pivotal stuff

This chapter holds 4 of the 11 passages I feel God gave me to hold on to during 2016, especially the cornerstone verse of verse 7.

Yeah, I know, I know – 11 passages seems a little overkill.

Hey, whatever it takes – I've needed every one of them to face down the year! ;-)

1 Peter 5

6 So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time He will lift you up in honor.

7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about what happens to you. (2016)

(dan note: what if we all lived this & really, REALLY believed what verse 7 says? What would our lives look like? What would our stress levels be? And how would be live & what would our self concept be if we REALLY believed that the God of the universes cares about us, who are less than nanospecks in the cosmos?)

  8 Stay alert!

Watch out for your great enemy, the devil.

He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. (2016)

9 Stand firm against him,

and be strong in your faith.

Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.

(dan note: Do you get the feeling that Peter is kinda sorta telling the people he's writing to to quit whining about attacks by the devil & realize that what they're experiencing is typical for most folks who were following Jesus?)

  10 In His kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus.

So after you have suffered a little while,

He will restore,

support,

and strengthen you,

and He will place you on a firm foundation. (2016)

11 All power to him forever! Amen.

12 I have written and sent this short letter to you with the help of Silas, whom I commend to you as a faithful brother.

My purpose in writing is to encourage you and assure you that

the grace of God is with you no matter what happens. (2016)

(dan note: And how would we be, think, act, & live if we embraced the promise of God in those 4 simple words at the end of that sentence - “no matter what happens” ?)

  13 Your sister church here in Rome sends you greetings,

and so does my son Mark.

(dan note: As young adult man, Mark was one of Jesus' disciples & the Mark who wrote the Gospel account of Jesus' life. He traveled with Peter. Evidently, Peter had taken him into his life to the point where he considered Mark his son.)

14 Greet each other with Christian love.

  Peace be with all of you who are in Christ.