1 Peter 2:1-10 ~ into His Marvelous Light +†+

1 Peter 2:1-10

1 So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 

2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation-- 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. 4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 

6 For it stands in Scripture: "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame." 7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone," 8 and "A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense. "They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. 

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies
of him who called you out of darkness
into his marvelous light.

10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people;
once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Psalm 100

1 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!

2 Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!

3 Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, not we ourselves,

we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise!

Give thanks to him; bless his name!

5 For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever,

and his faithfulness to all generations.

Nourishing our souls - the process of looking for the good God provides.

Believing God loves us first. Growing into our salvation. Believing within us  -we really are chosen and special. Obeying God is worship.

And in shining the Light of Christ, we make ourselves a people. Putting down darkness. Living in His marvelous Light.




These are good words. And unless we reach to receive them - they are as comforting as poetry we can toss the words around behind us or beside us - just trot those words out.

Life will always have stages and then these stages abruptly end.

We have an early childhood - we believe we are chosen and precious and able. And then our childhood meets expectations to grow up and take on responsibilities to become a people. To become invested in talents. In the rub of life, we find as an heir to being God's Beloved, weeds choke out the sunlight.

We progress to early adulthood where we find we like the freedom and wish to have our inheritance to do as we please. We ask our Father to step back; give us the promises of the inheritance to do as we wish.

We enter the cubical world of employment where God's place on His refrigerator for our talents seems a faded memory. Our 5 talents of childhood seem to be half a talent - with no end in sight of increasing demands of cost, time and ability to being thought young.

We have our young and we struggle to establish our house upon a rock. Soccer practice, sewing lessons, boy scouts, room mother, PTO, find  matching socks and locate homework...shoe? the shoe, shoe, shoe..... Shoe! The permission slip, report card, doctor  and the appointment. Major crisis to minor, "fire of the day", gummy/ gum hair. Care locator, lost backpack at daycare, Conflict with caregiver, teacher, den leader. The outing/lunch/vacation led to the need for more relaxation in life.


The wonder of life's every day.
 The emotional discussions of life. The chores. And then - scattering Life - scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.

Help?
Eventually, the needs of the children encourage us to remember Christ is our Rock. Come to Him, His burden is Light. Rest for the weary. Renewal. Prayers with Jesus are Hope.

Christian Radio. Christian Music in the car.  Church. Youth Group - try going 6 times - and then complain. We need the people of God to teach our children about being a people. We return from feeding the wild pigs to be embraced by our Father running to us.

We find we need again to remember we are chosen and special in the sight of God as our children long in their teen years to have the inheritance to be free. And if we have wandered far from Hearing the Love our Father pours into our lives, we can be diminished in so many ways. At this point, our peers complain about the world, the culture aches and pains. We are reaching Ecclesiastes House.

And if we make our security on money, we have received jealousy. We have received a place where we would have lip service and not heart. If we believe God, we fit into His Kingdom,. We find hope to see the good in our lives in all circumstances. In abundance - in need - in full houses and full money - then - we fit into being given to in the mercy of God and being able to give mercy to others.

If we find we are in a struggling stage of life, we find we have the ability to take on our tasks of life given to us by God. We have the strength to dig deep and find God loves us. We find we don't need affirmation as much from others as from God, Who has made promises us to us. We can give God our hearts and desires and see victories and His Mercies each day. Jesus told us always to pray and not give up Hope.

Finding we are His People and He has made us.

Finding in our situation to give help and hope to others.

Making Life Meaningful.

Trusting - if today was meaningful, tomorrow will be as well. And if today was rest or irritation, tomorrow is a new chance. Deliberately finding and seeking the Light of God.

Realizing we are all at varies stages with hurdles. And in His Holy Spirit, having the goodness to make the hurdles smaller or well paced.

Our words are real, sincere, trust-worthy, honoring God and pleasing to Him - our words seek to do what the Holy Spirit does - to Give Life.




Father God,

You are more capable of Blessing than we would ever be, Bless us with Your Ways, Wisdom and Heart.

Strengthen our homes, our marriages, our families, our bodies. Give us Your Strength of soul - to make Life filled with Your Marvelous Life.

Fill us - our Loved ones, the people You have given us - our peoples - our Nation - Your Beloved with the Light that fills mankind - Jesus Christ.

Let Your Words of Life be the Light guiding us to be the Children of God.

In Jesus, we know You long to hold us and we to be held to You. Amen and Amen.