1 PETER 2:21 says, “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps.” (NASB)
When I read this verse, a word of repetition leaps off the pages at me, did anyone hear the one word that is repeated over and over again? Peter is writing to somebody! Look at the verse again and identify the word...
“You”! Four times! Now, that just adds emphasis for us! It’s kinda like hearing your name being called over and over again!
Ladies everyone of us needs to know that WE ARE SOMEONE SPECIAL!
You are special! You are loved by the Almighty. You are the “you” Peter is writing about. As women, as young ladies, we need to hear that we are someone, not just somebody but someone special. If your married, perhaps you have been in a disagreement or two because your husband was not meeting the need you have for him to make you feel special!
Am I the only one with that experience! NO! God has put some type of emotional device in our hard drive and we all have that need to feel loved and important to someone else. Because God designed us, His owner’s manual has in it the solution, or the supply we need.
Let me examine who you are real quick! Not by my standard, but who Jesus says you are as a believer in Him. Just in the first two chapters of this short letter of Peter the LORD says:
• (v1) you are chosen by God
• (v3) you are born again
• (v.4) you are a daughter to the King; an heir to the throne
• (v.5) you are person protected by the power of God
• (v.14) you are redeemed!
• (v.22) Peter reminds us again; you are born again! That IS so important he repeats it!
• Chapter 2
• (v.5) you are a spiritual house for a Holy Priesthood
• I love verse 9! Listen ladies, you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a Holy nation, a people for God’s own possession.
• (v.11) You are the Beloved
• (v.18) you are a servant
Is anyone in here having an identity crisis! Who are you? Jesus, Savior, Creator, El Shaddai says you are someone special!
When we feel unlovely, Jesus whispers "your beautiful". We we feel empty, Jesus fills us up!
SO many young women are struggling these days with feeling of value. The world is a hard place! Beloved, look to Jesus to be your supply, your source of encouragement, love, and support!
Monday, September 28, 2009
Thursday, September 10, 2009
You are so beautiful!
How many of us know someone that is lost? Would you say that you have a close friend, someone you hang out with that does not know the Lord? How about a family member? Let me ask you this, if you’re married, is your spouse a blood bought, born again believer in Jesus Christ?
Chances are that if you’re in this class and married, your husband or wife knows the Lord.
O but listen, called of God, so many in our churches are not so blessed. I’ll step out on limb and say that I bet you most of those finding themselves in that situation are female. (Simply because of the way the numbers lean in Southern Baptist churches, we need more men of God!)
What counsel would you give to someone that is carrying the burden of a lost husband or wife on their shoulders? What would you tell them to say or do? Of course we would say pray, but…then what?
We can thank God that His Word gives us the Best Counsel we could ever receive or give to someone else!
This is exactly the issue Peter is writing about in 1 Peter 3:3,4.
The church had been scattered though out Asia Minor because of the persecution. Believers were fearful, confused and discouraged in their faith. Yet, the church, the bride of Jesus Christ was growing.
Peter’s letter is packed full of encouragement to these believers, reminding them that they had been called out of darkness and into light.
Here in 1 Peter 3:3,4, Peter is narrowing his address to not only believers, but women…women who were married…married to unbelieving husbands.
This morning we are going to see that sometimes the best witness we have is our silence!
Read with me if you will the text says "Your adornment must not be merely external--braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God."
Now this verse has been misused and abused so many ways to try and back up a point of view one may have concerning women. Such as women wearing make-up or husbands not wanting to spend money on valentines and pulling this one and saying, see honey, God does not want you to have those gold earrings!
Some even take it to the extreme and use this to try and say that women should have no voice God’s word says they are to be QUIET!!! Peter is not saying any of those things here in God’s Word.
The principle we need to see here is that Peter is encouraging an outward display our inward change.
The concern was the unbeliever in the home with the believer. Peter is saying “Hey, your husband that does not believe in Jesus, he is watching you. He sees what you are doing, if this is real for you, your husband will see a difference.” The word adornment means arrangement or order. Order your life in such a way, in quiet submission to your husband, that he will take notice without you having to say a word; he will know something has changed in you! The qualities of a woman that are mentioned here are in stark contrast to the women of the day that spent hours on their outward appearance, dying their hair and painting their faces. Beauty, true beauty is from the inside out! If Christ has taken up residence display that by the way you order yourself.
