Joyful Suffering
Read: 1 Peter 4:12-19 Do not be surprised at the fiery trial. (v. 12) I have yet to suffer for following Jesus, but I have met people who have. One man told me how his fingernails were pulled out because he confessed to becoming a Christian. I can hardly begin to imagine the pain. And […]
An Epidemic of Loneliness
Read: 1 Peter 4:7-11 Show hospitality to one another. (v. 9) “You are the first person I have spoken with in two weeks,” a homebound woman said to our youth director when she dropped off cookies as part of a youth mission. It quickened our hearts to arrange regular visits to this sweet saint. That […]
The Voices Linger
At Words of Hope, we believe that God never turns his back on his children, and we shouldn’t either. We regularly see how God is using the devotional in prison to bring the hope of Jesus Christ into people’s lives.
Church Feels Different
During a global pandemic the Church has had to adjust to meeting together. However, all around the world, the Church looks different. The Church has always adjusted to changing circumstance, while still being faithful to the Gospel.
Arms like Christ
Read: 1 Peter 4:1-6 They are surprised when you do not join them. (v. 4) Some suffering is common to many. Disease or natural disasters come to mind. Other suffering comes from persecution by those opposed to faith. Peter invites a different kind of suffering in this text: a suffering by choice that gives up […]
Once
Read: 1 Peter 3:18-22 Christ also suffered once for sins. (v. 18) The church I attend places a baptismal font in the lobby. As people enter, believers are reminded of God’s covenant promises at their baptism. Among them, God promised to completely forgive us through the blood of Jesus. Peter likened baptism to Noah in […]
Be Prepared
Read: 1 Peter 3:8-17 A reason for the hope that is in you . . . (v. 15) “Be Prepared” is the Boy Scout motto etched into me and everyone who ever attended a Boy Scout meeting. It applied to both mind and body, so we would know the right thing to do at the […]
Committed to Evangelism
Amir lives in Iran, where converting to Christianity is illegal and where sharing your faith can be persecuted with time in prison, or worse. Despite the government trying to stop it, Christianity continues to spread in Iran, however. Many, like Amir, have no Bible, but they can download the Bible app, and some are getting […]
Wives and Husbands
Read: 1 Peter 3:1-7 Heirs with you of the grace of life . . . (v. 7) Storyteller Garrison Keillor describes the fictional town of Lake Wobegon as a place where “All the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average.” I wonder how women feel when Peter […]