Swept Away by Grace—A Study in I Peter (part 10)—A Life’s Testimony

Peter, the rough and rugged fisherman became an eloquent writer and teacher of the gospel. As we have noted in I Peter, he reminds us over and over again that it is by grace alone that we have been saved and called to be set apart in this pilgrimage journey. He tells us that in Christ we are set free from the chains and bonds of sin that surround us. Yet, as we noted in the previous verses; he does not want us to forget that God is righteous and God hates sin. God knows that our self-centered, pride-filled, pleasure seeking hearts draw us toward counterfeit joys that cannot fill the void within. He is the only one who can fill that void. Peter also knows the perils; after all, he was the one who after pride fully boasting to follow after Jesus had then denied Christ. Peter had also felt the grace of Christ’s forgiveness.

Artwork used by permission of Ronald Barba who owns the copyright—for further information on obtaining please click on the link

Peter’s heart had been broken of all the self-exaltation and had wondered if he would ever be “worthy” of being a teacher. Ahh, truth is: he knew he wasn’t worthy; but, was chosen anyway. Peter knew that it was Christ who could do the work through him and not himself.

That is the Peter who now writes:

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Swept Away by Grace- A Study in I Peter (part 9)—Firm Foundation-now and for Eternity

Peter has been confirming and reminding the people of the marvelous wonder of the grace they have been given. Grace which reaches out, takes hold, and transforms lives. He realizes that there is a truth which they must also know—a truth without which grace has no significance. That truth is that God is a righteous and just God as well. For that reason, he refers back to Isaiah where it was written: (Isaiah 28) “¹⁶ Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will lay in Zion a stone, a^[q]tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation. He that believeth, ^[r]shall not make haste. ¹⁷ Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place. “Judgment will come—that is a certainty and judgment will pour out from heaven only that which mankind deserves as a result of his rebellious and self-absorbed heart. Many who built their lives on their own “self-righteousness” and on anything other than the truth of the gospel will watch their lives crumble beneath the hailstorms that try the faith.

portrait used by permission of Ronald Barba who owns the copyright.  Please click on the picture if you wish to obtain information on purchasing

Christ is the only foundation on which we may build that will stand when the trials of our faith come on the earth. Furthermore, when we stand before Him in judgment all our humans works and wisdom will be burned away; yet, our salvation will stand firm only if we have built upon the foundational stone of Jesus Christ. (I Corinthians 3: 9-15). For all who have not believed on Jesus Christ, there is no foundation and they will be eternally condemned—by their own choice to have denied the only means of righteousness that was purchased at a great price to the Father and Son.

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Swept Away by Grace—A Study in I Peter (Part 8)—Because You have Tasted that He is Good

It had been a simple question.  It was meant to be a word of flattery, a friendly gesture to uplift, I am certain.  Any other moment, I would have immediately known the answer—in a split second; because I know the truth.  After all, I know the gracious beauty and wonder of God’s love.  I know He is good and is Sovereign over my life.  Then why, oh why did that question split open the scars of my past?  Hadn’t God already healed that wound so long ago?  Perhaps it was timing that made it lethal or perhaps I had let down the wall just enough to allow the question in with all that it could imply, or maybe I had turned off the alarms because I though I was safe. There it was the question,  “So, who takes care of Super Woman?”   At that moment my heart split in two and all the desires for human love I had long ago laid aside rushed in, along with all the fears of rejection, feelings of loneliness, and those feelings of inadequacy.  For that moment, all the truth of who I am in Christ faded into the background as Satan’s lies became so loud within my heart and mind.  Then I began the process over the next 24 hours where my own fear would destroy any hope of friendship, thus relinquishing me from being vulnerable anymore. Not the smartest way of handling the situation, I know.  I should have run to God; but, unfortunately, once those walls are broken we tend to try to hide those feelings from even God.   Of course my fear was not only will this friend find out that I am not superwoman; but they will discover my weakness as well. Don’t tell me you have never done anything similar.     I had been there before.  So, this was nothing new—only I did not expect  this particular emotional stumbling block.  It had been so many years since I had felt this kind of loneliness. I  believed that God had closed that wound forever—or, so I had thought.

photography courtesy of Dr. Rene Sullivan and used by permission

In this journey we are surrounded by a dark sea of turmoil from the evils surrounding us in this world.  Illness, disappointments, sorrows, violence, death, financial turmoil, and job performance demands all press in from outside us.  Then from deep within is all the brokenness of our hearts, our longing for acceptance, our pride, our feelings of mediocrity, and our sense of inadequacy.  There would be no hope were God to have left us in our broken state; but, He did not.

