Refection: Validate: 2 Peter: Prayers and Poetry

Reflection Questions 

        1. Do you see His virtues now planted in you ? Why or why not?

        2. How do you see and act in mercy now toward others?

        3. In what gift of virtue do you still tend to stumble? Why is there a battle here?

Share: What enables you to accept or understand your sins have been washed away and replaced with innocence?

Validate: 2 Peter: Prayers and Poetry

2nd Peter 1:7-10: " ... and to godliness add mercy toward your brothers and sisters, and to mercy toward others add unending love. Since these virtues are already planted deep within, and you possess them in an abundant supply, they will keep you from being  inactive or fruitless in your pursuit of knowing Jesus Christ more intimately. But if anyone lacks these things, he is blind, constantly closing his eyes to the mysteries of our faith, and forgetting his innocence--for his past sins have been washed away. For this reason, beloved ones, be eager to confirm and validate that God has invited you to salvation and claimed you as His own. If you do these things,you will never stumble.

Validate

Planted deep. Abundant supply. Not often considered from that perspective.

We rarely understand that for ourselves and forget that all He gives to us is to be passed on to others as well. Our given mercy and love and courage is to share and pray too.

Instead we still let doubts and fears react and not always understand the innocence He has gifted inside us. And all the dark paths that linger can be removed.

Lord, please guide us to see through Your vision and then to pray and act when and where You send us always. May any work that is not from You be dissolved and only the work Your Spirit directs us to go forward. With Your abundant supply we can follow Your words and directions and not stumble.

Your thoughts,

Costly: 2 Peter: Prayers and Poetry

                Costly

                Lavished 

    

                with goodness and understanding

                strength and self-control

                patient endurance and godliness

                not tiny hints or

                hidden cures instead

                Holy Spirit embracing

                with kindness and love

                supporting through difficulties

                powerful guidance

                moment by moment

                Lavished.

Psalm 89:34: "My covenant I will not violate, Nor will I alter the utterance of My lips."

Reflection: Price: 2 Peter: Prayers and Poetry

Reflection Questions 

        1. How has the Lord's presence protected you from escape from corrupt desires?

        2. What of His magnificent promise has changed your heart completely that you now follow?

        3. What does partnership with Jesus look like for you day to day?

Share: What is a recent promise from His love that you have experienced?

Price: 2 Peter: Prayers and Poetry

 2 Peter 1:4-6: "As a result of this, He has given you magnificent promises that are beyond all price, so that through the power of these tremendous promises we can experience partnership with the divine nature, by which you have escaped the corrupt desires that are of the world. So devote yourself to long lavishly supplementing your faith with goodness, and to goodness and understanding add the strength of self-control, and to self-control add patient endurance, and to patient endurance add godliness."

Price

Lavishly something we may rarely expect unless with our loved ones. Yet throughout all of both our difficulties and joys Lord, You continue to offer Your lavish gift of relationship with each one of us.

All Your promises we realize will never be broken. You continue to offer forgiveness every time we recognize our failure or our selfishness or the promises we break.

Please keep us so attached to Your words that we will live into them daily, from within our hearts and thoughts and actions and endurance in each situation.

Please keep reminding us to have the courage to lavish unto others as Your Spirit leads. And engage only into Your desires as You lead.

Your thoughts,

Lavished: 2 Peter: Prayers and Poetry

                Lavished

                Divine power

                lavished upon

                each one who accepts

                called by name

                to know Him

                through invitation

                to walk

                path of goodness

                Divine grace.

Psalm 89:33: "But I will not break off My lovingkindness from him, Nor deal falsely in My faithfulness."

Reflection: Living: 2 Peter: Prayers and Poetry

Reflection Questions 

        1. Do you consider yourself a loving servant and apostle of Jesus? Why? Why not?

        2. Do you experience your faith as precious? How?

        3. Do you feel you have everything you need for your life? What is the clearest example?

Share: What cascade of perfect peace have you experienced from Him?

Living: 2 Peter: Prayers and Poetry

 2nd Peter 1:1-3: "This letter is from Simon Peter, a loving servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ. I am writing to those who have been given a faith as equally precious as ours through the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. May grace and perfect peace cascade over you as you live in the rich knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. Everything we could ever need for life and godliness has already been deposited in us by His divine power. For all this was lavished upon us through the rich experience of knowing Him who has called us by  name and invited us to come to Him through a glorious  manifestation of His goodness.

