Mary Ellen McNeill

Blaming God for evil is an immature way of understanding God's omnipotence and sovereignty - with God in total control of us, His puppets. But that view denies our role in accepting or rejecting Him and His will. It is our rejection and rebellion that allows evil to flourish in our lives and in the world. And God allows us to go through that as consequence for our actions and choices. But in His mercy and grace, He also provides a way out of every temptation... and forgiveness when we do give in to temptation. May His Name be praised!

I must honestly admit that often I am caught off guard by trials. Perhaps I am still too naive or immature, but they catch me by surprise and send me into a spiritual/emotional tailspin. The idea that God uses a trial to produce godliness in me is something I see after the fact (sometimes WAY after the fact!) My prayer is that I could begin to consider these trials "pure joy," even as I am going through them, and to know in my heart that God is working through them to strengthen my faith... spiritual weightlifting!

Christians and non-Christians alike do many things with the rationale that "no one will ever know." I know - I've done it! Often we think of "giving an account" as a bad thing, a punishment. And, depending on what we have to say, it may well be. But it also tells us something else: everything we do matters to God - nothing is insignificant. Knowing this will not only change our behavior, it will change our attitudes. Everything we do - even and especially those things that no one else knows about - everything is noticed by God. This is sobering but also encouraging.

Fear, jealousy, conviction, ignorance, greed, the influence of the devil... these are all reasons why un-believers work so hard to convince us to sin with them. We are tempted to do so for a equally long list of reasons. Perhaps it's easier to just give in. Maybe we are afraid to stand up for Christ. Often we are engaged in a spiritual battle unaware - unless we go through life preparing for battle, by drawing close to our Lord, we will be blindsided every time. Ultimately, our strength must come from God. We must practice turning to Him, everywhere and in every way. If we wait until we are tempted, it is often too late.

Been there, done that. I've been steeped in sin and I've suffered for it. Christ was steeped in MY sin and suffered for it. But He has overcome. He has broken the power of sin and death and risen from the dead! It is finished - once and for all. So, why would I want to go back and do any of it again? After all I have been through, and all that Christ has been through for me, why would I choose to return to a life of sin? I will use what Christ has done for me as a sword to fight off evil desires and the temptations of sin, and I will live my life for God. I may still suffer, but it will be a partaking of Christ's suffering - a suffering for what is right.

Yes I have pledged my faith to Christ and promised to serve Him as a disciple. I view my baptism as a wedding ceremony. I pledged myself to Christ and realized that He had pledged Himself to me (before the foundations of the world!) Since that time, there have been mountains and valleys, times of intimacy and times of me turning away, but I can always come back to that point in time when I was baptized. And I have often "renewed my vows" - our particular denomination has a "Remember you Baptism" service.

I have been reconciled with God! Jesus has brought me into His presence! He doesn't just clean me up, forgive me, and then leave me to myself. It's not just about getting things right. God desires a personal, intimate, face-to-face relationship with me and Christ is the One who presents me. HALLELUJAH!

Persecution and other tough circumstances can bring out the worst in us. Often in moments like this, we fall back on our "old ways" or our sinful nature and emotion runs so high that we don't hear the Spirit redirecting us. Personally, Peter's reminder to reply with gentleness is the hardest for me. My sinful self is very confrontational and often, even when I want and mean to be helpful, my tone conveys just the opposite. I need God's help even to open my mouth!

Compassion and sympathy would be the strong points of our fellowship. Where we struggle most are being grudge-free and full of blessing. It is quite a lot of work, emotionally and spiritually, to not get sucked into petty greviances, taking sides in old debates, and repaying evil with evil. In the past, many groups/individuals have turned bitter or simply withdrawn from the fellowship in order to stay out of the "us versus them" mentality. But Peter calls us to humble service! This involves crossing those imaginary lines that exist between people/groups within the church, finding ways to bless and build them up, and looking for opportunities to serve. All of this is built on a foundation of prayer and the Spirit at work in our hearts and minds.

