That I May Know Him

I Peter 5:8-9 I have a real weakness for Jif peanut butter.  We I can't even say weakness.  It is more like an addiction.  Someone from my church, who knows my love for Jif, convinced me to put it on a hamburger.  That is the only time I did not like Jif.  But my addiction has lead to a rise in my cholesterol and my waistline!!!  Three months ago I broke the spell that Jif has on me.  Since then my cholesterol has dropped significantly and I have lost about 30lbs.  I am amazed at the dramatic loss.  But I know that I am one spoonful away from my addiction again.  I do not mean to mock addictions.  Mine was not alcohol, meth, or weed.   Mine is food and it is just as destructive to my body. I say all that because I have a real weakness for food.  Drugs do not get my attention at all.  I can even enjoy the occasional glass of Merlot without any reaction.  When stress arises my desire for late night snack...

I was talking to a good friend over coffee this morning. We were talking about guys and relationships. We discussed how difficult it is for guys to take the time to invest in real, healthy, growing, Christ-centered relationships. Sure guys hang out for the game or do the occasional stop and chat. But the depth beyond, Hey man, how it going?" is completely absent. Men have become islands. With that I think that it is a pervasive problem effecting all Christians. With all the sin, temptation and struggle that we go through we choose to go it alone without the help of brothers and sisters for support and encouragement. That is a painful and depressing way to live. Even spouses become to busy with life to sit and have an intimate conversation filled with Christ's truth and encouragement. Satan has deceived us into thinking that our relationship with Christ and with others bring in neutral or low maintenance is alright. The reality is that we toil away at everything (...

I Peter 3:8-12 For nearly a decade a picture has been on the wall next to my desk. What it communicates I still strive to comprehend. It is called, "Forgiven." It shows a man with hammer and nail in his hands held up by a risen Christ. I am that man. My sin nailed Christ upon the cross. His love for me kept him there. When I stop and think of the shear magnitude of my own sins that his blood atones for I am amazed. It is difficult to grasp the forgiveness of my own sins let alone the sins of the elect. One word comes to my mind. Unworthy. I am UNWORTHY. I do not understand why. And yet, as amazed as I am, I am still harboring anger and a strong lack of forgiveness in my own heart. At one time I was very laid back. But today and for months I have struggled with fierce anger. By fierce I mean tearing, bludgeoning, and raging anger. Regularly verses like Romans 12:17-21 and I Peter 3:8-12 course though my mind. God's Word restrains me. His Grace constrai...

I Peter 2:4-12 It started in the garden. That is when humanity began passing the buck. Instead of accepting responsibility for what he had done in eating the apple Adam pointed at God and Eve. The other problem is that he hid. Today this is seen in weak marriages, poor performance in jobs, and us allowing everyone else the responsibility of raising our children. We blame our spouse, we blame our boss, and we allow teachers, television, video games, and pop culture to raise our children. It is no wonder that marriages are failing and children walk away from God the first chance they have. I still love Keith Green's song, Asleep in the Light. I think that describes the modern church. We no longer see ourselves as Peter describes us as strangers and foreigners. No do we live as God's living stones in his holy temple or as priests. We live as though there will be a U-Haul behind our hearse. We live as though the gospel is secondary. American Christianity is failing. ...

I Peter 1:21 - 2:3 We are called to sincere real love. It is expected that since we have trusted in Christ's work and we are committed to following Him then that should be what compels us forward in our life. We must crave pure spiritual milk. We must be nourished by God. The problem is that we tend in action to crave filthy water. We settle for a cool refreshing liquid that is filled with particles, bacteria, and virus'. That filthy water is our acting loving, kind, and gracious in our hearts and yet being filled with deceit, bitterness, and anger. Throughout our day thousands of thoughts sweep though our minds. It is our choice to cling to certain thought processes and foster them. It is also our choice what we fill our lives with (or even who we fill our lives with). Filthy water results in diarrhea everywhere. We cannot fill our lives with filth and expect health. Likewise we cannot surround our selves with bad influences (people in our lives, those things we w...

I Peter 1:15-16 In trying to fit into our culture we have increasingly downplayed personal holiness. If you search holiness on the internet you find pictures of Dalai Lama the Pope and other well-known gurus. If you refine your search you can even come up with people who are heavily pierced. If you are lucky you might find a picture of Billy Graham. For many the idea of holiness is a foreign concept much like gurus and Dalai Lama. In an effort to appear more normal than people and groups like Fred Phelps and his wacky Westboro Church we neuter our faith by our silence. The the issue arises of how we live and communicate in a manner that shatters the cultural misconceptions. Is that possible? Remember, Christ did not call us to beat people with the cross but to proclaim the gospel boldly and clearly. Hate is not the gospel. I would also say that magician and performer Penn Jillette is correct in his estimation that we must really hate someone to know the gospel and the path t...

I Peter 1:13-20 Do my compulsions and addictions control me? In Christ am I continuing to live as though I am not in Christ? I have to say that I like Peter. He understands compulsions. To act or speak without thinking or considering the consequences. At times self control seems foreign to him. Peter was lopping off ears, climbing out of boats onto water, jumping naked off of boats, cursing and denying, and much more. Perhaps what we see as impulsive, bombastic, erratic, and at times crazy behavior God sees as directable usable passion. What we would sidestep or cast off God would embrace and utilize. Peter calls us to be clear and to not slip back into old patterns. Our desire should be holiness. And that desire should be driven by Christ's work on our behalf.