Scripture

If someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way.

Observation

We should be of one mind, loving each other as brothers and sisters in the Lord.

We should never repay evil for evil, but instead bless those who insult us. As it says in Psalm 34, we must turn away from evil and do good. The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, but the Lord turns His face against those who do evil.

If we suffer for doing what is right, God will reward us. If someone asks about the reason for our hope, we should be ready to explain it. We should do this in a loving and respectful way.

Application

Many christians are afraid to share their faith because they do not know how to do it or because they are unsure if they will be able to answer questions. This is understandable.

Peter says here that we should be always ready to explain the hope that we have in Christ. In other words, he is not talking about street preaching. This is about normal everyday conversations. We don’t want to harass a person with our beliefs, but if asked, we need to be ready.

A short testimony can be helpful. Your story cannot be dismissed as it is your story. Prepare in your head a brief description of how you became a Christian and the big difference that Christ has made in your life.

Many people these days have a wrong or distorted opinion of what Christians believe. Learn a brief summary of what salvation is about.

Remember not to argue. We want to win a person not an argument. Above all, ask God for the grace to share with your friends and family.

Prayer

Lord, thank you for saving me. Please help me to share the Good News with the people around me. Amen.

Scripture

In the same way, you husbands must give honour to your wives, Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered.

Observation

Wives are to live under the authority of their husbands. They are to live godly lives in order to win their husbands over to the gospel without words. They should not be concerned with expensive jewellery, fancy hairstyles or beautiful clothes. Rather, they should clothe themselves with a gentle spirit.

Husbands must honour their wives, She may be physically weaker, but she is an equal partner in God’s gift of new life.

Application

It is odd that many Christians go for the Ephesians 5 prescription for marriage but overlook this passage.

Peter tells women to have a gentle spirit and to focus on their spiritual development rather than on the outward expression of clothes, hairstyles and jewellery.

Peter makes it clear that a man’s wife is his equal partner in the gift of new life. There is no lording over suggested here.

Men are to honour their wives. That means that we should build them up with our words, rather than tearing them down, We are to treat our wives with the same love, grace, and gentleness that God treats us with.

If we treat our wives properly, then our prayers will not be hindered. Paul tells us that marriage is a representation of the unity of the church with Christ. If we want to take part in that communion, then we need to make sure that our attitudes to our wives are appropriate.

Prayer

Thank you, Lord, for the gift and the challenge of marriage. Please help me to honour my spouse always. Amen.

Scripture

For God has called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example and you must follow in his steps.

Observation

Regardless of the cost, we are to do good. The calling on our lives is to follow Christ in His example and in His suffering. He didn’t sin or deceive anyone. He never retaliated when insulted, or threatened revenge. He carried our sins on the cross in his body so that we can be dead to sin. By his wounds we are healed – in body, soul and spirit.

We were once like sheep who had strayed away, but now we follow the Good Shepherd, the guardian of our souls

Application

The world hates virtue and promotes evil. It is entirely surrendered into the hands of satan.

Therefore we should not be surprised that following Christ brings about suffering. Just as Jesus suffered for being perfectly obedient to the Father, we too can expect to be treated unfairly when we take seriously the call to follow Jesus.

To walk in the way of Jesus means that we avoid sin, deception, revenge and all such things. We are to radiate the holiness and love of God in every situation.

People will get angry or cynical towards us, but others will see the joy of being a christian and will be attracted. The important thing is that we aim to be faithful to Jesus in all we do.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, you have given us the example of Jesus to show us how to live. Please help me to be obedient you all the time. Amen.

Scripture

For you are free yet you are God’s slaves. So don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil

Observation

Because we are children of the Lord, we should honour God by respecting those who have authority over us, both the king and his officials. The officials are appointed to punish criminals and to honour those who do what is right.

We are free yet we are God’s slaves. We must never use our freedom to justify sin. We must respect everyone and love our christian brothers and sisters.

Slaves must respect the authority of their masters, not only if they are kind, but even if they are cruel. God is pleased when we do what is right, even when we are unfairly punished.

Application

People often misconstrue Christian freedom for a licence to do what we please. As a cynical philosopher said on his deathbed, “God will forgive. That is His business.”

God is not in the business of forgiving wilfulness There is grace and mercy, but we demonstrate our faith by living faithfully to the ways of God.

Christ has redeemed us, and so we are owned by Him. We were once slaves to sin but now we are slaves of Christ.

Therefore we must not use our freedom in Christ to do what displeases Christ. Instead we allow His love and the ministry of the Holy Spirit to transform us into the men and women that God created us to be.

Prayer.

Thank you, Lord, that you have lifted me out of the kingdom of darkness and into your kingdom. Please help me to live a life that pleases you in every way. Amen.

Scripture

You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s very own possession As a result, you can show others the goodness of God for He called you out of the darkness and into his wonderful light

Observation.

We are God’s chosen people royal priests, a holy nation. So we can show others the goodness of God.

We were once nobody, but now we are God’s. Once we received no mercy, but God’s mercy is our treasured gift.

We are temporary residents in this world, and so we must keep away from worldly desires. We must live properly amongst unbelievers because they will see the difference God makes in our lives.

Application

We the church, the people of God, have a unique identity as we stand between God and the world.

We are God’s chosen people. That designation has shifted from Israel to the church. God has chosen us as His very own.

