20240728
secret now revealed
1 Peter 1:20
1 Peter 1:20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was revealed in these last times for you.
secret now revealed
Christ existed before Jesus was born. He was God the Father’s secret plan to rescue his people. He was revealed at just the right time to accomplish the work he had to do to rescue us. It is finished.
20240727
empty way of life
1 Peter 1:17-19
1 Peter 1:17 If you appeal to the Father who judges impartially according to each one’s work, you are to conduct yourselves in reverence during your time living as strangers.
1 Peter 1:18 For you know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life inherited from your fathers, not with perishable things like silver or gold,
1 Peter 1:19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of an unblemished and spotless lamb.
empty way of life
We used to be slaves to an empty way of life — which only produced emptiness. Now we have been redeemed by the precious blood of Christ. With that debt paid, we can now live as free people, and pursuit a fruitful life instead.
20240726
revelation grace
1 Peter 1:13-16 (JDV)
1 Peter 1:13 Therefore, with your minds ready for action, be sober-minded and set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 1:14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires of your former ignorance.
1 Peter 1:15 But as the one who called you is sacred, you also are to be sacred in all your conduct;
1 Peter 1:16 for it is written, Be sacred, because I am sacred.
revelation grace
The key to living a sacred life today is setting our hope completely of the return of Christ — when he will be revealed. The justification grace we have received so far is wonderful, but it is only beginning. We seek revelation grace — the fulfillment of all Christ’s promises to us when he comes again.
20240725
glory in the future
1 Peter 1:10-12
1 Peter 1:10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who prophesied about the grace that would come to you, searched and carefully investigated.
1 Peter 1:11 They inquired into what time or what circumstances the Breath of Christ within them was indicating when he testified in advance to the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.
1 Peter 1:12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you. These things have now been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Sacred Breath sent from heaven — angels long to catch a glimpse of these things.
glory in the future
The prophets who predicted Christ’s suffering and glory attest to the inheritance of his followers as well. Just as Jesus suffered, and is now glorified, so all believers who suffer now will see glory in the future.
LORD, help us to persevere through the times of testing so that the glory that is our living hope shines through.
20240724
not seen, not seeing, but glad
1 Peter 1:8-9
1 Peter 1:8 Though you have not seen him, you care about him; though not seeing him now, you believe in him, and you are glad with inexpressible and glorious joy,
1 Peter 1:9 because you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
not seen, not seeing, but glad
Peter’s description of believers defies logic. We are a people today who have never seen Jesus, are not seeing him now, but we are still glad. Our joy comes from believing him, and trusting that the goal of our salvation will come with him when he returns.
20240723
guarded by God’s power
1 Peter 1:5-7 (JDV)
1 Peter 1:5 You are being guarded by God’s power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
1 Peter 1:6 You are glad about this, even though now for a short time, if necessary, you suffer grief in various trials
1 Peter 1:7 so that the proven character of your faith — more valuable than gold which, though perishable, is refined by fire — may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
guarded by God’s power
Peter tells believers that they are waiting for a salvation not yeat revealed. The only thing that ties them (and us) to that future salvation is our faith. That faith can withstand our present sufferings and grief. We are being guarded by God’s power, and that same power will one day bring about our completed salvation by raising us from the dead, never to die again.
20240722
hope through the resurrection
1 Peter 1:3-4
1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead
1 Peter 1:4 and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.
hope through the resurrection
The hope that believers have today is not linked to anything we were born with. It is not tied to our having immortal souls. It is based entirely on the fact that our Lord was raised from the dead, never to experience death again. Our hope is not that we will fly away when we die, but that we also will be raised from death at Christ’s return, never to die again.
20240721
chosen, but exiles
1 Peter 1:1-2
1 Peter 1:1 Peter, a missionary of Jesus Christ: To those chosen, living as exiles dispersed abroad in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, chosen
1 Peter 1:2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Breath, to be obedient and to be sprinkled with the blood of Jesus Christ. May grace and peace be multiplied to you.
chosen, but exiles
Peter writes to fellow believers whose lives appear to be a contradiction. They are chosen by God but they are exiles, living in other lands instead of the holy land. Such is the case with all of us. There is no land on earth today that matches our inheritance. That inheritance is the holy city that will descend from heaven. Until that happens, we are all exiles here.
20240720
wonderful life
Job 42:1-17 (JDV)
Job 42:1 Then Job answered and said to Yahveh:
Job 42:2 I know that you can do anything and no plan of yours can be thwarted.
Job 42:3 You asked, “Who is this who conceals my counsel with ignorance?” Surely, I spoke about things I did not understand, things too wondrous for me to know.
Job 42:4 You said, “Listen now, and I will speak. When I question you, you will inform me.”
Job 42:5 I had heard what my ears could hear about you, but now my eyes have seen you.
Job 42:6 Therefore, I reject my words and regret them; I am dust and ashes.
Job 42:7 After Yahveh had finished speaking to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite: “I am angry with you and your two friends, for you have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has.
Job 42:8 Now take seven bulls and seven rams, go to my servant Job, and offer a burnt offering for yourselves. Then my servant Job will pray for you. I will surely accept his prayer and not deal with you as your stupidity deserves. For you have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has.”
