1 Peter 5:5-6 - Authority of elders?

Scripture: 1 Peter 5:5-6

Summary: The younger should accept the authority of the elders. Be humble in your dealings with one another.

Thoughts: After reading this scripture, it would be easy to fall in to the trap and turn to my kids and say, "See, the Bible says that you should accept my authority!" On the surface, I agree with this statement, because children need their parents to attempt to keep them safe and teach them how to be good people. So when you tell a small child not to run in to the street, it is important that the child listen to you. At some point, however, my children are going to have to be able to make decisions for themselves because I won't be there to help them. They will have to decide for themselves if they want to run in to the street (or whatever!). So now that my kids are older, I am trying to step back and allow them to make their own decisions and live with the consequences. But for all of us, younger and older, it is important to remember to be humble with one another. Because we can all learn from each other. Some of the most important lessons in my life, I learned from a young person, which is why I love my work in youth ministry! Adults, we need to remember that the youth are children of God and bring a unique perspective to share with us. Youth, perhaps you could give us a little bit of credit for our life experience, and listen to us on occassion. As children of God, we need to have a large dose of humility in our dealings with one another.

Prayer: God help me to be humble with all people that I meet, young and old. Amen.

1 Peter 2:9-10 - Winter Retreat shows God's people at work

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:9-10

Summary: We are a chosen race, God's own people. God called us out of darkness into God's light.

Thoughts: We are the people of God. God has claimed us. We were called by God our of the darkness that we inhabit, into the marvelous light of God.  How would our lives be different if we lived as if we were God's people? I think I saw an example of this a week ago at Holy Covenant UMC's youth Winter Retreat.  It was a beautiful weekend. The days were warm, which was much appreciated since it had been snowing only a few days before and had been bitterly cold (for Dallas, anyway!). We went to Turner Falls in Oklahoma for the day, but much of the snow and ice that had fallen had not melted there. So the paths that are normally easy to scramble up and down were much more treacherous. It was there that I saw a youth group, that often splits into specific sub-groups, turn into a cohesive whole. I saw chains of 8-10 youth helping each other down the mountainside and some youth going back up to help others down. Unfortunately, we did have one injury (sorry Katelyn!) but I believe that it could have been much worse if we had not all been working together to help each other. What if we took this lesson, that the path is easier to traverse when working together, and extended it to our daily lives? What if we lived as God's people, treating everyone else around us as a special child of God? How would the world be different?

Prayer: Lord, help me to live as one of your chosen people, loving those around me unconditionally. Amen.

1 Peter 1:3-5 - What is your inheritance?

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:3-5

Summary: God has given us new birth through Christ, an inheritance that is never lost. We are protected by God's power.

Thoughts: With the economy the way it is, I often find myself worrying about how I'm going to have enough money to live on until I die. This means I'm also worrying about what sort of inheritance I will be able to leave to my children. So when Peter talks here about an inheritance we have from God that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, that sounds really good to me! I don't have to worry about my stock investments losing value or the baseball cards geting wet and molding. God is keeping my inheritance safe for me.  Because when I really look at what valuable things I am leaving my kids, what it comes down to is faith. The most important thing that we share with our children is our faith. Young people learn their faith from their parents. They see how you live out your faith each day. They see if you read the Bible, if you pray, and how you treat people around you. I'm not saying that it's not important for us to do what we can fior our children financially. It is. But it is more iimportant that we share our faith with them. If they can see that we have a strong relationship with God and how that changes our lives, they will begin to yearn for that relationship also.

Prayer: God I yearn for a better relationship with you. I want to focus on those things that will orient me in your direction and help me to follow Christ's path. Amen.