Living

We are reminded of His great gift of mercy that His righteousness will carry us from new beginnings and throughout long experiences.

When we choose to keep living into His knowledge and fill our hearts and souls and minds with the water of His will.

He continues to prepare His mercy for each of us to accept our lives with Him daily.

Yet still, how many times do we still often turn away or choose to refuse? And yet.

He still chooses to restore our hearts and minds and souls and decisions and actions whenever we ask, despite our self-centeredness. 

We ask for ongoing goodness and guidance, Lord, to grow to be Your servants wherever You call or send us. Please keep us listening for Your voice.

In silence--in trust--in prayer--in action.

Your thoughts, 

Peace: 1 Peter: Prayers and Poetry

                Peace

                From His heart

                our Lord has wrapped

                each one into union

                of His grace and truth

                so we too can testify

                offer encouragement

                walk with Him daily

                on His road together

                Forever

Psalm 89: 32: "Then I will visit their transgression with the rod, And their iniquity with stripes."

                

Reflection: Grace: 1 Peter: Prayers and Poetry

 Reflection Questions

        1. What gift of His grace enabled you to stand on solid ground?

        2. How does that affect your encouragement to others?

        3. What enables you to be faith-filled in all circumstances? How can you share with others?

Share: What peace has He gifted you with this week?

Grace: 1 Peter: Prayers and Poetry

Reading: 1 Peter 5:12-14: "I, Peter, with the help of Silas, whom I consider a trustworthy, faith-filled brother, have written you this short letter so that I may encourage you and personally testify that this is the true, dependable grace of God. Stand fast in this grace. She who is in Babylon, who is co-elect with you, sends her greetings, along with Mark, my son. Greet one another with a kiss of peace. Peace to all who are in life union with Christ. Amen"

Grace

Thank-you, Lord, for Your ongoing grace to each one of us no matter how often we fail.

Thank-you, for Your gift of dependency and availability and welcome.

Please continue to show us how to live into Your grace as You lead--with courage and faithfulness; so that we may testify to others as You lead. And also to stand fast when we are confused or fearful.

Thank-you, for Your ongoing gift of peace and presence that never leaves us.

Please continue to teach us how to turn to You first in all circumstances and listen to pray as You lead us.

Please keep each of us walking on Your path only.

Your thoughts,

Strength: 1 Peter: prayers and Poetry

                Strength 

                His power an

                ongoing foundation

                to hold in faith

                when troubles attack

                knowing

                His presence is

                timeless

                never abands us

                will restore with

                mercy

                His protection

                often invisible

                need to trust

                eternal grace

                constant.

Psalm 89:31: "If they violate My statues, And do not keep My commandments,"

Reflection: Resist: 1 Peter: Prayers and Poetry

Reflection Questions

        1. In what areas of your life and your faith do you feel the weakest? Why?

        2. What trouble did you face for a long time? How did the Lord protect you through it?

        3. How do you respond now when a new attack hits you?

Share: What word of hope can you pass on to someone in difficult circumstances?

Resist: 1 Peter: Prayers and Poetry

 Reading: 1 Peter:5:9-11: "Take a decisive stand against him and resist his every attack with strong, vigorous faith. For you know that your believing brothers and sisters around the world are experiencing the same kinds of troubles you endure. And then, after your brief suffering, the God of all loving grace, who has called you to share in His eternal glory in Christ, will personally and powerfully restore you and make you stronger than ever. Yes, He will set you firmly in place and build you up. And He has all the power needed to do this--forever! Amen."

Resist

How often do we still so easily fall, even over minor difficulties when they come? Even knowing without any doubt that our Lord is present, and will bring peace, and give direction.

The worry and fear still come first into our thoughts too often again.

Our need of learning to pause and pray first in all circumstances is ongoing until it becomes permanent. How?

To receive His ongoing mercy and healing and protection. To be willing to let go resisting His restoration and ask for His sight to recognize the false attacks and refuse fear. To instead remember He gives us strength every moment if we will accept.

Lord, we ask to stand firmly in all of Your choices for us and not resist where and when You lead. To walk Your direction in trust.

Your thoughts,