We are God’s possession. Once we transfer our allegiance to God in Christ then he will fight to keep us as his possession .Nothing, except for our own rebellion, will separate us from the love of God.

We are a royal priesthood. We are royal in the sense that we are dedicated to the king. As a priesthood, we have a duty to intercede for our friends and neighbours.

A holy nation is one that is set apart for God’s purposes, In the way that Israel was. We must live holy lives that speak of our calling, and witness to the world that we belong to the Lord.

Prayer

Thank you, Lord, for this high calling that you have placed on all your people. Amen.

Scripture

You are living stones that God is building into his spiritual Temple. What is more, you are his holy priests Through the mediation of Jesus Christ. You offer spiritual sacrifices that please God

Observation

Christ is the living cornerstone of God’s temple and we are coming to Him. We are living stones in this temple that God is building. We are priests who can intercede with Christ, offering a kind of spiritual sacrifice. This was all foretold in the Old Testament. The prophet Isaiah said that the Lord will place a cornerstone in Jerusalem, and anyone who trusts in Him will not be disgraced.

This cornerstone that brings honour to those who trust in Him is also a stumbling stone that destroys those who refuse to obey the Lord.

Application

In our Western culture, we are overly concerned with individuals and rarely see the big picture of where we fit in with others.

Here Peter tells us that we are living stones being built together with other believers into a spiritual temple. It is not that I am a temple for God but rather the church, the Body of Christ is a temple for God.

There is a saying that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. This is true of the church. About 2.5 billion people, or one-third of the world’s population, is Christian. That is impressive, but God is building all of these people, together with all of the saints of the past and those yet to be born, into something greater – a spiritual building, a vessel for His presence.

That is something far greater than reconstructing a stone temple in Jerusalem. This temple spans the world and shows forth the grace of God to all people.

Prayer

Lord, you are awesome in your might and in your mercy. Please help me to find my place in your temple of grace. Amen.

Scripture

For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God.

Observation

We were cleansed from our sin when we first came to faith in Jesus, so we must live in that clean nature by loving other Christian brothers and sisters.

We have been born again to eternal life, not to a life that will end. People are like grass, but the word of the Lord, the good news, lasts forever.

We must get rid of all evil behaviour, and instead crave pure spiritual milk so that we will grow into the fullness of salvation.

Application

When we put our trust in Jesus, we were born again or born of the Spirit. This new life in Christ is not for this earthly life only. The new life is everlasting.

This means that we must live for eternity, not for the present. Our eyes must be fixed on Jesus, not on earthly things.

And so we have to make a conscious decision to put away sin. Everything that separates us from God must go. This is a lifelong process in which God convicts us and redirects our passions and desires.

Positively, it means we must crave the pure spiritual milk that brings us to mature discipleship. This refers to the word of God, the Scriptures. We need to read the word daily, and regularly hear the word of God preached, as well as studying the word in small groups.

When we do these things and learn to place our attention on Jesus, then we will grow into maturity in the faith.

Prayer

Lord, you have shown me how to grow in you. Please help me to be disciplined in my study of your word and in the thoughts of my heart. Amen.

Scripture

For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom, he paid was not mere gold or silver. It was the precious Blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.

Observation

We must learn to exercise self-control by focusing on the gracious salvation that is coming. We must live obedient to God and not slip back to the old ways of living,

We must be holy in everything. God will judge us and reward us according to our deeds.

God paid a ransom for us. It was not just silver or gold, but the precious Blood of Christ. God chose Him before the world began and has revealed Him to us in these last days.

Application

I was born in sin to sinful parents. They lived an empty life because it was separate from God.

Then Christ came in and I was born again to a living hope and a new life full of the presence of God. I didn’t deserve this. It was God’s gift.

The ransom for my salvation is the precious Blood of the everlasting Lamb of God, Jesus Christ. God was prepared to pay this price – humbling himself to become a man and then dying for me. This says something about the seriousness of sin. But it also says something about how much God is prepared to give up for the prize of my redemption.

God loves me with real love. It is not a cheap grace. He goes all the way to see me rescued from my sin.

Because of His love for me, I must live a holy life, set aside for His purposes.

Prayer

Father God, I am amazed at your great love for me. Please help me to live a life that shows my love for you. Amen.

Scripture

You love him even though you have never seen him. Though, you do not see him now, you trust him and you rejoice with a glorious inexpressible Joy.

Observation

We must be glad because there is wonderful joy ahead. We may have to endure trials for a while. These trials purify our faith and reveal that it is real.

We love God, even though we have never seen him, but we trust Him and rejoice in Him. We will be saved because of this faith in Jesus.

The prophets wanted to know more about this salvation. They wondered when and how this would come about. This salvation, now revealed in the gospel, is so wonderful that even the angels are watching these things happen.

Application

Sometimes people express a feeling that they would like to see Jesus as He walked around Israel. But, this verse and others in Scripture, say that there is a greater blessing for those who believe without seeing.

We love the Lord even though we have never seen Him. And we trust him and rejoice in a salvation that we have not seen or touched with our physical senses.

The reward of trusting him is salvation, eternal life with God. This salvation is a truly wondrous thing because it gives us hope for the future and peace that our present trials will make us fit for heaven.

God works his purposes out through everything in our lives; nothing is wasted.

Prayer

Thank you, Lord, for joy, that excitement about eternity. Thank you for saving me. Amen.