PUT YOUR HAND IN THE HAND…

Posted on July 25, 2018 by randscallawayffm
Peter – A Breath of Fresh Air
 
1 Peter 2 follow
Weird flashback. The song going around in my mind this morning is a very old tune sung by our youth group in the seventies. It was written just after “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” by the Beetles. Looking for love, was the theme of the day. But this song came to mind as I read our next passage in Peter. Do any of you remember, “Put Your Hand in the Hand”?
 
Put your hand in the hand of the man
Who stilled the water
Put your hand in the hand of the man
Who calmed the sea
Take a look at yourself
And you can look at others differently
Put your hand in the hand of the man
From Galilee
 
My momma taught me how to pray
Before I reached the age of seven
When I’m down on my knees
That’s when I’m closest to heaven
Daddy lived his life, two kids and a wife
Well you do what you must do
But he showed me enough of what it takes
To get me through, oh yeh!
 
Put your hand in the hand of the man
Who stilled the water
Put your hand in the hand of the man
Who calmed the sea
Take a look at yourself
And you can look at others differently
Put your hand in the hand of the man
From Galilee
Oh yeh!
 
Chorus repeats…(forever or until you get tired of strumming your guitar around the campfire.)
 
Songwriters: Gene Mac Lellan
Artist: Anne Murray
Album: Honey, Wheat and Laughter
Released: 1970
Nominations: Country Music Association Award for Song of the Year
 
What I remember…This song, a “pop” song was almost blasphemy to sing in the full worship service with “grownups” but it was aloud to be sung at camp or in youth group. Oh my, what silly things our parents thought back then. This, now a bit boring and repetitive song, was sung sometimes just to annoy anyone over the age of 25. It was written in the time of the “Jesus movement”…youth searching for truth and not satisfied with the status quo of the day. The song was not earth shattering but did stir our thoughts about the difference in “doing church” and “being the church”.
 
I am thinking…what’s changed in the searching and grappling for what is right and good for the soul to the world at large? Many are still searching for the Truth. Many are still trying to live the Truth in changing times with each generation more accepting of what is not good for us in God’s eyes.
 
I think about all this and give credit to our parents whose initial thoughts were to protect us, to be vigilant and alert, keeping their guard up against evil that seeks to look like Christ but isn’t. Evil, that is ready to pounce on unsuspecting, weak and venerable people without God as well as Christians who should know to seek God first. Always remember. Greater is HE that is in you than he that is in the world.
 
Peter tells us God will have the last word. Peter finishes his first letter to Christians with “Stay alert!” “Keep a cool head”. “I have written as urgently and accurately as I know how. This is God’s generous truth; embrace it with both arms!”
 
1 Peter 5, The Message
Part Two
 
1 Peter 5 last wordHe Gets the Last Word
 
8-11 Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up. You’re not the only ones plunged into these hard times. It’s the same with Christians all over the world. So keep a firm grip on the faith. The suffering won’t last forever. It won’t be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ—eternal and glorious plans they are!—will have you put together and on your feet for good. He gets the last word; yes, he does.
 
12 I’m sending this brief letter to you by Silas, a most dependable brother. I have the highest regard for him.
 
I’ve written as urgently and accurately as I know how. This is God’s generous truth; embrace it with both arms!
 
13-14 The church in exile here with me—but not for a moment forgotten by God—wants to be remembered to you. Mark, who is like a son to me, says hello. Give holy embraces all around! Peace to you—to all who walk in Christ’s ways.
 
1 Peter 5 God led
SO, put your hand in hand of the Man who is God’s Son, who died and rose again to set us free to love Him back. May His Holy Spirit guide and direct, challenge and convict, comfort and bless us today. Stay alert…pray for discernment in all things. Our hope is in Jesus Christ!
In Jesus Name, Amen
 
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NOT BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO…

Posted on July 24, 2018 by randscallawayffm
Peter – A Breath of Fresh Air
 
When you hear a big sigh and see the eye roll from the one leading, you understand right away that you haven’t done it right in his (or her) eyes, to their way of thinking. Working for a boss who isn’t happy, who doesn’t show you how, only tells you when you haven’t done it right and arrogantly tells you your job is to make him look good isn’t doing it for the right reasons. He or she is doing it with a “because I have to” attitude. Those kinds of leaders are hard to work with and for.
 