I have a dear friend and sister in Christ who became a believer after she was married. The Lord rescued her from a life of drunken addictions. Her husband was not a believer. When she was born again, just a babe in Christ, she would go to the bar with her husband and have drinks with him while telling him how great Jesus was. They would have yelling fights about him not being saved. She would nag him about his sin, while all the while she was still drinking and rolling in the mud with him. About a year of living like this she began going to church regularly and over the course of a six months she was completely sober, and having a regular quiet time, cultivating a love affair with Jesus. All the while her husband continued in his drinking and the more Jesus cleaned her up the more bitter her husband became.
My friend lived with her unbelieving husband for 10 years after she was saved praying everyday for his eyes to be opened to the truth of God’s word. She tells this story with tears in her eyes. After 10 years of praying and holding tight to the promises of God, her husband surrendered his life to Christ! He is now a wonderful man of God, full of the Holy Spirit, serving as a deacon, and he is a great Bible teacher.
When he tells his testimony, he is quick to tell you that it was when his wife stopped talking that he took notice of her inward change.
Sharing your faith with your family is often the hardest thing for us to do. They knew what you were like before you became Christian. They don’t want to hear about it, especially from you. Take heart toady, don’t be discouraged. Outwardly display the inner change that has occurred in your life, and pray that your silence will be just the witness they need to hear!
Chances are that if you’re in this class and married, your husband or wife knows the Lord.
O but listen, called of God, so many in our churches are not so blessed. I’ll step out on limb and say that I bet you most of those finding themselves in that situation are female. (Simply because of the way the numbers lean in Southern Baptist churches, we need more men of God!)
What counsel would you give to someone that is carrying the burden of a lost husband or wife on their shoulders? What would you tell them to say or do? Of course we would say pray, but…then what?
We can thank God that His Word gives us the Best Counsel we could ever receive or give to someone else!
This is exactly the issue Peter is writing about in 1 Peter 3:3,4.
The church had been scattered though out Asia Minor because of the persecution. Believers were fearful, confused and discouraged in their faith. Yet, the church, the bride of Jesus Christ was growing.
Peter’s letter is packed full of encouragement to these believers, reminding them that they had been called out of darkness and into light.
Here in 1 Peter 3:3,4, Peter is narrowing his address to not only believers, but women…women who were married…married to unbelieving husbands.
This morning we are going to see that sometimes the best witness we have is our silence!
Read with me if you will the text says "Your adornment must not be merely external--braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God."
Now this verse has been misused and abused so many ways to try and back up a point of view one may have concerning women. Such as women wearing make-up or husbands not wanting to spend money on valentines and pulling this one and saying, see honey, God does not want you to have those gold earrings!
Some even take it to the extreme and use this to try and say that women should have no voice God’s word says they are to be QUIET!!! Peter is not saying any of those things here in God’s Word.
The principle we need to see here is that Peter is encouraging an outward display our inward change.
The concern was the unbeliever in the home with the believer. Peter is saying “Hey, your husband that does not believe in Jesus, he is watching you. He sees what you are doing, if this is real for you, your husband will see a difference.” The word adornment means arrangement or order. Order your life in such a way, in quiet submission to your husband, that he will take notice without you having to say a word; he will know something has changed in you! The qualities of a woman that are mentioned here are in stark contrast to the women of the day that spent hours on their outward appearance, dying their hair and painting their faces. Beauty, true beauty is from the inside out! If Christ has taken up residence display that by the way you order yourself.
I have a dear friend and sister in Christ who became a believer after she was married. The Lord rescued her from a life of drunken addictions. Her husband was not a believer. When she was born again, just a babe in Christ, she would go to the bar with her husband and have drinks with him while telling him how great Jesus was. They would have yelling fights about him not being saved. She would nag him about his sin, while all the while she was still drinking and rolling in the mud with him. About a year of living like this she began going to church regularly and over the course of a six months she was completely sober, and having a regular quiet time, cultivating a love affair with Jesus. All the while her husband continued in his drinking and the more Jesus cleaned her up the more bitter her husband became.
My friend lived with her unbelieving husband for 10 years after she was saved praying everyday for his eyes to be opened to the truth of God’s word. She tells this story with tears in her eyes. After 10 years of praying and holding tight to the promises of God, her husband surrendered his life to Christ! He is now a wonderful man of God, full of the Holy Spirit, serving as a deacon, and he is a great Bible teacher.
When he tells his testimony, he is quick to tell you that it was when his wife stopped talking that he took notice of her inward change.
Sharing your faith with your family is often the hardest thing for us to do. They knew what you were like before you became Christian. They don’t want to hear about it, especially from you. Take heart toady, don’t be discouraged. Outwardly display the inner change that has occurred in your life, and pray that your silence will be just the witness they need to hear!
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