CLEAN IN CHRIST! If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.  My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole…

STAND FIRM, BE PATIENT AND BE SERVING And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. —II Peter 3:15-17 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as…

DOGS, PIGS AND PEOPLE What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.” —II Peter 2:22             The nature of an animal does not change. You can give a dog the best food and satisfy its hunger and yet the disgusting animal will still eat its own vomit after throwing up— gross! But this is a characteristic of a dog. That is his nature. You cannot change it.             You can give a pig a bath, clean it all up, but given the opportunity it will return to the muck and…

PRECIOUS FAITH To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours. —II Peter 1:1             Oh, how precious this faith is that we have!   This faith came “through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.” We had no righteousness of our own, but by faith in Jesus we have God’s righteousness. “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (II Corinthians 5:21). Jesus took our place, was punished for us and paid our sin debt, a debt we could never pay…

BE ATTENTIVE AND AWARE! Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. —I Peter 5:8-9             Let us not forget that we are in spiritual warfare… all the time. Don’t think that our adversary let’s up. He and his demonic horde are always prowling around seeking to be destructive. They hate God. They hate His people. Their desire is to destroy us. Don’t think otherwise.             We are told to be thinking clearly and to be watchful. We need…

FAITHFUL CREATOR Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good. —I Peter 4:19             Wow! Do you know that there is suffering that occurs to the followers of Jesus that is in accordance to God’s will? God is at work in suffering in many of His children. He has reasons for our suffering that we cannot fully understand, but He is fulfilling His purposes through it. He is a faithful creator and we are to entrust ourselves to Him in our suffering. Are you suffering? Are you trusting Him in and through the suffering? He is asking you to!…

HE IS WATCHING AND IS HEARING THE RIGHTEOUS For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” —I Peter 3:12 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsQmsEE_2-s&list=UUf1NPIFOBwzTLVQiEDnq4Cw&index=11 You who are living for Jesus, His eyes are on you.   “His ears are open to (your) prayer.”   The implication here is that the righteous are spending time with the Lord in prayer. They are talking to Him and listening to Him. They are taking time to be with Him. Is this the case in your own life? This is what is said about those who…

ENTRUST YOURSELF TO GOD For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God. But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted…

LOVINGLY OBEDIENT OR NOT “As for you, son of man, your people are talking together about you by the walls and at the doors of the houses, saying to each other, ‘Come and hear the message that has come from the Lord.’ My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to hear your words, but they do not put them into practice. Their mouths speak of love, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain. Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into…

PATIENCE! Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer awaits the precious fruit of the soil—how patient he is for the fall and spring rains. You, too, be patient and strengthen your hearts, because the Lord’s coming is near. Do not complain about one another, brothers, so that you will not be judged. Look, the Judge is standing at the door! Brothers, as an example of patience in affliction, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. See how blessed we consider those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen the outcome from the Lord. The Lord is full of…