1 Peter 5 be carefreePeter reminds leaders and followers of WHY we do what we do and how to do it. We work at it with all our hearts, minds and souls to please God! It doesn’t matter if you are in a secular or clergy position. God tells us plainly…to be plain people who love Him and love others. If we really take this seriously it gives us the freedom to leave everything to God for the results. We take on too much responsibility when we try to “play God” in people’s lives. We are all to be servants of God…not self.
 
Leading is also not trying to soothe our fractured egos with putting and keeping others down so we look lifted up. Yikes, that is a horrible place to be, to live, and keep doing. That takes more work on our parts to be always thinking of self. There is never peace with self motivation. “Be content with who you are”, says Peter. “Live carefree before God; he is most careful with you.”
 
1 Peter 5, The Message
Part One
 
1-3 I have a special concern for you church leaders. I know what it’s like to be a leader, in on Christ’s sufferings as well as the coming glory. Here’s my concern: that you care for God’s flock with all the diligence of a shepherd. Not because you have to, but because you want to please God. Not calculating what you can get out of it, but acting spontaneously. Not bossily telling others what to do, but tenderly showing them the way.
 
4-5 When God, who is the best shepherd of all, comes out in the open with his rule, he’ll see that you’ve done it right and commend you lavishly. And you who are younger must follow your leaders. But all of you, leaders and followers alike, are to be down to earth with each other, for—
 
God has had it with the proud,
But takes delight in just plain people.
 
6-7 So be content with who you are, and don’t put on airs. God’s strong hand is on you; he’ll promote you at the right time. Live carefree before God; he is most careful with you.
 
 
1 Peter 5 God wants usWow. Take this in. Think about it. Take all the time you need, I am. What or Who is our motivation in life as we work, relate to others, serve and love. Is our love with conditions? Is our service expecting something in return? Is our work just that…”our” work? You’ll know if all you seek is recognition and you are highly dissatisfied when you don’t get it. Are our relationships motivated by what we can get from them?
 
Dear Heavenly Father,
I am contemplating my own motivations for this journey and come up short of the goal you have for me. May Your desire be my desires and motivations for a life that wants to please you in all I think, say and do. Transform me. You are God and i am not. We will keep it that way. Help us to keep a firm grip on our faith and trust in You alone for all situations, trials, successes, and challenges. Thank you, Lord for never leaving us and always being the best shepherd of all. My life is in You. My life is in Your Hands.
In Jesus Name, Amen
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TRUST HIM, IT GETS BETTER!

Posted on July 23, 2018 by randscallawayffm

Peter – A Breath of Fresh Air

Current truth. Our less than two year old fridge went out…on the weekend…when no repair services are available. Does this inconvenience in our life mean that we have fallen from God’s blessing? Does them mean that God took the weekend off?

Past truth. Years ago, I worked for a place where I was under constant stress because of underhanded, secret dealings, behind the scenes behavior that was not of God, with leaders over me with little integrity and could not be trusted. I felt led there and worked hard to fulfill what God was telling me to do. But soon questioned God as to why He sent me. I knew from the first week on the job that it would be difficult knowing what I believed to be true versus what I saw when I arrived on the scene. I knew after the first staff meeting that I was different in belief and behavior. But I did that job, knowing I would have little time to do it, judgement and abusive words thrown at me, with testing and trying situations always in front of me. Did God lead me to this place as a cruel joke? Did he leave me? Was God not on the job all those months?

All minor and major inconveniences and trying situations are known to God. It is this scripture (and other passages) that saved me, grew me and transformed me. I was put through the fire to refine me. I am still put through fires to refine me. (Slow learner or faithful believer?) That’s what it means to stand firm in our faith in a world that thinks the opposite of what God’s Word says to us. I’m still growing, learning and trusting God to do what He wants in me. I need God. I need Him every hour of every day. I trust God to know what He is doing. AND the best is yet to come! Glory is just around the corner!

1 Peter 4 courageWe who are Christians will be judged first for our reactions to life’s situations and circumstances beyond our control. (By the way, everything is beyond our control!) God is in all of it to help us, guide and direct us…if we let go and let Him. Take that to heart first. God does not take vacations and never sleeps. He is ALWAYS on the job, and knows you and I very well. He knows just what we need and when to deliver.

“So if you find life difficult because you’re doing what God said, take it in stride. TRUST him, He knows what He’s doing, and He’ll keep on doing it.”

1 Peter 4, The Message
Glory Just Around the Corner

1 Peter 4 grace on grace12-13 Friends, when life gets really difficult, don’t jump to the conclusion that God isn’t on the job. Instead, be glad that you are in the very thick of what Christ experienced. This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner.

