Author: Ben Bourland

“Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.  Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 4:8-11 ->me:  This is the second time that Peter has instructed us to ‘love one another’…an earnestly.  Where there is an abundance of love in a fellowship of Christians, many small offences are readily overlooked and forgotten. But where love is lacking, every word is viewed with suspicion, every action leads to misunderstanding, and there are many conflicts…this is what satan wants…a lack of love.  Gifts and talents are given by God alone; part of His common and varied grace.  I need to take what the Lord has bestowed on me in abilities and work to find every way I can use them to lift up those around me.  We I am following Jesus, in fellowship with Him, I can not go wrong in taking every opportunity to serve with the mindset that it is through God that I have the ability to love on others through His strength…and when I do these things, give every glory, praise and blessing to Him alone.

“In your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.” 1 Peter 3:15-17 ->me: Oh man this is so good!  I love this ‘always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you’.  This is so encouraging because I have been given this opportunity so many times in the last several months; with everything that has happened with my work, with Brooklyn, and other hard circumstances.  God has continued to be so faithful in the grace and mercy of His peace and comfort -> for this, I have HOPE!  I have been able to share this with so many people who have actually asked exactly what Peter says here “Ben, how are you even here at work?  How are you able to stay so positive and at peace?”  Every time I get the chance to share how good God is and it is because of His provision that I have hope, not only in my eternity, but hope in that He is working all of this out for good.

“Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly.” 1 Peter 2:18 ->me: This is only the second write up I have had in 5 days.  Not a great record for this week; however, God has been doing a great work in me through my situations and activities.  My prayer life has been better than it has been in months and my connection with the Lord and His movements has been wonderful…but what I realize I miss (even if it is for one day) is the rock solid instruction, blessing, correction, and encouragement I get from God’s Word.  Today is a great example – a lot of my troubles as work over the last year have had a ton to do with leaders in my chain of work meeting the ‘unjust’ definition here in verse 18.  Metaphorically the Greek word for unjust used here means ‘dishonest or morally evil’.   The most important part here for me is that Peter doesn’t that God is pleased with enduring sorrow and grief while suffering unjustly, no; he says that when we are ‘mindful of God’ in that circumstance, is He pleased.  This is not a stoic self-motivated tenacity which holds out against all opposition but rather the opposite -> the trusting awareness of God’s presence and never-failing care, which is the key to righteous suffering. It is the confidence that God will ultimately right all wrongs which enables me to submit to an unjust master without resentment, rebelliousness, self-pity, or despair.

“Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.” 1 Peter 2:17 ->me: This is quite the creed!  There is no exception here -> EVERYONE.  Love my co-inheritors in Christ.  Fear disappointing God.  Respect the authority of police, government, firemen, or any other persons in place of authority.  Proverbs 24:21-22 has a warning along these lines – “My son, fear the Lord and the king (notice the little ‘k’), and do not join with those who do otherwise, for disaster will arise suddenly from them, and who knows the ruin that will come from them both?”  I honestly don’t have much more to write here, the verse from 1 Peter above is so clear.  This is one of those verses to memorize and hold in my heart a compass for behavior.

“Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.” 1 Peter 2:12 ->me: Conduct here refers to a day-by-day pattern of life.  At work, this is something I keep on the forefront of my mind and in my actions during interactions with both fellow employees as well as customers.  What I have found is that the outward common space interactions and behavior ring very true to reflecting this command…but behind closed doors in 1:1s where I might be venting or ‘soliciting feedback’, the flesh of my heart can rear its head.  I can find myself being critical of others, maybe evening whining, being manipulative, and other worldly common/normal corporate workplace back biting can happen.  Scroll up and read yesterday’s verse again…<hanging head low> I have so far to go.  I am so thankful for God’s mercy and grace while He works in me to reveal these barren/unchecked areas of my walk that need cleaned up.

“So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.” 1 Peter 2:1 ->me: These verses follow the command in verse 22 of chapter 1 to “love one another earnestly from a pure heart”.  So, in order to love each other with a pure heart we must be free from all of the things listed here.  All of these items have intent to hurt others.  The word for ‘put away’ is most often used for taking off clothing.  As I pondered these today, I caught myself saying, “I am not any of these…” but when I look at the deep heart of some of my behavior, I know that I am not free from any of these.  Ugh.  I have so much work to do and I need the help of the Holy Spirit to help me see these deep hidden ‘respectable sins’ so I can throw them off.  Until I do, I will not be able to love earnestly.

“Since by your obedience to the Truth through the [Holy] Spirit you have purified your hearts for the sincere affection of the brethren, [see that you] love one another fervently from a pure heart.” 1 Peter 1:22 ->me:  True love for one another comes from an obedience to the teachings of Jesus through God’s Word and the Holy Spirit.  Said another way (by Wayne Grudem) “Once you have begun to grow in holiness so that you have a genuine affection for one another, make your love for each other earnest, deep, and strong.”  What I love about this passage from Peter is that there is encouragement that human personalities, far from being immutably fixed early in life, can be dramatically and permanently changed through the power of the gospel.   The application for me is something that I have been sincerely working on for the last 3 to 6 months…to love deeply, to care completely, and to serve thoroughly.

“…if you call upon Him as [your] Father Who judges each one impartially according to what he does, [then] you should conduct yourselves with true reverence throughout the time of your temporary residence [on the earth, whether long or short].” 1 Peter 1:17 [AMP]->me: Once again I can only get in a couple of verses before being overwhelmed with Peter’s teaching.  Today I am seeing the connections between 1 Peter 1:17 and Paul’s letter to the Colossians. “That you may walk (live and conduct yourselves) in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him and desiring to please Him in all things, bearing fruit in every good work and steadily growing and increasing in and by the knowledge of God.” Colossians 1:10.  What struck me most about the verse in Peter is that it reads as ‘right now’.  Peter is not talking about the impartial justice at the Judgement Seat, but the here and now.  Each one of us still sit under God’s discipline of our behavior here on earth; in our walk as professed Christians.  ‘Reverence’ or ‘Godly Fear’ is a fear of disappointing our Father in heaven.  Every minute and second demands that I keep my heart condition and actions in check; aligned with His word and will for my life.  God in heaven, please help me through your Holy Spirit to be aware of my heart condition, state of mind, and actions in the world saturated with ungodliness.  Help me to walk by the light of Your word so that I can live in the knowledge that I have glorified you in my witness, in my fathering, in my husbandry, and in my friendships.

“So brace up your minds; be sober (circumspect, morally alert); set your hope wholly and unchangeably on the grace (divine favor) that is coming to you when Jesus Christ (the Messiah) is revealed.  For it is written, You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:13 & 16 [AMP] ->me: “You shall be holy” is a command, not an option.  This tells me that my holiness is in direct relationship to my closeness and fellowship with my Savior.  Verse 13 starts with “So..” because it follows the verses from yesterday; about the blessing and glories we have through our Salvation -> we are new creatures, a true conversion is a change of the heart.  What I see the Lord saying through Peter is that our outward behavior MUST follow the change in our hearts or we will conform to the evil desires of our flesh; the heart condition we had before our Salvation—Um, that’s a little scary.  Now that I am in Christ and He is in me, I must reinforce my mind, always vigilant about the attacks from the evil one, and not be consumed with the aspects of this foreign land under the sun. I must continually keep my mind, actions, and hope focused on the life and favor to come when I meet my King in either the Sky (when He gloriously appears) or Heaven (if I am taken home before comes).