Friday Devo
Scripture:
1 Peter 3
13 Now, who will want to harm you if you are eager to do good? 14 But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats. 15 Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. 16 But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ. 17 Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong!
13 Now, who will want to harm you if you are eager to do good? 14 But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats. 15 Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. 16 But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ. 17 Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong!
Commentary:
3:13–14 even if. Peter is writing to Christians already suffering for their faith, therefore he is not saying that such suffering is improbable. His point is that no one will ultimately or finally harm Christians, “even if” they suffer now, for God will reward them (cf. Rom. 8:31). Indeed, they will be blessed by God in their sufferings (cf. Matt. 5:10).
3:15–17 Believers should always be ready to provide a rationale for their faith, but they should do so winsomely and righteously. And if they keep a good conscience, any accusations against them will prove groundless, and their accusers will be put to shame. It is sometimes God’s will that Christians suffer for doing good.
3:15–17 Believers should always be ready to provide a rationale for their faith, but they should do so winsomely and righteously. And if they keep a good conscience, any accusations against them will prove groundless, and their accusers will be put to shame. It is sometimes God’s will that Christians suffer for doing good.
Questions:
- Brandon gave us two different challenges on Sunday. The first was to CRAFT your STORY. How would you share your story? How would you put it together? What if you had to share it with someone in less than a minute? You might think you obviously know your story already. After all, it's YOURS! But most all of us need to think through it and narrow it down to the most crucial elements. Take some time today and write out your story using the pieces we discussed this week: Who were you before Jesus? How did you meet Jesus? And what has He done in your life since?
- The final challenge was to SHARE your STORY for His GLORY. This is the model of the New Testament church... Jesus radically transforming people's lives and then they tell the world about it. Your story is uniquely yours; like a fingerprint. And God gave it to you for a reason, and that is to point people towards Jesus. You might be embarrassed of your story. Maybe it's full of things you're not proud of. Well, so was Paul's! This is how God works. He will, if you let Him, turn your PAIN to become your PLATFORM... your MESS into your MESSAGE. Who needs to hear your story? What are the names of one or two people that you could share it with in the next week?
Pray:
- That God would help you craft your story.
- That God would open doors for you to share your story, and that the Holy Spirit would give you the boldness to do it.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
1. Who is Jesus? I believe Jesus is God because Jesus said He is God and proved it by rising from the dead and appearing to His disciples, His brother James, 500 others at one time, and Paul.
(Mark 3:21; John 8:58, 10:30-33, 14:9-11; Acts 9:1-6; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8; Colossians 1:15-20; Hebrews 1:2-3; James 1:1)
(Mark 3:21; John 8:58, 10:30-33, 14:9-11; Acts 9:1-6; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8; Colossians 1:15-20; Hebrews 1:2-3; James 1:1)
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