14-16 If you’re abused because of Christ, count yourself fortunate. It’s the Spirit of God and his glory in you that brought you to the notice of others. If they’re on you because you broke the law or disturbed the peace, that’s a different matter. But if it’s because you’re a Christian, don’t give it a second thought. Be proud of the distinguished status reflected in that name!

17-19 It’s judgment time for God’s own family. We’re first in line. If it starts with us, think what it’s going to be like for those who refuse God’s Message!

If good people barely make it,
What’s in store for the bad?

So if you find life difficult because you’re doing what God said, take it in stride. Trust him. He knows what he’s doing, and he’ll keep on doing it.

1 Peter 4 God is thereDear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for Your Word and Holy Spirit that reminds us of your unchanging love, mercy and grace. Grace upon grace as the song goes that we sang yesterday at church. Thank you for never leaving us where you put us. Thank you for guiding and providing. Thank you for protecting us when we stand firm in You. YOU are God of all…and we are not. Continue to transform me.
In Jesus Name, Amen

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THINK LIKE JESUS

Posted on July 22, 2018 by randscallawayffm
Peter – A Breath of Fresh Air
 
1 Peter 4 like Jesus“Since Jesus went through everything you’re going through and more, learn to think like him. Think of your sufferings as a weaning from that old sinful habit of always expecting to get your own way. Then you’ll be able to live out your days free to pursue what God wants instead of being tyrannized by what you want.” 1 Peter 4:1-2, The Message
 
What does it mean to think like Jesus? How will that change our view of living life daily? These are questions that need answers if we really are serious about learning to think like Him.
 
We all have a worldview. What we think and believe is reflected in our behavior, right down to the simplest acts of response, reaction and proaction each day. To think like Jesus is a continuing development of a Biblical worldview. George Barna explains it well,
 
“A biblical worldview is thinking like Jesus. It is a way of making our faith practical to every situation we face each day. A biblical worldview is a way of dealing with the world such that we ACT like Jesus, twenty-four hours a day, because we THINK like Jesus.” (George Barna, Think Like Jesus)
 
It’s like having a pair of special eyeglasses we wear that enables us to see things differently, to see things from God’s point of view, and to respond to those perceptions in the way that He would prescribe if He were to provide us with direct and personal revelation.
 
Jesus taught his disciples HOW to think as much as what to think. His teaching is for all who follow him as we learn to think more like Him. In more simple terms for us it is asking the question, “what would Jesus do if He were in my shoes right now?” and applying the answer without compromising because of how we anticipate the world reacting. It might sound simple but in this world of “have it your way” and “get it while you can” we see that this thinking like Jesus will be a profoundly opposite way of thinking and behaving and must be a daily developmental process.
 
Peter goes on to say,
 
3-5 You’ve already put in your time in that God-ignorant way of life, partying night after night, a drunken and profligate life. Now it’s time to be done with it for good. Of course, your old friends don’t understand why you don’t join in with the old gang anymore. But you don’t have to give an account to them. They’re the ones who will be called on the carpet—and before God himself.
 
6 Listen to the Message. It was preached to those believers who are now dead, and yet even though they died (just as all people must), they will still get in on the life that God has given in Jesus.
 
7-11 Everything in the world is about to be wrapped up, so take nothing for granted. Stay wide-awake in prayer. Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything. Be quick to give a meal to the hungry, a bed to the homeless—cheerfully. Be generous with the different things God gave you, passing them around so all get in on it: if words, let it be God’s words; if help, let it be God’s hearty help. That way, God’s bright presence will be evident in everything through Jesus, and he’ll get all the credit as the One mighty in everything—encores to the end of time. Oh, yes!
 
Did you get that??...In everything may God get the credit, the glory, honor and praise! That’s the beginning of thinking like Jesus.
 
1 Peter 4 think like JesusDear Heavenly Father,
Your Son came down and modeled perfectly how to think, how to see things from your perspective and how to live to please You, not for the response or applause of others. Thank you! Now help us to think and behave more like You taught us. Most of the time we see that Your thinking is the exact opposite of what the world says we must believe and act upon. That’s a good place to start. Thank you for saving us. Teach us still. Transform us to be more and more, in every way, like You. Help us to react and respond more like you.
In Jesus Name, Amen
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BLESS…HEART AND SOUL!

