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Daily Bible Reading (Wednesday, November 8th)

5

1 Peter 1 (ESV)

 

Greeting

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood:

May grace and peace be multiplied to you.

Born Again to a Living Hope

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time[a]the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.

Called to Be Holy

13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action,[b] and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 17 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, 18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you 21 who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, 23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; 24 for

“All flesh is like grass
    and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
    and the flower falls,
25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.”

And this word is the good news that was preached to you.

Footnotes:

  1. 1 Peter 1:11 Or what time or circumstances
  2. 1 Peter 1:13 Greek girding up the loins of your mind

5 Comments

. . .for the obedience of Jesus Christ . . . such is our calling and our salvation. He is our Lord. He has bought us out slavery of sin. Now we are slaves of righteousness. Are we behaving as obedient children of God, or are we guilty of speaking of Christ as Lord but not obeying Him?

"The precious blood of Christ" Can there be anything more precious to us? Can there be anything of greater value to us? The blood of Christ is precious because of Who shed it and why He shed it. Most amazing is that He would shed His precious blood for me.

3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” Thanking the Lord for such a cause as this. Taking to heart verses 4 and onward. Help me Father in my obedience to your truth.

12 "Therefore, preparing your minds for action,[b] and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." With so many tragedies and heartbreaks recently, it seems ever more important to be reminded to set our minds fully on the Lord, and not what is around us. Only he can truly comfort and give us peace. I'm grateful for the church family to cleave together during these times, loving each other with pure hearts!

What a comfort and encouragement is found in this chapter! We are told that we might be grieved by trials BUT we can rejoice because of our eternal inheritance as God is refining us and our faith. Our sorrows and trials will perfect us and bring glory to God. We can confidently trust and hope and not despair even when "sorrows like sea billows roll".

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