Constant Love
Devotions on 1 Peter: 1-19
Monday–Constant Love
“So as to live for the rest of your earthly life no longer by human desires but by the will of God” (1 Peter 4:2).
Do you remember the terrible twos—not your terrible twos, but those of your offspring, younger siblings or close relatives? Around the age of two we begin to understand we are individual planets in our social universes. We begin to develop our will. One of the first words we learn is the word, “No!” We use our favorite word frequently and we exercise our will with crying fits and temper tantrums. The warm, cuddly “isn’t he/she cute” bundle of joy turns into a character from a Stephen King novel whom no one wants to be around (except for maybe grandparents).
In our seeking, searches and struggles, we encounter the Divine, the source of life—the ground of being (Tillich)—the essence of love. In our hubris we might declare that we found God, but God was never lost and was always present. Enraptured by this love our lives are forever changed. We discover who we are—people who are loved by God; God’s children. No longer do we want to be separate and individuals. The love draws us into relationship. We want to respond to and act out the love we have experienced. We desire to do God’s will.
From that time on, we struggle to establish our own identity. We seek to answer the illusive question, “Who am I?” Through trial and error, we realize that our wills are not omnipotent nor limitless. They bounce off the wants and desires of other people. We learn to negotiate, persuade and compromise. Still, we long to be our own person and to do our own thing. In the words of William Ernest Henley’s poem “Invictus,” we long to be, “the masters of [our] fates, and the captains of [our] souls.”
Lord, remind us who we are and empower us to do your will. Amen.
Tuesday–Constant Love
“You have already spent enough time in doing what the Gentiles like to do, living in licentiousness, passions, drunkenness, revels, carousing, and lawless idolatry” (1 Peter 4:3).
Yawning is one of the most contagious of human actions. In a crowded room, one person will yawn. One or two others will follow with their own yawns within moments. The three yawns will be followed with several other people yawning, and soon the room will be filled with a yawning crowd. (Admittedly, this phenomena is more easily observable in a college lecture on ancient Greek civilization than a rock concert.)
As social beings, the people with whom we associate influence us. We may not hang out with a crowd of sexual perverts, drunks, druggies or party animals, but the people with whom we constantly bump shoulders affect our values and viewpoints. We live in societies that place importance on success and being #1. Wealth and the accumulation of things—conspicuous consumption are encouraged. The focus on self, or one’s immediate family, to the exclusion of others is obsessive. None of these reflect the teachings of Jesus, who is the Lord of our lives.
The solution is not to attempt to sterilize our lives of adverse influences, or join a convent/monastery. Rather, the words of First Peter invite us spend time with people who encourage us to incorporate the teachings of Jesus into our lives. First Peter is also an invitation to spend time in God’s presence, allowing the Lord to speak to our hearts and the Holy Spirit to work in our lives.
Paul declares that we are new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17). The writer of First Peter reminds us of this truth and encourages us to live in its reality.
May your love and grace, O Lord, be evident in every aspect of our lives. Amen.
Wednesday–Constant Love
“For this is the reason the gospel was proclaimed even to the dead, so that, though they had been judged in the flesh as everyone is judged, they might live in the spirit as God does” (1 Peter 4:6).
This is the second time the writer of First Peter mentions the gospel being proclaimed to the dead. The first time was in 1 Peter 3:19. These references cause us to wonder why Jesus would preach the good news of God’s love and grace to those who have died. We commonly assume that their chance of living as, “A chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, [and] God’s own people,” (1 Peter 2:9) had ended at their death.
Obviously this is not a view shared by the writer of First Peter. He understands that God’s love and grace are greater than death. In his view, God’s judgment is not eternal condemnation but rather corrective and life giving. Hope is never absent and the Spirit’s work never ends.
As we shine in the darkness and live our lives sharing God’s love and grace, our tasks may be difficult and appear hopeless. We may fool ourselves into believing that love will not prevail. First Peter reminds us that nothing—not even death—can limit love, grace and the work of the Holy Spirit.
Casting our doubts aside, Lord, may we be your living sacraments to the people we meet today. Amen.
Thursday–Constant Love
“The end of all things is near; therefore be serious and discipline yourselves for the sake of your prayers” (1 Peter 4:7).
Hal Lindsey and his book, The Late, Great Planet Earth, sparked apocalyptic flames in the 70’s. Tim LaHaye and his Left Behind book series reignited those flames in the early 21st century. Rumors of Jesus’ return have been smoldering since the first century CE—as seen in this passage of First Peter. They burst into flame during social upheavals, wars, various natural phenomena such as plagues, infestations and lunar eclipses. Obviously, throughout the centuries all the rumors of Jesus’ imminent return have proved false.
