- And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 1 Peter 5:10 – Last night I shared with my students how we can have joy even in the darkest of times by remembering the goodness of God and the promises He gives. Right here is one of those promises that we all need to remember. That in our life we will suffer things due to the brokenness in our world, but God who loves you and is full of grace will make all things right. I love that list, restore, confirm, strengthen, establish. Here is where we need to rest in during the dark times of life. Those times will come, but God isn’t going to leave you that way. That’s something to find joy in. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 745
- Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:6-8 – Here’s something the church needs to talk about more…that mental health is real and it’s a favorite battlefield for our enemy. Notice the language Peter is using in his book. He leads us to be watchful in our relationships with others, seeking unity with spouses, authorities, and neighbors. He opens our eyes to the truth that the enemy is going to attacks us deeply and he’ll attack those relationships. Now he says to watch out for another attack, your mind. The word “anxieties” here come from the Greek word “merimna” which means to separate, to be drawn in different direction, to divide a person. The enemy is going to seek to divide your mind in all sorts of directions. He is seeking to burden your mind so deeply with the worries of life and then he plans to tear you apart. That’s where the remainder of this passage is such a blessing, we see how to handle this. Realize God is better at handling this than you and come under His strong hand that can hold you together. Be also clear minded and watchful for your enemy is prowling in the darkness seeking a way to divide you. Scripture is clear that the mind is something the enemy seeks to steal, kill, and destroy. If you think the enemy doesn’t attack the mind and we shouldn’t care about mental health, I challenge you to look up the rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide in just our country over the past two years. We need to accept the truth that Satan is after our minds and we need to preach the truth God is strong enough to keep our minds and to hold us together. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1859
- So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. 1 Peter 5:1-3 – This passage hits deeper for me this time of reading this passage due the changes happening at my church right now. It’s reminds those who are leaders to lead well. How verse three ends truly sums it up, lead by example. I know my heart never wants to point someone where I first am not going. Like tomorrow I’m my sermon we’ll be talking about how deeply important it is to have a habit of reading scripture. I’d sure feel funny pushing the congregation to do that if I first wasn’t setting the example or at least seeking to do it myself first. Today in your leaderships areas (as a parent, boss, spiritual mentor, older brother/sister in Christ), lead by example. Give them clear directions, but be following them deeply yourself first. Yes, tell them to lean into Jesus when life is heavy, point them to remove the sin in their life, remind them to be staying active in God’s Word, but be sure your are setting them an example of all this too. When we’ve first walked the path ourselves we can help those following us navigate that same path better. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2007
Daily DEVO 