Peter is continuing to talk about the inner life. Prayer is a part of that inner life; so is the way we treat others. Both of these things grow in the same garden, our hearts. We can't spend all day "fertilizing" our hearts with selfish amibition, the desire to control others, and just flat-out sin against our spouse and then expect to have healthy, friuitful prayer lives. As much as we human beings have tried, it is impossible to section off our lives into the parts that God gets and the parts that we get to keep for ourselves.

When we speak about domination, we are back onto that subject of submission and why human beings don't like to submit. We sinfully want to be in control of our lives, and if all else fails "at least I can be in control of my spouse." But when we see another person as something to be controlled and manipulated, we aren't seeing them as God meant them to be: co-heirs of the Kingdom! We aren't to subjugate our spouses; we are to submit ourselves one to another.

I think "cultivate" is the perfect word - like growing a garden. The inner life must be tended, watered, fed, weeded. You can't ignore your inner life and then expect fruit - more than likely you'll just get a bunch of weeds! Bible study, prayer, meditating on God's Word, worship, and averting your eyes, ears, and thoughts from temptation all help to grow this inner garden of character. Then, this inner life must be put into practice in the outer life, our interactions with people around us. True character does not fade or pass away. By cultivating this character in our hearts, we are presenting them as precious offerings to the Lord. In a sense we are saying, "Thank you, God for giving my life to me and for redeeming my life from death. Now I give it back to you like a golden crown, covered with jewels." (Remember the parable of the talents?) This same overflow from the heart will be evident to those around us - friends, family, spouses - and helps to shine the light of God into their hearts as well.

I believe that in each generation it gets harder and harder for women in America not to submit themselves to society's standards of beauty. That being said, it was still obviously a struggle in Peter's day as well. (There is nothing new under the sun...) Peter entreats us to focus on the inner life, the matters of the heart, and our relationship with God. If all (or even most) of our attention is given to our physical body, we quickly become shallow, vain, and competitive. But if our attention is given to Christ, our relationship with Him, and other matters of the heart, then all other things quickly come into balance. We will not forsake our appearance, for we will know that we are truly loved and accepted by grace... we are someone worthy of care. But we also will not make our appearance of chief importance, for we will understand the truth of God and the lies of this world.

Sorry to have missed the past week - glad to be back! Part of our sinful nature is wanting to be number one and in charge. Submission involves a giving up of that control and a giving over to someone else. But submission in and of itself is not necessarily good. If we are not submitting to God's authority, we might be submitting ourselves to the schemes of the devil, or to the opinions of others. God asks us to be in submission to Him first and then to others (spouses, leaders, etc.) as love demands. Sometimes in that submission God will tell us to speak out or act. Other times He may tell us to wait. Part of submitting to God is trusting in Him to guide us, trusting in His goodness.

Whatever we are doing, we are to do it "as unto the Lord, not to men." Even though our boss asks us to do a project, the quality of our work should be as if God Himself has requested our labor. When we don't give our best effort, we are giving our second-best to God... but He wants our first fruits!

We are to be living sacrifical lives. That often involves setting aside our "rights", wants, or desires. We are reminded in this passage that there are others in authority over us, by God's permission. Refusing to accept their authority is refusing to accept God's authority. Wow! Now, I can understand this in the abstract. I can also see it in certain circumstances - parents and children, for example. But then I start to move out into the world and into history. What about all of the changes in the world - especially in the USA - that were achieved by NOT submitting to authority? The two that jump immediately to mind are the civil rights movement and the revolutionary war. Is their a right time not to accept authority, and if so, when? If anyone is more clear-headed about this than me, please respond.

If we are blending in - either on purpose, or by accident - then we are doing nothing that draws attention to God. In this fallen world, acts of Godly love, righteous bravery, holy joy... they are like flashing billboards proclaiming, "It's true! Jesus lives!" People will notice and they will respond in some way. And God's Word tells us that some will respond in praise to Him.

