Today Our Daily Bread 1 Peter 2 ( English)

Dear Ones,
I'm postponing the Russian a bit till I see it's being read, don't want to take the extra time if not in use :-), Olga's had company and is preparing for a move soon.
Speaking of moving, my Mom is here now from WY, truck unloaded and all. Lots and lots of boxes ! Whew. It is so nice to have she and my sister here. Kim leaves on Monday, but is also talking of moving our direction someday in the near future. her husband wants me to catch him a pet gator! I do Pet Sitting Services, but I think that is taking it a bit too far!
Have a Blessed Day, Lena


1 Peter 2: 1 - 25
1 So get rid of all malicious behavior and deceit. Don't just pretend to be good! Be done with hypocrisy and jealousy and backstabbing. 2 You must crave pure spiritual milk so that you can grow into the fullness of your salvation. Cry out for this nourishment as a baby cries for milk, 3 now that you have had a taste of the Lord's kindness.
4 Come to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God's temple. He was rejected by the people, but he is precious to God who chose him. 5 And now God is building you, as living stones, into his spiritual temple. What's more, you are God's holy priests, who offer the spiritual sacrifices that please him because of Jesus Christ. 6 As the Scriptures express it, "I am placing a stone in Jerusalem, F6 a chosen cornerstone, and anyone who believes in him will never be disappointed. F7 " 7 Yes, he is very precious to you who believe. But for those who reject him, "The stone that was rejected by the builders has now become the cornerstone." F8 8 And the Scriptures also say, "He is the stone that makes people stumble, the rock that will make them fall." F9 They stumble because they do not listen to God's word or obey it, and so they meet the fate that has been planned for them. 9 But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are a kingdom of priests, God's holy nation, his very own possession. This is so you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. 10 "Once you were not a people; now you are the people of God. Once you received none of God's mercy; now you have received his mercy." F10 11 Dear brothers and sisters, you are foreigners and aliens here. So I warn you to keep away from evil desires because they fight against your very souls. 12 Be careful how you live among your unbelieving neighbors. Even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will believe and give honor to God when he comes to judge the world. F11
13 For the Lord's sake, accept all authority – the king as head of state, 14 and the officials he has appointed. For the king has sent them to punish all who do wrong and to honor those who do right. 15 It is God's will that your good lives should silence those who make foolish accusations against you. 16 You are not slaves; you are free. But your freedom is not an excuse to do evil. You are free to live as God's slaves. 17 Show respect for everyone. Love your Christian brothers and sisters. F12 Fear God. Show respect for the king. 18 You who are slaves must accept the authority of your masters. Do whatever they tell you – not only if they are kind and reasonable, but even if they are harsh. 19 For God is pleased with you when, for the sake of your conscience, you patiently endure unfair treatment. 20 Of course, you get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing wrong. But if you suffer for doing right and are patient beneath the blows, God is pleased with you. 21 This suffering is all part of what God has called you to. Christ, who suffered for you, is your example. Follow in his steps. 22 He never sinned, and he never deceived anyone. 23 He did not retaliate when he was insulted. When he suffered, he did not threaten to get even. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly. 24 He personally carried away our sins in his own body on the cross so we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. You have been healed by his wounds! 25 Once you were wandering like lost sheep. But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls.

~Lena's Comments~
This is talking about what is deep, deep inside of us, what our gut responses are based upon. If our inward responses are not good, that can be changed by the work of God’s spirit inside of us. He is at work in our inward parts and the response is a revelation of that work that either needs to be concentrated upon or known that the work is being done. So what do I do when something arises in me that is ungodly or an ungodly response? Do I try to fix it or pretend it does not exist? Do I do my best to be better by trying to be better? Well, maybe, if you can, but what if you can’t, alone? This is why we live and walk and abide in Christ, because what is impossible with me is possible with Him and His continual work in me. I give myself over to His work and the power of God alive inside of me. I am not alone and am not independent of His work in me. I trust in Him to care enough for me to help show me how to change and then to obey and do whatever he shows me to do. He is building my life up as a place He can stay in on earth, and as people pass by, or through, they will be able to find Him there, and know what He is like and receive His work too. That work that will make them become a house for His will to dwell and be shown forth and known.
Our disappointments usually come from our own failures in trying to be be our own gods. We are NOT God and we cannot do what He can without His power in us, which is dependant, not independent of Him. If we take that charge and do it ourselves we will set ourselves up for failure and we will be disappointed. He does not disappoint, as we believe in Him. All of the instructions we need for success are contained in His words, in His life, In His spirit. He has chosen us as houses for His presence. Let’s choose to follow Him, giving Him headship of the house he has built. Headship is not a derogatory term. Headship is a structural term. Without headship (i.e. cornerstone) there is no accuracy to the structure and it just may fall. If you spent time & money building a house, would you want it to fall and collapse? If you knew how to help it stand, build it to stand and withstand, wouldn’t you? Of course. We are more than investments, we are God’s home. The reason He’d like for us to have Him as head is he cares for us, cares that our home is structurally sound and safe. People are looking for safety. There is NO safety with No headship! We get to practice this principle of headship in our everyday lives by obeying men and women in earth, even when they are not perfected. This solidifies our ability to keep covenant that will withstand through thick and thin. If we can honor a mere man or woman than we can also honor our God and in honoring mere men and women we do honor God. Could this be a "reason" we are not able to receive the goodness and the benefits of God’s promises? Is it that we don’t participate in them as declarants of the covenants? It clearly outlines here how one would honor one who is made in God’s very image. Respect others, fear God, love others, show respect, accept authority even when it seems like slavery, do what you are told by bosses, even when they seem unfair, patiently and enduringly suffering if necessary to be a doer of honor. JESUS DID NOT DEFEND HIMSELF and He WAS PERFECT!!! When we really get this one , healing will spring forth, I believe it. What He did was not at all fair, and our sins did this for and to Him; Yet He chose to endure in order to bless us with eternal life. Even to give to us natural things like health so that we would to be able to stay here awhile in order to be available and obedient to God’s will and the working of His earthly plan. That is awesome!