5 Feb - 1 Peter 5

1 Peter 5 in the Tattoo Church Reading Plan is a perfect way to start off a work week. Here are a few notes, and something to think about:

1. We read about these people called “elders” in verse 1. An elder was simply someone who had been following Jesus for a while and was now leading other people to understand how Jesus wants us to live. Peter gives a brief description of how a leader should act.
2. Peter also tells the younger men (maybe indicating age or it may just mean early in your journey with Jesus) to be humble and listen to those who are trying to teach them about God.
3. Verse 7 is one you may have heard before if you have been around Christians for very long but the cool part of this verse for me is the end; “because he cares for you.”
4. Verse 8 is kind of creepy isn’t it? It says the devil “prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour”! Holy crap batman! That’s kind of nuts. It sort of takes a different approach to the cartoon image of a little red guy with horns, a tail and a pitchfork. The truth is your enemy wants nothing more than to see your life in shambles but the cool thing is that we don’t need to fear him. God is on your side! 

In the opening of today’s reading Peter wrote of how a leader in church should act. Let’s be honest there are many leaders who don’t live with integrity in the church. If you have been hurt in some way by people like that I apologize and I assure you Jesus takes great offense to someone using his message to take advantage of others and he will deal with them in time. The most awesome thing in today’s reading though is how we are reminded that God does care for you and is on your side. We are told to throw our anxiety and stress to God “because he cares for you.” This doesn’t sound like some distant God. It sounds to me like another example of how much God loves us.

Do you, like me, often feel overwhelmed by stress in your life? How would your life look different if you really started throwing your anxiety to God? Do you believe that he cares enough about you to take care of it? Then try to start trusting God more and stressing less.