Peter tells us not to conform, but rather to ABSTAIN from this world's sinful desires, because in all truth we are strangers here. God has called us out for a purpose, a purpose that will be hard to accomplish if we keep running back to the world for comfort. We have the comfort of God and of our holy family (the church) to see us through! Besides, the comfort of this world is no comfort at all. It is not even neutral. It WAGES WAR against our souls. Father God, help us to see things as they truly are - as You see them. Help us to desire Your love, Your mercy, and Your comfort over the things of this world. And may we, Your peculiar people, declare Your praises! AMEN

It seems to me that in contemporary, American Christianity we tend to be Christians out on our own - individual Christians. We stress a personal, intimate relationship with Jesus. But we often miss out on personal, intimate relationships with the rest of His Church. We are part of a nation, a race, a people - chosen by God Himself. The world should see something different in us and in the way we love each other. This is our true family, our brothers and sisters.

Praise as a sacrificial offering... there's something you don't hear a lot about! When you sacrifice something, you give up something of value. And you give it up whether or not you can afford to, whether or not you feel like it. I have no trouble praising God when I am feeling happy or when I am aware of something wonderful He's done in my life. But the "sacrifice of praise" would be praising God in sorrow, in pain, in confusion. Praising God when He seems to be silent or absent. Giving God what is due Him, no matter our circumstances or emotional state - that is a sacrifice.

"The mindset of a priest" evokes a close, intimate relationship. God talks to me; I talk to Him. Yes, He does things for me - but I can also do things for Him. I can serve others as His liason. I can bless His heart through worship, praise, and thanksgiving. Whatever I am doing, I am representing Him. As a priest, every aspect of my life has the potential to be sacred work.

One of the reasons people give for not turning to God is that "God wouldn't want them" - somehow they are unacceptable, unable to be loved by God. They often feel they have little or no value in God's eyes. I pray that we, the Church, haven't given that impression to them. God demonstrates His love for us in this - while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. He paid the highest price for us! We are so valuable to Him. We are so loved by Him. When I first began to understand this, my entire way of thinking started to shift. Even now, things and ideas I once held in high esteem continue to FALL AWAY as I learn to love what God loves.

Only through final judgement will this world ever be rid of evil and sin. That is Good News. God loves us so much that one day He will destroy sin and death. People are upset by judgement for many reasons. Often it is because we want to be our own judge, doing what is right in our own eyes. Perhaps it is because we are not fully trusting Christ for our salvation, and we see that our meager works are not enough to please God. Sometimes Christians leave out the message of judgement because they don't want to scare an unbeliever. But we must tell the whole message and God's judgement is part of the truth. If our sin and wickedness don't need covering in the blood of Jesus, then of what use is the Gospel? What have we been saved from?

The definition of holiness that helps me most is "set apart for a special, Godly purpose." This has nothing to do with our worthiness. Our holiness comes from God's holiness - and it is God that sets us apart for His purposes. I am holy now because of Christ's work on the cross - God's forgiveness puts me back in a right relationship with Him. But again we come to that connection between grace and obedience. We are already holy (set apart), but we must also BE holy. That is, by our obedience and the Spirit's work within us, we must have a change of heart and behavior. We must be transformed, moment by moment, inch by inch, into the likeness of Christ. My biggest struggle with holiness has to do with smugness and judgement. Instead of focusing on Christ and comparing myself to Him, it is often too easy for me to focus on others and compare myself to them. Are they "better" than me? Am I "better" than them? Can I "feel good" because at least I'm not like so-and-so? This competitiveness has always been a part of my life... except before I became a Christian, I assumed it was a good thing!

I think that Christ's coming often lacks our attention because Christ Himself lacks our attention. We are procrastinators, putting things off until they are absolutely necessary. Peter is seeking to remind us that the time of absolute necessity is NOW. We don't know the year, day, or hour of Christ's return. We don't know the year, day, or hour of our own death. Scripture tells us that today is the day of salvation - and part of that is living each day as if it were the day of Christ's return. This requires soberness and self-control, but it also gives us joy and great hope. Christ WILL return, even if we don't know when. We can trust His promises. Hope is a large portion of faith, looking forward to the revelation of what has already been accomplished. Without this attention on Christ, our lives begin to revolve around something or someone else. While we may truly agree with the statements of truth anf faith found in God's Word, our everyday living will slide further and further away from His purposes for us. We will be setting our hearts on things that can be destroyed. We will be unprepared for action; when God says, "Go," we may stumble over our own garments - or perhaps not hear His voice at all.