Posted on July 21, 2018 by randscallawayffm
Peter – A Breath of Fresh Air
 
When we are passionate about something, heart and soul, people know it. Our eyes are bigger and brighter when we talk about it. Our knowledge of it is greater because we are constantly reading more about it. It makes us even happier to find out more and more about it. We like to be around people who have it, too, so we can talk about it with them. We discover new ways of using it as we explore it’s benefits. We can’t wait to get up in the morning to look it over, polish and care for it and smile in gratitude with that feeling of achievement of having something valuable and precious.
 
What is IT? A new car, boat, cabin on the lake, condo in Florida, a new upgraded home, the newest and most updated phone, computer, or new tech that operates everything in your life? Maybe it is having all the bills paid off and you constantly look at your bank account balance to prove it. What do you talk about most? Because what we think about and talk about most is what we are most passionate about.
 
Peter tells us that what is uppermost in our minds, hearts and souls spills out from our lips. It also determines our inner beauty and disposition. Mm. Let’s take a closer look We are always seeking to be more beautiful and attractive, right? (Just look at your facebook feed and bank statement to prove it. Ouch, I’m guilty!)
 
1 Peter 3, The Message
Cultivate Inner Beauty
 
1-4 The same goes for you wives: Be good wives to your husbands, responsive to their needs. There are husbands who, indifferent as they are to any words about God, will be captivated by your life of holy beauty. What matters is not your outer appearance—the styling of your hair, the jewelry you wear, the cut of your clothes—but your inner disposition.
 
4-6 Cultivate inner beauty, the gentle, gracious kind that God delights in. The holy women of old were beautiful before God that way, and were good, loyal wives to their husbands. Sarah, for instance, taking care of Abraham, would address him as “my dear husband.” You’ll be true daughters of Sarah if you do the same, unanxious and unintimidated.
 
7 The same goes for you husbands: Be good husbands to your wives. Honor them, delight in them. As women they lack some of your advantages. But in the new life of God’s grace, you’re equals. Treat your wives, then, as equals so your prayers don’t run aground.
 
1 Peter 3 bless messageSuffering for Doing Good
8-12 Summing up: Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless—that’s your job, to bless. You’ll be a blessing and also get a blessing.
 
Whoever wants to embrace life
and see the day fill up with good,
Here’s what you do:
Say nothing evil or hurtful;
Snub evil and cultivate good;
run after peace for all you’re worth.
God looks on all this with approval,
listening and responding well to what he’s asked;
But he turns his back
on those who do evil things.
 
13-18 If with heart and soul you’re doing good, do you think you can be stopped? Even if you suffer for it, you’re still better off. Don’t give the opposition a second thought. Through thick and thin, keep your hearts at attention, in adoration before Christ, your Master. Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you’re living the way you are, and always with the utmost courtesy. Keep a clear conscience before God so that when people throw mud at you, none of it will stick. They’ll end up realizing that they’re the ones who need a bath. It’s better to suffer for doing good, if that’s what God wants, than to be punished for doing bad. That’s what Christ did definitively: suffered because of others’ sins, the Righteous One for the unrighteous ones. He went through it all—was put to death and then made alive—to bring us to God.
 
19-22 He went and proclaimed God’s salvation to earlier generations who ended up in the prison of judgment because they wouldn’t listen. You know, even though God waited patiently all the days that Noah built his ship, only a few were saved then, eight to be exact—saved from the water by the water. The waters of baptism do that for you, not by washing away dirt from your skin but by presenting you through Jesus’ resurrection before God with a clear conscience. Jesus has the last word on everything and everyone, from angels to armies. He’s standing right alongside God, and what he says goes.
 
SO, WHAT (OR WHO) IS IT THAT DRIVES OUR THOUGHTS, PASSION, HEARTS AND SOULS?
It is a question worth contemplating as we evaluate our own lives of which I am most guilty. But, there is hope. Refocus. Peter helps us. Peter speaks the Truth in love sprinkled with passion, grace and mercy, wanting us to be better so we will be a blessing. “…bless, that’s you job…to bless. You’ll be a blessing and also get a blessing.”
 
Peter, heart and soul, tells us about Life with Jesus using a ton of verbs with action points that drive our own passion for becoming better. “Whoever wants to embrace life and see the day fill up with good, here’s what you do”, says Peter.
–Say nothing evil or hurtful (Ah, THINK before you speak! Peter, himself, was transformed on this one, too!)
–Run after peace
–Be gentle and gracious. God likes that.
–Be good husbands and wives, full of mercy, developing inner beauty which leads to equal respect because of God’s grace in you. Honor and delight each other.
 
