Look, lying damages relationships of all involved…

So I suppose in that sense, liars are punished here on earth. Lying is like drugs… it is hard to quit and it will lead you to being found out and will bring ruin to your life.

Finally, it is no secret that God will judge liars along with all sin. I think this is the foundational truth of the text. Even if a liar escapes punishment on earth in this short life which is like a vapor compared to eternity… after they stand before God their Judge, with their sin they will reap a just payment.

And the thing is… this is true for all of us… There are wages to be paid out to liars… all us sinners. And this will go one of two ways.

Either we will trust God and accept that Jesus took the sentence for our sin and died on the Cross… And not only did he die physically but God turned his face away from his only Son in Spirit and fellowship as he bore our sin… From the Cross, Jesus, crying out in a loud voice quoted from Psalm 22 saying: “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Matthew 27:46

So Jesus took the payment for our sin…

2nd Corinthians 5:21 is another great verse that shows this truth:

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Again, either we delight in Jesus who died and rose again… or we will be paid the wages of our own sin by separation from God and all things good forever. Either Jesus is judged for our sin or we will be.

Romans 6:23 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Pray

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Proverbs in 365 Devotions

Proverbs 19:4 Wealth brings many new friends, but a poor man is deserted by his friend.

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A Plethora Of Friends

R Aylor

Here is another common sense proverb. We know this truth… We see it in everyday life and in the News.

When a person becomes homeless they don’t make a whole lot of new friends… they may begin to build trust among others that are in the trenches with them… but even then, not all of them… Some who are desperate even those who they may have thought were their friend steal and take advantage of them.

And what about those who have recently acquired much wealth… maybe they won a sweepstakes or the lottery or received an inheritance. Yes of course… friends seem to pop out of the woodwork.

Of course, these are the ways of the broken world we live in. But remember, the kingdom of God operates much differently than the world.

I like the movie genre of Sci-fi and some Fantasy shows. And so I have this kind of personal analogy of the kingdom of God. I’m sure its not perfect… nevertheless, it makes me think of another dimension laid down on top of the physical world we live in. It syncs up with everything we do… It intersects with our world. And like the invisible wind that blows the trees and transforms the land, the Spirit transforms our lives and the lives of others across the globe.

And so as for the truth of this verse… how wealth brings friends and poverty brings desertion…. in the kingdom of God its totally different. Poverty brings a family of friends not only across the globe but the span of time. And what’s more, only a person who realizes their spiritual poverty can be accepted and adopted into the royal family of the King. Only one who files spiritual bankruptcy will receive an inheritance of all things, even sharing Gods glory in His kingdom.

How can we go against the grain of the worlds view of riches and poverty and friends? How can we walk in the Spirit with these in this broken world?

Luke 14:12 He said also to the man who had invited him, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. 13 But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”

You see that is what Jesus did for us.

2nd Corinthians 8:9 says: For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.

Pray

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Taste And Tell

R Aylor

In want to read some and narrate some in 1st Peter chapter 1, then let verse 9 be our focus. (Note: This is not a full transcript of the audio)

1 So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

Notice it says how we should long to drink spiritual things if we have tasted that the Lord is good.

I will probably never know if I like certain things in the food chain. I don’t recall tasting cottage cheese, cauliflower or buttermilk… maybe I did as a child but don’t remember. Oysters, snake, rat, armadillo… My brother Jon is braver than anyone I know in this category and will try just about anything.

If you have tasted the goodness of God in Jesus… If he has shown you what it means that he is good news for your sin… If he has opened your eyes to see him as beautiful and the greatest treasure in the Universe above and beyond every treasure the world has to offer… than why would you not crave the spiritual milk found in his word?

Do you hold your nose and swallow Gods word or is it good? Do you savor it and say Awwww this is amazing!

Verses 4-8 talk about Jesus as the living cornerstone… All we believe is built on him… and we are like live stones… And its true… we are alive in Christ… And Jesus who died for us was raised up and we will be raised as he was… But we are alive now and in this life have victory over spiritual death or separation from Gods fellowship….

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

There are some great things God has given us and Peter mentions some right here. God chose us before the foundation of the world. He made us royal priests… a holy nation… a people he treasures not because of our goodness but because he chose to do so.

The Father chose us to be a bride for his Son and he gave us to him. But we had become tainted with sin. We were not as a virgin bride but evil, self serving and vile. But Jesus went to the Cross to purify us…

Ephesians 5:25 Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, …27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.

For all who would delight in him as their Groom. Jesus took the wages of our sin and he gives us his righteousness. Now we are all those things verse 9 says. Chosen, Royal Priest’s, Holy, a people for his own possession… we are a beautiful bride for Jesus… We are a good and perfect gift from the Father to the son because we have been given the righteousness of Jesus.

Peter began this chapter talking about how we are to repent of all our old goals of self centeredness… Remember he said: "put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.”. Then the 2nd part of verse 9 gives us our new mission: that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Father please show us more of your glory. May we always be turning away from the old man mission and share your glory with every Nation. How you are the greatest treasure in the Universe...

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.

Pray