1 Peter 2 Today- DB

Scripture selections are taken from the Rock Church Daily Bread Reading schedule for each month. “Lena’s Journalin’” are Lena’s comments on the specific passages from her Daily Journal.

If the e-mail text you receive is encrypted at all, just scroll down to the end of all of the text and click on Lena’s Journalin’ , which will take you directly to the web-page where you will be able to read the text quite clearly in it’s purposed form.

1 Peter 2:1-25
1So clean house! Make a clean sweep of malice and pretense, envy and hurtful talk. 3You've had a taste of God. 2Now, like infants at the breast, drink deep of God's pure kindness. Then you'll grow up mature and whole in God.
The Stone
4Welcome to the living Stone, the source of life. The workmen took one look and threw it out; God set it in the place of honor. 5Present yourselves as building stones for the construction of a sanctuary vibrant with life, in which you'll serve as holy priests offering Christ-approved lives up to God. 6The Scriptures provide precedent:
Look! I'm setting a stone in Zion,a cornerstone in the place of honor.Whoever trusts in this stone as a foundationwill never have cause to regret it.
7To you who trust him, he's a Stone to be proud of, but to those who refuse to trust him,
The stone the workmen threw outis now the chief foundation stone.
8For the untrusting it's. . . a stone to trip over,a boulder blocking the way.
They trip and fall because they refuse to obey, just as predicted.
9But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God's instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you--10from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted.
11Friends, this world is not your home, so don't make yourselves cozy in it. Don't indulge your ego at the expense of your soul. 12Live an exemplary life among the natives so that your actions will refute their prejudices. Then they'll be won over to God's side and be there to join in the celebration when he arrives.
13Make the Master proud of you by being good citizens. Respect the authorities, whatever their level; 14they are God's emissaries for keeping order. 15It is God's will that by doing good, you might cure the ignorance of the fools who think you're a danger to society. 16Exercise your freedom by serving God, not by breaking the rules. 17Treat everyone you meet with dignity. Love your spiritual family. Revere God. Respect the government.
The Kind of Life He Lived
18You who are servants, be good servants to your masters--not just to good masters, but also to bad ones. 19What counts is that you put up with it for God's sake when you're treated badly for no good reason. 20There's no particular virtue in accepting punishment that you well deserve. But if you're treated badly for good behavior and continue in spite of it to be a good servant, that is what counts with God.
21This is the kind of life you've been invited into, the kind of life Christ lived. He suffered everything that came his way so you would know that it could be done, and also know how to do it, step-by-step.
22He never did one thing wrong,Not once said anything amiss.
23They called him every name in the book and he said nothing back. He suffered in silence, content to let God set things right. 24He used his servant body to carry our sins to the Cross so we could be rid of sin, free to live the right way. His wounds became your healing. 25You were lost sheep with no idea who you were or where you were going. Now you're named and kept for good by the Shepherd of your souls. CULTIVATE INNER BEAUTY.


Copyright Statement: THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary LanguageThis edition issued by contractual arrangement with NavPress, a division of The Navigators, U.S.A.Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language Copyright © 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.

~Lena’s Journalin’~
We are proof to the world, living proof.
As we see ourselves as God’s house, His houses, living people houses, spiritual beings with earth suits on, living here only for a time with a specific mission to work with God on, we will live for everything differently, approach everything differently, be different, desire change, invite change.
Really, if a person knew they were going to live in China for only 15 years and in that 15 years they would work towards bringing many, Chinese people to the saving grace of Christ, would they not live a certain way towards that purpose? They’d study for it, change for it, exemplify love for it, and be different than they were in just living for the status quo of American living. Just about daily they’d think about their mission there, how much longer they had to accomplish it, etc.
What if they were told they would be sent there, but would not know how long they’d be there. It could be between 5 and 20 years, but as much as is possible needed to be accomplished, it was a matter of life and death to and for these Chinese people. If they worked hard and concentrated specifically on it they could save many from being condemned to a life of agony and excruciating eternal pain.
Do you think the emissary would take a lot of things along with them? Do you think they’d go and work for some other purpose and make sure they had something in life like a nice house, a car, a pet and a good job? Do you think they’d be irritated by every little thing that did not go their way?
Purpose would drive them to accomplish as much for the mission as possible no matter what, even if they did not have a real house, even if they ate sparingly, even if they had no car or good job, they’d be driven by God’s purpose, it would steer them along this road to salvation. This emissary would even change their thinking, and behaviors to become a winner of souls, they’d put on love, the unconditional love of Christ, they’d pray a lot more than the average guy, to know where to go, who to speak with and what to say each day. They’d love on purpose and change. What once irritated them, became petty when they see the great need to reach people with true love..
This IS how it is with each of us, we are on a mission to the earth. We are eternal beings, sent to earth by Our father God to accept and live and thus in living bring the message of Christ to the earth. We only have a small amount of time. In light of eternity, the time is amazingly short for each of us. IF we know this, really know this, would we not live differently, as examples?
We do live as examples, it’s just we have to decide who’s examples we’re displaying, who are we representing and serving as ambassadors on our journey here on earth? Do we love God as Jesus did, enough to obey Him? Love obeys. Rebellion is the very nature of satan and does not like obeying at all ever. It tells us that obeying is legalistic and controlling and it resist that at all cost, no matter what form it shows up in. Satan lies to us about obedience because he wants us to serve and follow him and his purposes which are to spite God. All the devil wants is others to hate God as he does. He’s doomed because of pride and rebellion and he wants to take as many converts with him as possible. IF one knows this, what would be the weapon of warfare against such a plight? Only one thing, this Jesus did and exemplified so well – LOVE and its fruit- obedience!
To obey is better than sacrifice, rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft….1 Sam 15:22-23
There is a world out here, right where we live, right in our own homes, right at our own jobs, right in our own marketplaces or all of the other places we visit daily, weekly etc.
We’ve been sent by God to this area of the world, to be an ambassador of His eternal kingdom. When you know that and you know you only have so much time for it, you live differently, you love differently, you speak differently, you change and you save as many as you can, bringing them to come to know Christ and help you tell others about him, by living proof, your life!

Daily Repetitive Verses:

Proverbs 27:17-19
17 You use steel to sharpen steel, and one friend sharpens another. 18 If you care for your orchard, you'll enjoy its fruit; if you honor your boss, you'll be honored.
19 Just as water mirrors your face, so your face mirrors your heart.
Psalm 122:1
1 When they said, "Let's go to the house of God," my heart leaped for joy.