BE GOOD, EVEN WHEN IT HURTS OR IS CHALLENGING:
–Be agreeable
–Be sympathetic
–Be loving
–Be compassionate
–Be humble
–No trying to get even. No retaliation. No sarcasm, the language of the hurting and needy today. Wives, try to address your husbands with “My dear husband” today without being sarcastic. (Smiling.)
 
1 Peter 3 be a blessingDear Heavenly Father,
Help me to be a blessing even today. That’s my job. Make Your desires the desires of my heart. Help me to be good, even when it is inconvenient in my eyes, then do good so others will know you more. Thank you for helping us. We have not arrived, but we are passionate about the goal to please you in all we think, say and do. We love you heart and soul. It is you we want to discover more about. It is You who saved us. It is you we write about. It is You that I cannot wait to get up and talk to each morning and then throughout the day. You are God and greatly to be praised. Continue to work out Your salvation in me. That’s your job.
In Jesus Name, Amen
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IT CAN BE DONE!

Posted on July 20, 2018 by randscallawayffm
Peter – A Breath of Fresh Air
 
My mom knew how to “manage” me well. If she wanted to challenge me to do something she would tell me, after a few sloppy tries, “I guess you can’t do it.” What did this do to my rebellious brain? It made me jump in with all that is in me to do it or die trying.
 
1 Peter 2 die tryingI remember a principal who said of me to a group of parents when I began a new program of teaching, “I assure you, Mrs. Callaway does not give up, she will make this happen or die trying.” I’m still wondering about this statement…”die trying.” I’m still here. (Smiling)
 
If this is a good character trait in me or not, I’m not sure, the jury is still out. But now in my more “mature” days, if I know God is in it, I’m passionate to follow Him, because He sent His Son, Jesus to die for me. He didn’t just die trying, he did it! He suffered and died a cruel death so that we can be redeemed from the death we deserve for our sin. I will die trying to please Him, say Yes to Him and love Him with all that is in me.
 
Jesus also suffered and “died trying” to teach us HOW to live like He lived. He did this to show us that “it can be done.” Peter lists all the character traits of Jesus we strive to imitate in our lives. We will not be perfect as Jesus was perfect, but He gave us the standard to reach for and the measure to evaluate how we are doing and how far we’ve come in our walk. It’s not so much about reaching perfection in our journeys as it is about always progressing forward with Christ. Look at how far we have come as opposed to where we are now. Then ask for help to go a bit farther.
 
This passage ends with “once you were lost” but “now your named and kept for good by the Shepherd of your souls.” How amazing is this love? How amazing to be “named, known and kept” by the King of kings and Lord of lords!!
 
Read and be blessed. Make a list. Hang this list up where it can be seen with the title in bold letters, “IT CAN BE DONE!” (with the Holy Spirit helping us.)
 
1 Peter 2, The Message
Part Three
 
The Kind of Life He Lived
18-20 You who are servants, be good servants to your masters—not just to good masters, but also to bad ones. What counts is that you put up with it for God’s sake when you’re treated badly for no good reason. There’s no particular virtue in accepting punishment that you well deserve. But if you’re treated badly for good behavior and continue in spite of it to be a good servant, that is what counts with God.
 
1 Peter 2 model of Christs21-25 This is the kind of life you’ve been invited into, the kind of life Christ lived. He suffered everything that came his way so you would know that it could be done, and also know how to do it, step-by-step.
 
He never did one thing wrong,
Not once said anything amiss.
 
They called him every name in the book and he said nothing back. He suffered in silence, content to let God set things right. He used his servant body to carry our sins to the Cross so we could be rid of sin, free to live the right way. His wounds became your healing. You were lost sheep with no idea who you were or where you were going. Now you’re named and kept for good by the Shepherd of your souls.
 
1 Peter 2 follow.jpg
IT CAN BE DONE! (The list)
–Be silent when wronged. This counts with God.
–Suffering is part of this life. Jesus did. We will at times.
–Let God set things right.
–His wounds became our healing. Jesus’ love for us put us ahead of His comfort. Our first thoughts of pure love should be about the needs of others before our own.
–Serve, even when it hurts.
–Love as if our lives depend on it.
 
