The word of the day is “harm.” Many passages of scripture give the impression that the Almighty will guard and protect those who follow His ways. Indeed, in today’s reading of 1 Peter 3:10-22 we are reassured, “Who would love life And seek good days…let him turn from evil and do good…for the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their prayers, But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil (OSB vs. 3-12). Today we will explore the apostle’s teaching that the Lord gives security and relief to the righteous. But we will find that in this passage, Peter provides us with insights much deeper that the simple equation…
The word of the day is “harm.” Many verses in the scriptures give the impression that the Almighty will guard and protect those who follow His ways. Indeed, in today’s reading of 1 Peter 3:10-22, “Who would love life And seek good days…let him turn from evil and do good…for the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their prayers, But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil (OSB vs 3-12). Today we will explore the apostle’s teaching that the Lord gives security and relief to the righteous. But we will find that in this passage Peter provides us with insights much deeper that the simple equation that in…
The world of the day is “threat.” We pray daily for those who are persecuted. But the thought that we also might suffer hostility for our faith may not occur to us. However, in today’s reading, James writes, “Always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you” (vs.15).  Put in this way, we can agree that even in our tolerant society, we are likely to confront challenges to our faith that express opposition. Today’s reading of 1 Peter 3:10-22 teaches that we should boldly respond to these tests of our convictions without fear. Persecution was the norm for the early church, and stories of martyrdom and suffering for…