Reading:
1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11
Devotional:
We love a good comeback story: the unlikely outcast turned protagonist, the underdog who beats all odds, the big break that elevates someone to fame, the recognition after years of effort. Fictional or historical, our heroes and heroines (especially our Western ones) share this quality of being at a disadvantage and yet rising above to their eventual victory.
It's an alluring aspiration. If we just strive long enough and hard enough, if we buckle down and grit our teeth, we will be rewarded for our tenacity, and even more so when we surmount some obstacle that should have overcome us. The outcome is a self-propelled force of will, celebrating our own independence and successful effort as proof of our ethic.
But it stops short of the real unlock.
The pattern is ingrained in us. As little babies, we are fully dependent, drawing our every source of life from what is provided to us. We grow and learn codependence, understanding and navigating the world in the context of our caregivers. We mature further to be independent, exploring our own thoughts and gaining responsibility for our own actions. And this is where our growth and many of our hero stories simply stop.
We graduate to a world of independence markers. We have performance evaluations about our individual contributions: what did you influence or create? We are measured on our individual test-taking: how much information do you recall? We are surrounded by personalized assessments: credit scores, personality tests, likes, superlatives, PRs, spiritual gifts—all pointing us to a system of comparison and contrast.
Then it happens. Left to our own persistence and skill, we start to grow weary in our doing good, start to run out of energy to fight the good fight, begin to be troubled by our sufferings because we see it all through our independence eyes, evaluating how well we stack up.
Peter knows this. He knows we have a tendency to judge ourselves, isolate and overthink, and he recognizes how easily we can be overcome in those situations. So he reminds us again of the rest of the story that exceeds independence in our trials.
That story is Oneness. It's together. It's the community.
In chapter four, when the fiery moments come alongside us, we share–koinóneó, the same Greek word that means participating together, in community–with Christ and each other. It's not a solo effort. And we rejoice together too for the unveiling of His glory. He isn't trapped behind a temple veil, but is manifested with us, the brotherhood of believers. His Spirit rests on us, remaining with us, and it's the kind of resting that is refreshing after something has been completed. Do we see ourselves in this blessing? Beloved, He is well-pleased.
Peter carries the ideas further in chapter five. We don't have to be overcome and devoured by our accusers who would try to overwhelm us with noise and drown out the voices of hope. Instead, we cast our cares upon Him. Our cares are literally all the separated, divided pieces of us. We bring our fractured bits, which He takes an interest in, and He exults them, restoring them to Oneness.
It's together, not by ourselves, that we are steadfast. Together, we have the same experiences as a brotherhood. Together, the God of all gracious giving, calls us to be in Him. (I am in you, and You are in me, as Jesus assures.)
And here's the part of our hero stories we don't always tell. It's the part where someone placed that person exactly in the right spot at the right time, when someone pointed them in the right direction, when someone equipped them with the strength to move forward, when someone helped them settle into their story. It’s the part where we learn that the success and victory was never a solo quest, but always shared.
Our God—the one who likes to give us our hearts desires, who likes to be with us, who takes care of us, the One for Whom we awaited—perfects, confirms, strengthens and establishes us. This should be a sigh of relief, allowing us to recognize that God is doing the work in each of us to be with us and granting us the peace and security to walk through any situation together.
He perfects: fits us perfectly, like a puzzle piece, or like a machined part, refined to the just-right tolerances for what is needed. He confirms us: sets the direction we are going, turning our eyes where we should go. He strengthens us: empowering us not only to stand but also with the energy and capacity to move forward. And underpinning it all, He establishes us: grounds us, laying foundations for us to build on. All together in His Kingdom.
This is where Peter is inviting us to be, reframing our trials, our exultations, and blessings as the real measures of life shared with each other and with God. There's no need to compare and contrast our individual growth and no requirement to pass tests in isolation. What kindness and grace that life is shared, that His glory is shared.
We were always meant to be together, at One, interdependent and connected, not compared or contrasted.
A Prayer for Each Moment
God We Awaited,
You've been faithful and complete in Your plans toward us, always intending that we should share the glory of eternal living. Let us walk humbly and confident, assured that You are perfecting, confirming, strengthening and establishing us. To You be dominion forever and ever.
Amen
A Prayer for Each Other
God, may we recognize in your Oneness
our need for unity.
God, may we recognize in your Three-ness,
our need for community.
God, may we recognize in your creativity,
our need for diversity.
God, may we recognize in your Self,
our need to love each other.
Amen.
Blessing
May we dwell together in the fullness of life eternal, believing in the one true God who sent His Son.