1 Peter 2 I have decided
Dear Heavenly Father,
You have challenged us once again this morning to be more, love more and do more. We can never out-love you, out-do what you do, or be You but we will “die trying” and leave this world with a smile on our face. I love you, Lord with all my heart, mind and soul. Thank you for knowing my name, saving my soul and keeping me in your care. Wow, what a Savior and Lord! What a Mighty God we serve!
In Jesus Name, Amen
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DON’T GET TOO COZY!

Posted on July 19, 2018 by randscallawayffm
Peter – A Breath of Fresh Air
 
We work all our lives for the day when we can retire and have the freedom to be and to do what we think is the “good life”. We try to settle into our homes as if we will be there forever. We paint, repair, decorate, and remodel some more until we are satisfied. But we never are satisfied. Why?
 
1 Peter 2 made for God's worldPeter reminds us “this world is not your home, so don’t make yourselves cozy in it.” We really do not know what tomorrow holds. So, don’t sell your souls for cozy and secure. Nothing in this world is tied down and secure. Even our bodies are mere tents that should be ready to be taken down and folded away, ready for travel to another location here to serve and glorify God or to our forever home in heaven. The good life is a life God directs, guides and provides for with all we need to love and serve Him. An “exemplary life” among those who don’t know Christ is one lived to tell Him with our words and actions. Be ready.
 
R-E-S-P-E-C-T is not just a song to be bellowed out by Aretha Franklin, a beloved singer, but to be lived out loud by all who call ourselves believers and followers of Christ. Peter reminds us to “exercise our freedoms by serving God, not by breaking the rules.” Respect must be part of our DNA as a new born believer of Jesus Christ. “Treat everyone you meet with dignity. Love your spiritual family. Revere God. Respect the government.” These are all traits of respect and love for God and each other.
 
So, don’t get too cozy with what we think is being secure. Be ready to serve and willing to love unconditionally like Christ. He’s coming back, you know. This world is not our home. Are we ready to move it on up to a deluxe apartment in the sky?
 
1 Peter 2, The Message
Part Two
 
11-12 Friends, this world is not your home, so don’t make yourselves cozy in it. Don’t indulge your ego at the expense of your soul. Live an exemplary life among the natives so that your actions will refute their prejudices. Then they’ll be won over to God’s side and be there to join in the celebration when he arrives.
 
13-17 Make the Master proud of you by being good citizens. Respect the authorities, whatever their level; they are God’s emissaries for keeping order. It is God’s will that by doing good, you might cure the ignorance of the fools who think you’re a danger to society. Exercise your freedom by serving God, not by breaking the rules. Treat everyone you meet with dignity. Love your spiritual family. Revere God. Respect the government.
 
Don’t just make a difference in this world…BE a difference.
 
1-peter-2-home.jpgDear Heavenly Father,
You are God and we are not. Just when we think we have it all together, we are reminded that you are in charge, You are our Father, You are where we want to be, You have our forever home prepared by Christ Himself. This world that we try to fix up by our own efforts is not our home. Thank you for this reminder that there are much greater things to come. Thank you for preparing my forever home. Give us joy for the journey here as we ready ourselves for there with You. Help us to live the “exemplary life” among those who don’t know you yet. May respect, love and dignity for others abound from us. In Jesus Name, Amen
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REJECTED TO ACCEPTED

Posted on July 18, 2018 by randscallawayffm
Peter – A Breath of Fresh Air
 
Jesus is the Cornerstone
Came for sinners to atone
Though rejected by His own
He became the Cornerstone
Jesus is the Cornerstone
 
This song of the seventies comes and fills my heart this morning as I read the next passage written by Peter to remind us all we are not the Lead stone that squares the building and becomes the stone on which all other stones line up upon. Jesus is. (Was and always will be.)
 
Jesus, the One rejected by the Jews, his own people. Jesus, with a new way of thinking and living. Jesus, Son of God Himself, showed kindness, humility, putting others first, never quit loving and prayed to God for all of his followers then…and for those who would follow in the future…us.
 
1 Peter 2 living stones in God's houseJesus, the One and Only, who was the perfect cornerstone and sacrifice for our sin…all sin…for all people. Jesus gave life to all dead in sin who believe and follow in His ways becoming living stones that build the living house of God. Our lives built upon His life. The rejected become accepted.
 
Jesus, Savior to those who not only believe (even demons believe) but also LORD as believers live as servants to Jesus and others from a new life of love that is unconditional, sacrificial and complete in Him.
 