Today opinions on the apocalypse run the gamut from total disbelief to seeing its possibility in every nook and cranny of social media and newspapers. It is easy than to either down play the words of First Peter, or overreact to them. Is there a middle ground?
We may not be sure of what the future holds. We do know, though, that life is fragile. Many of us have experienced a life changing event that happened in the blink of an eye. Or, we have known the immense grief of suddenly losing a loved one. We may create our personal five year plans or schedule our vacations a year or two in advance. We never know, though, if they will come to fruition. Life may very quickly turn out differently.
So, we take the advice of the writer of First Peter. We discipline ourselves to celebrate life and to cultivate an attitude of gratitude on a daily basis. Because we do not know what life holds, we forgive without hesitation and we love freely. While we wait expectantly for Jesus to return, we live in the reality that we experience God’s presence in our lives in the person of the Holy Spirit. We live in God’s realm, under God’s rule, now.
O Lord we give you thanks and praise that you walk with us, talk with us, and tell us that we are your own, today. Amen.
Friday–Constant Love
“Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8).
The life, death and resurrection of Jesus communicated to all of humankind that God is love. Love isn’t just one of God’s characteristics, but rather God’s essence. Love truly is what makes the world—and the universe—go around.
God lovingly created us and all of creation. From the moment God breathed the breath of life into the nostrils of God’s creatures, God has loved us and God continues to love us. God’s love is a steadfast love—nothing will change it, and nothing can separate it from us. When we are unlovable and when we are loveable, God loves us.
Immersed in God’s love, God requests we demonstrate (live in) that love with others. Our love is also to be steadfast, and our forgiveness is to be unconditional, as is God’s. Living in relationships with others, our love is to be more than mere words (I love you in the Lord) it is to also include intentional acts. Such love enables us to focus on the needs of others and not concentrate on the multitude of their annoying sins.
Until love becomes the foundation of our relationships with family and friends—the people of our communities, it cannot become the world changing force it is meant to be.
Lord, may our love be genuine and may it be a love for all people. Amen.
Saturday–Constant Love
“Whoever speaks must do so as one speaking the very words of God; whoever serves must do so with the strength that God supplies, so that God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ. To him belong the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen” (1 Peter 4:11).
It has been said that, as a spectator sport, American football is a game played by twenty-two men exhausted by exercise and desperately in need of rest, watched by eighty thousand fans in desperate need of exercise. Our conception of Christian ministry, at times, mirrors this spectator sport mentality.
The Holy Spirit equips us with gifts and talents and calls us to use them in the various ministries to which we have been called. Knowing that the Spirit calls all God’s children and not only a select few, we realize that these “calls” or “vocations” range from pastors to Uber drivers and everything in between. No one is excluded.
Responding to God’s call, we sometimes think that God issues the call and then sits on the sidelines and watches us play it out. Nothing could be further from the truth! The Holy Spirit breathes into us the gift of life and empowers us to use our gifts and talents and share God’s love and grace.
It is helpful to view our lives as sacramental. We are more than mere earthly elements like the bread and wine. God is in, with and under us. The Spirit is moving through us—using us to touch others with God’s love and grace. We are not alone. God is with us.
Lord, as we face the challenges, and at times insurmountable obstacles of our lives, remind us that you face them with us. Amen.
Sunday–Constant Love
“Therefore, let those suffering in accordance with God’s will entrust themselves to a faithful Creator, while continuing to do good” (1 Peter 4:19).
The persecution of first century followers of The Way was not a pogrom like the Holocaust. Early Christians were harassed, tormented, imprisoned and executed in a rather haphazard manner. Members of The Way did not know how their families would react to their decision to follow the teachings of Jesus. Though they attempted to keep their meetings clandestine, they were occasionally discovered and suffered the consequences. The government suppression of the Christian faith was erratic, also. At times it was intense and at other times non-existent.
The early Christians could have lived in endless fear and stress, but they chose not to do so. Instead they lived in the reality of God’s love and presence in their lives. They rested in God’s grace and had faith that no matter what happened nothing could separate them from the love of God.
Most of our lives are beyond our control. This does not mean that we live in constant fear, nor does it mean that we live recklessly. It does mean that we rest in God’s love and grace—like the early Christians. We live in the confidence God’s love is steadfast and is not dependent on us—on what we say or do. We also rejoice that God will be true to God’s promise and will never leave us nor forsake us.
Living in faith enables us to turn our attention from the worrisome possibilities of the future and concentrate on living and loving in the present. In the words of First Peter, such a faith allows us “to continue to do good.”
Lord, help us keep our eyes on you, your love, and your presence in our lives. Amen.