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Have you ever stood amazed as you look through your life at all the various people God has placed in your pathway? Some you barely see for an instant, some are there for a lifetime and some interweave with your life like a needle and thread on a tapestry, entering and leaving. The amazing thing is how God uses each and everyone to step by step transform us. In His Sovereignty, He allows the joys, the dreams, and even the rejections and the sorrows. He knows each and every scar that we bear which weigh us down. He knows where we are most vulnerable to Satan’s whispering lies. He knows that there are scars from this world of sin which can only be healed by a Surgeon’s knife, reopening that scar and revising it with great skill. God does just that. I thank God for each and every person that God has used in my life for that purpose. Those whom unwittingly have been used to cut open those scars and those who have been there to heal them. My prayer is that God fills their heart, each and everyone, with His Joy and His peace.

God Sends You a Note

By Effie Darlene Barba

 

God sends you a note

Though someone else wrote

A text or a rhyme or a quote

And through what was said

A hope fills your head

As down some path you felt lead

Joy fills your heart

And flames with a spark

Like a dream, a beginning, a start

Then something goes wrong

Like some sad country song

And you feel like you just don’t belong

Then you lift up your eyes

Filled with tears toward the skies

And you ask God to please tell you why

While tears fall like rain

And your heart breaks with pain

Your sorrow no truth can explain

It had nothing to do

With the one before you

As the truth your dear heart doth pursue

God saw deep within

Saw the scars held therein

Left behind from the past where you’d been

So God sent you this oar

To help find the shore

And to force you to unlock that door

So the wound could now heal

And that burden so real

Could be crushed so that now you might feel

The release from that chain

That had caused so much strain

So, God’s joy and His Glory might reign

 

© 2014 Effie Darlene Barba

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to any brands, products or services that I have mentioned with the exception of my own book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides regarding the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

SWEPT AWAY BY GRACE—A Study in I Peter (part 7): Therefore, live a life of love

I Peter 2 (NIV) Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. ² Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, ³ now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

Whenever we see the word therefore in scripture, we must look back. Certainly Peter is telling us to rid ourselves of all thoughts of anger or deceit. We are to not lie—to ourselves or to others. We need to no longer live our lives with hypocrisy and envy; nor are we to slander others. This does not come just as a list of commands or laws which we already know that we cannot accomplish on our own; rather, it comes with a therefore and a means as to how.

Artwork used by written permission of Ronald Barba who owns the copyright

Because of the truth that we have been elected and called forth by Grace to be born again into a new life with Christ and because of the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit in us we are to look at the world around us with eyes of understanding and genuine love. We must be always mindful of “the beam in our own eye” before trying to remove the speck in someone else’s eye. We must always remember who we are without Christ and only then can we reach a world in need of Christ. Because of the price Christ paid for our redemption, we need to live forth our lives as His Ambassadors. Sometimes that does make us vulnerable to being taken advantage of or vulnerable to being hurt because of our mission. Peter knew this all too well and accepted that as a part of his life.

Then, Peter as though he also knew that contrary to what some might think, this type of pouring oneself out may lead to broken heartedness and even loneliness—he reminded us where we go to be nourished. We must be fed by spiritual milk and grow in our knowledge of Christ. We must continually be reminded of the sweetness of Christ in our lives—yearning after and seeking Him.

Listen to this song I wrote once upon a time.  The Master Weaver

 

New International Version(NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

© 2014 Effie Darlene Barba

Artwork is used with written permission of Ronald Barba who owns the copyright. His work can be found at: http://fineartamerica.com/art/all/ronald+barba/all

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to any brands, products or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides regarding the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”