Jesus, the One who accepted the rejected with open arms, healing with a new voice to tell others, and a new attitude with fresh gifts and abilities to serve others as He works our “stone” into place in his building of life eternal.
 
Jesus, our Friend forever, never leaves us because of His Holy Spirit living in us! We’re never left alone or thrown to the wolves of this world without help. We always have his help that directs, protects and guides us through all the obstacles of this journey.
 
Jesus, our Advocate, to our Heavenly Father. Jesus hears our prayers, in His Name, and offers them to the throne of God, Himself!
 
Yes, Jesus IS the Cornerstone of our lives. He is my strength by day and my song in the night. His life is how my life must be aligned and be measured to fit. He is first and last. He is Lord.
 
Jesus is coming back to claim His own. His own will know Him for we are those whom Jesus took from nothing and made them something, from rejected to accepted. New life. New rules. New promises. Day and night difference in living life to the full.
 
Jesus is the Cornerstone….Came for sinners to atone…..
 
1 Peter 2, The Message
Part one
 
1-3 So clean house! Make a clean sweep of malice and pretense, envy and hurtful talk. You’ve had a taste of God. Now, like infants at the breast, drink deep of God’s pure kindness. Then you’ll grow up mature and whole in God.
 
The Stone
4-8 Welcome to the living Stone, the source of life. The workmen took one look and threw it out; God set it in the place of honor. Present yourselves as building stones for the construction of a sanctuary vibrant with life, in which you’ll serve as holy priests offering Christ-approved lives up to God. The Scriptures provide precedent:
 
Look! I’m setting a stone in Zion,
a cornerstone in the place of honor.
Whoever trusts in this stone as a foundation
will never have cause to regret it.
 
To you who trust him, he’s a Stone to be proud of, but to those who refuse to trust him,
 
The stone the workmen threw out
is now the chief foundation stone.
 
For the untrusting it’s
 
. . . a stone to trip over,
a boulder blocking the way.
 
They trip and fall because they refuse to obey, just as predicted.
 
1 Peter 2 living stone faith
9-10 But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God’s instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you—from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted.
 
Think about it…
Is my stone (life) lining up with His?
 
Follow JesusDear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for words that stop us and cause us to think and evaluate the seriousness of living life to the full, measured and cut to fit and placed upon Your life. Wow. Continue to knock off the rough edges so I will be a better fit. Thank you for saving us. Thank you for caring and loving us so much that you speak to our hearts as Friend even though you are King of kings and Lord of lords!
In Jesus Name, Amen
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BACK TO THE FUTURE!

Posted on July 17, 2018 by randscallawayffm
Peter – A Breath of Fresh Air!
 
Back to the Future, the movie that captured our attention in 1985, was pop art that takes a young man forward and backward in his life on earth. He altered life situations. He sees what life was like for his father and understands why he behaves like he does today. He also catches a glimpse of what his own life will be like in the future.
 
1 Peter 1 timeBack to the Future is a movie that entertains but also make us think about our own future which is also speeding by like a modified DeLorean. What we do now affects everything about our future selves. We can’t go back to our old life, says Peter, we must move forward, with energy and gusto with our new life in Christ. Don’t go back, go forward with Christ.
 
“Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God.” Peter’s words are more powerful than a souped up DeLorean! Our “new birth comes from God’s living Word.” “So love each other like your lives depended on it.” “It cost God plenty to get you out of that dead-end, empty-headed life you grew up in. He paid with Christ….”
 
Which character are we trying to imitate from the movie these days? The empty headed Biff who keeps doing obnoxious antics to get attention? Are we the doc who is trying to control time in space? Are we Marty who thinks we have to fix or alter all situations? I hope we work to live like none of these characters but at times we seem to behave a bit like all of them.
 
God controls our future. God IS our future. We don’t need to go back in time unless you need to remember all that God brought us through when we repented and surrendered all to Him. “Your new life is not like your old life.”
 
1 Peter 1, The Message
Part Three
 
A Future in God
13-16 So roll up your sleeves, put your mind in gear, be totally ready to receive the gift that’s coming when Jesus arrives. Don’t lazily slip back into those old grooves of evil, doing just what you feel like doing. You didn’t know any better then; you do now. As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, “I am holy; you be holy.”
 
17 You call out to God for help and he helps—he’s a good Father that way. But don’t forget, he’s also a responsible Father, and won’t let you get by with sloppy living.
 