Photo by Jan Canty on Unsplash
1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11
Devotional:
We love a good comeback story: the unlikely outcast turned protagonist, the underdog who beats all odds, the big break that elevates someone to fame, the recognition after years of effort. Fictional or historical, our heroes and heroines (especially our Western ones) share this quality of being at a disadvantage and yet rising above to their eventual victory.
It's an alluring aspiration. If we just strive long enough and hard enough, if we buckle down and grit our teeth, we will be rewarded for our tenacity, and even more so when we surmount some obstacle that should have overcome us. The outcome is a self-propelled force of will, celebrating our own independence and successful effort as proof of our ethic.
But it stops short of the real unlock.
The pattern is ingrained in us. As little babies, we are fully dependent, drawing our every source of life from what is provided to us. We grow and learn codependence, understanding and navigating the world in the context of our caregivers. We mature further to be independent, exploring our own thoughts and gaining responsibility for our own actions. And this is where our growth and many of our hero stories simply stop.
We graduate to a world of independence markers. We have performance evaluations about our individual contributions: what did you influence or create? We are measured on our individual test-taking: how much information do you recall? We are surrounded by personalized assessments: credit scores, personality tests, likes, superlatives, PRs, spiritual gifts—all pointing us to a system of comparison and contrast.
Then it happens. Left to our own persistence and skill, we start to grow weary in our doing good, start to run out of energy to fight the good fight, begin to be troubled by our sufferings because we see it all through our independence eyes, evaluating how well we stack up.
Peter knows this. He knows we have a tendency to judge ourselves, isolate and overthink, and he recognizes how easily we can be overcome in those situations. So he reminds us again of the rest of the story that exceeds independence in our trials.
That story is Oneness. It's together. It's the community.
In chapter four, when the fiery moments come alongside us, we share–koinóneó, the same Greek word that means participating together, in community–with Christ and each other. It's not a solo effort. And we rejoice together too for the unveiling of His glory. He isn't trapped behind a temple veil, but is manifested with us, the brotherhood of believers. His Spirit rests on us, remaining with us, and it's the kind of resting that is refreshing after something has been completed. Do we see ourselves in this blessing? Beloved, He is well-pleased.
Peter carries the ideas further in chapter five. We don't have to be overcome and devoured by our accusers who would try to overwhelm us with noise and drown out the voices of hope. Instead, we cast our cares upon Him. Our cares are literally all the separated, divided pieces of us. We bring our fractured bits, which He takes an interest in, and He exults them, restoring them to Oneness.
It's together, not by ourselves, that we are steadfast. Together, we have the same experiences as a brotherhood. Together, the God of all gracious giving, calls us to be in Him. (I am in you, and You are in me, as Jesus assures.)
And here's the part of our hero stories we don't always tell. It's the part where someone placed that person exactly in the right spot at the right time, when someone pointed them in the right direction, when someone equipped them with the strength to move forward, when someone helped them settle into their story. It’s the part where we learn that the success and victory was never a solo quest, but always shared.
Our God—the one who likes to give us our hearts desires, who likes to be with us, who takes care of us, the One for Whom we awaited—perfects, confirms, strengthens and establishes us. This should be a sigh of relief, allowing us to recognize that God is doing the work in each of us to be with us and granting us the peace and security to walk through any situation together.
He perfects: fits us perfectly, like a puzzle piece, or like a machined part, refined to the just-right tolerances for what is needed. He confirms us: sets the direction we are going, turning our eyes where we should go. He strengthens us: empowering us not only to stand but also with the energy and capacity to move forward. And underpinning it all, He establishes us: grounds us, laying foundations for us to build on. All together in His Kingdom.
This is where Peter is inviting us to be, reframing our trials, our exultations, and blessings as the real measures of life shared with each other and with God. There's no need to compare and contrast our individual growth and no requirement to pass tests in isolation. What kindness and grace that life is shared, that His glory is shared.
We were always meant to be together, at One, interdependent and connected, not compared or contrasted.
A Prayer for Each Moment
God We Awaited,
You've been faithful and complete in Your plans toward us, always intending that we should share the glory of eternal living. Let us walk humbly and confident, assured that You are perfecting, confirming, strengthening and establishing us. To You be dominion forever and ever.
Amen
A Prayer for Each Other
God, may we recognize in your Oneness
our need for unity.
God, may we recognize in your Three-ness,
our need for community.
God, may we recognize in your creativity,
our need for diversity.
God, may we recognize in your Self,
our need to love each other.
Amen.
Blessing
May we dwell together in the fullness of life eternal, believing in the one true God who sent His Son.
Photo by Jan Canty on Unsplash