Job 42:9 Then Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite went and did as Yahveh had told them, and Yahveh accepted Job’s prayer.
Job 42:10 After Job had prayed for his friends, Yahveh restored his fortunes and doubled his previous possessions.
Job 42:11 All his brothers, sisters, and former acquaintances came to him and dined with him in his house. They sympathized with him and comforted him concerning all the adversity Yahveh had brought on him. Each one gave him a piece of silver and a gold earring.
Job 42:12 So Yahveh blessed the last part of Job’s life more than the first. He owned fourteen thousand sheep and goats, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of oxen, and one thousand female donkeys.
Job 42:13 He also had seven sons and three daughters.
Job 42:14 He named his first daughter Jemimah, his second Keziah, and his third Keren-happuch.
Job 42:15 No women as beautiful as Job’s daughters could be found in all the land, and their father granted them an inheritance with their brothers.
Job 42:16 Job lived 140 years after this and saw his children and their children to the fourth generation.
Job 42:17 Then Job died, old and full of days.
wonderful life
Job’s restoration begins when God intercedes, and the first thing to be restored is his relationship with those three therapists. Job takes the upper hand and prays for them. This is more than simply a vindication of Job’s righteousness, it is an acknowledgment that no amount of evil experienced can overcome the power of a right relationship with God.
Afterward, all of those who would have been expected to show Job support and sympathy return to his life, and then his health and fortune are restored. The man who had lost it all returns to become a shining example of God’s blessing and goodness.
LORD, out of all the blessings that you give us, help us to cherish the one thing we will never lose – our relationship with you.
20240719
what is
Job 41:1-34 (JDV)
Job 41:1 Can you pull in Leviathan with a hook or tie his tongue down with a rope?
Job 41:2 Can you put a cord through his nose or pierce his jaw with a hook?
Job 41:3 Will he beg you for mercy or speak softly to you?
Job 41:4 Will he make a covenant with you so that you can take him as a slave forever?
Job 41:5 Can you play with him like a bird or put him on a leash for your girls?
Job 41:6 Will traders bargain for him or divide him among the merchants?
Job 41:7 Can you fill his hide with harpoons or his head with fishing spears?
Job 41:8 Lay a hand on him. You will remember the battle and never repeat it!
Job 41:9 Any hope of capturing him proves false. Does a person not collapse at the very sight of him?
Job 41:10 No one is ferocious enough to rouse Leviathan; who then can stand against me?
Job 41:11 Who confronted me, that I should repay him? Everything under the sky belongs to me.
Job 41:12 I cannot be silent about his limbs, his power, and his graceful proportions.
Job 41:13 Who can strip off his outer covering? Who can penetrate his double layer of armor?
Job 41:14 Who can open his jaws, surrounded by those terrifying teeth?
Job 41:15 His pride is in his rows of scales, closely sealed together.
Job 41:16 One scale is so close to another that no air can pass between them.
Job 41:17 They are joined to one another, so closely connected they cannot be separated.
Job 41:18 His snorting flashes with light, while his eyes are like the rays of dawn.
Job 41:19 Flaming torches shoot from his mouth; fiery sparks fly out!
Job 41:20 Smoke billows from his nostrils as from a boiling pot or burning reeds.
Job 41:21 His throat sets coals ablaze, and flames pour out of his mouth.
Job 41:22 Strength resides in his neck, and dismay dances before him.
Job 41:23 The folds of his flesh are joined together, solid as metal and immovable.
Job 41:24 His heart is as hard as a rock, as hard as a lower millstone!
Job 41:25 When Leviathan rises, the mighty are terrified; they withdraw because of his thrashing.
Job 41:26 The sword that reaches him will have no effect, nor will a spear, dart, or arrow.
Job 41:27 He regards iron as straw, and bronze as rotten wood.
Job 41:28 No arrow can make him flee; slingstones become like stubble to him.
Job 41:29 A club is regarded as stubble, and he laughs at the sound of a javelin.
Job 41:30 His undersides are jagged potsherds, spreading the mud like a threshing sledge.
Job 41:31 He makes the depths seethe like a cauldron; he makes the sea like an ointment jar.
Job 41:32 He leaves a shining wake behind him; one would think the deep had gray hair!
Job 41:33 He has no equal on the land– a creature devoid of fear!
Job 41:34 He surveys everything that is haughty; he is king over all the proud beasts.
what is
The LORD first challenges Job, and Job quickly repents and submits. While Job was right to defend himself, he really did not understand God enough to explain what was happening to him. God describes two powerful creatures, showing that if humans cannot explain them, they certainly cannot come close to understanding their creator.
Our common approach to science quickly eliminates the wonder of what is. The moment anyone dares to suggest ignorance of the basic issues of life, he is bombarded with answers, in spite of the fact that most of those answers are best guesses. Sadly, most of the best guesses come from a scientific community which refuses to entertain the suggestion of a creator. All Job needed to face the reality of God’s existence was another look at what is.
LORD, forgive us for refusing to see you in what you have made.
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