18-21 Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God. It cost God plenty to get you out of that dead-end, empty-headed life you grew up in. He paid with Christ’s sacred blood, you know. He died like an unblemished, sacrificial lamb. And this was no afterthought. Even though it has only lately—at the end of the ages—become public knowledge, God always knew he was going to do this for you. It’s because of this sacrificed Messiah, whom God then raised from the dead and glorified, that you trust God, that you know you have a future in God.
 
22-25 Now that you’ve cleaned up your lives by following the truth, love one another as if your lives depended on it. Your new life is not like your old life. Your old birth came from mortal sperm; your new birth comes from God’s living Word. Just think: a life conceived by God himself! That’s why the prophet said,
 
The old life is a grass life,
its beauty as short-lived as wildflowers;
Grass dries up, flowers droop,
God’s Word goes on and on forever.
 
This is the Word that conceived the new life in you.
 
1 Pter 1 new lifeDear Heavenly Father,
Thank you, thank you, thank you for this new life, renewed health, refreshed soul all because of Christ! You knew from the beginning of time what it would take to restore our relationship with You. You made a way to secure our future. Thank you. Help us all today not to go back but to move forward on this brief earth journey with a deeper reverence and consciousness of You. Continue to transform me.
In Jesus Name, Amen
1 Peter 1 hope and future
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WHAT A GOD WE HAVE!

Posted on July 16, 2018 by randscallawayffm
Peter – A Breath of Fresh Air
 
I love being around enthusiastic people who love God! Don’t you? His Holy Spirit is the smile on their faces. His Spirit seems to seep through every pour of their being. They are driven into joyful action because of their love for our Lord. They do kind and wonderful things without thinking or expecting anything in return. They ARE because of Christ. They DO because of Christ.
 
That’s Peter. He speaks from the experience of being with Christ physically, mentally, emotionally, intellectually and Spiritually. He was always the first to stand for Christ…even when he didn’t know what was going to happen next. In his younger years, he was bold and brash on his own steam, now he is bold, knowledgeable and confident in Christ. Jesus knew to take what God had created Peter to be and channeled that energy and enthusiasm for the good of all who will believe and follow him for generations to come. “Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it” declares Jesus, our Savior and Lord. (Matthew 16:18, NLT)
 
Let’s dive into Peter’s declaration and proclamation of the glory of God, the salvation made possible through Jesus and what that means for us. To God be the glory! What a mighty God we have!
 
1 Peter 1, The Message
Part Two
 
A New Life
3-5 What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now! God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you’ll have it all—life healed and whole.
 
6-7 I know how great this makes you feel, even though you have to put up with every kind of aggravation in the meantime. Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine. When Jesus wraps this all up, it’s your faith, not your gold, that God will have on display as evidence of his victory.
 
1 Peter 1 joy8-9 You never saw him, yet you love him. You still don’t see him, yet you trust him—with laughter and singing. Because you kept on believing, you’ll get what you’re looking forward to: total salvation.
 
10-12 The prophets who told us this was coming asked a lot of questions about this gift of life God was preparing. The Messiah’s Spirit let them in on some of it—that the Messiah would experience suffering, followed by glory. They clamored to know who and when. All they were told was that they were serving you, you who by orders from heaven have now heard for yourselves—through the Holy Spirit—the Message of those prophecies fulfilled. Do you realize how fortunate you are? Angels would have given anything to be in on this!
 
Wow!! If you have Jesus you have everything you need. We realize that fact of Life over and over, every day when Jesus is all you have, Jesus is all you need. What a God we have!
 
1 Peter 1 joyBenefits of knowing God through Jesus
(in case you missed it…)
 
–BRAND NEW LIFE…old is gone, past sin and mistakes forgotten.
–Breath of fresh air, Holy Spirit air
–Everything to live for
–A future in heaven, healed and whole completely
–God watching over us
–God delighting in all the details of our journey
–Suffering here produces pure, authentic, real focused faith
–Our faith is God’s victory!
–Love and trust with joy and singing
–Believers get total salvation!
 
Do you realize how fortunate we are?
1-peter-1-run-to-god.jpg

 

Dear Heavenly Father,
These words alone pump new life into this tired body. Thank you for your word that builds up our Spiritual muscles. Thank you for being the God you are to us. Thank you for saving us. Thank you for protecting, providing for our needs, guiding our thoughts and actions and even delighting in all the details of our puny lives made rich by your love for us. Continue to do what you must to refine and transform me. But be gentle. I love you with all my heart, mind and soul.
In Jesus Name, Amen
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