From:
Date: December 12, 2019
Subject: It's December 12; Good Morning Union
“Finally, all of you…” 1 Peter 3:8-9
Just journeying through the book of 1 Peter I struggled with how to appropriately apply the first part of chapter 3- is it to husbands and wives or to everyone? How do I interpret it for today? I don’t have all the answers yet so I don’t overreact, draw absolute conclusions, or panic. I just keep going until I find something that I CAN understand! That’s my approach to my devotional Bible reading/musing!
And it worked again this morning! As surely as I was confused by verses 1-7 I was blessed with clarity on verses 8-12! First the conclusion… then the process. It ends with, “because to THIS you were called SO THAT you may inherit a blessing.” I think my curiosity often gets the best of me because I like to read the end and then see what it takes to get there!
IF I want to “inherit a blessing,” then-- and here’s the first part of the verses:
“because to THIS you were called SO THAT you may inherit a blessing.”
At Union we talk much about discovering your calling, and I fully endorse that focus for all of us. Well, here is a part of that calling! It’s not just a job hunt, it’s a life style; the “calling” by God, to all of us the verse says, is to focus on these 7 character qualities.
And then Peter quotes from David in the Psalms, perhaps for historical validation that this has been God’s message through all times:
It looks like God’s “calling” begins with a life of choosing good. It clarifies so much and removes so much confusion when I simply choose good. In fact the summary of this whole section ends with, “Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? And even if you should suffer for what is right, you’ll be blessed.” Sounds like a win-win for me and God when I just choose to do the right and best thing in my relationships with others.
Have a great day reflecting God’s goodness in how you treat others,
Pastor Rich
Quote for the Day: “God wisely designed the human body so that we can neither pat ourselves on the back or kick ourselves in the butt too easily.”
PS uGather- remember, it’s a freebee for everyone. No uGather this week. Thanks for your support all semester. This one is on us so you can use the time to get ready for your exams. We’re giving everyone credit for being there!!
PPS OR…. join us for hot drinks and decorating cookies in Campus Ministries from 10:35- 12:35 today! You can eat some but mostly we want to make them for police, firefighters and homeless folks in Lincoln. Stop by and eat a cookie-make a cookie for someone else.