reflections from 1 peter.

hey!  just read the first three chapters of 1 peter and thought i'd use this space to reflect on what i read and what stood out to me.  feel free to come back a different day if you don't care (:
things that stick out...

• ​our inheritance in Christ can never perish, spoil or fade. (1:4)
• believing & loving Christ even though we do not see Him cause inexpressible and glorious joy because we know we're receiving the salvation of our souls!  i love that, those words!  inexpressible and glorious! (1:8)
• words like evil and ignorance and empty are all used in the first chapter to describe life before and without Christ.
• God brought us out of darkness into His "wonderful light" ...isn't that the truth! (2:9)
• our sinful desires WAGE WAR against our souls!!! (!!!)  this needs to be taken seriously.. WAR, guys! (2:11)
• this verse stuck out to me.. "for it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God" (2:19) ..conscious of God.
  
  • .."to this (unjust suffering) you were called (woah), because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His steps." (v.21)  (seems to me like suffering is guaranteed when you follow Jesus. ...awkward, prosperity gospel, cough cough**)
• paul calls wives the "weaker partner" (3:7) and that was hard to read.
• as God's children, we need to be like-minded (interesting, because there are a lot of thoughts and opinions out there, even among followers of Christ), sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate, and humble. (3:8) feels like a tall order that i don't measure up to.  but man, i want to be those things!
• God's eyes are on the righteous and He is attentive to their prayers. (3:12)
• paul describes baptism as "the pledge of a clear conscience toward God." (3:21)  i am thankful tonight that my heart and soul are no longer waging war against God because of what Christ did on my behalf and all i had to do was respond.  my conscience before God is clear and isn't that something to thank Him for!

maybe i'll reflect on the rest of 1 peter later on.  it's cool how what jumps out to me could be totally different from what jumps out to you.  you guys wanna read 1 peter with me?  the word of God is alive and active (hebrews 4:12) isn't that somethin.. these words are alive!

sweet dreams, lil beans! (: