Gift

I am currently reading through 1 Peter. I invite you to open your Bible and read along with me or find it online here.

1 Peter 4

10 God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.

11 Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.

Gift. What is your gift? If you don’t know, email me (jeff@myeastside.cc) and I will send you a couple of links. More importantly, are you using your gift to serve? Our beauty, as a community following Jesus together, is never fully displayed until everyone is expressing their gift ... a beauty that offers God glory as we reflect His glory.

Explain

I am currently reading through 1 Peter. I invite you to open your Bible and read along with me or find it online here.

1 Peter 3

13 Now, who will want to harm you if you are eager to do good?

14 But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats.

15 Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it.

16 But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ.

Explain. In the midst of talking about the persecution this group was facing, Peter challenges them to continue following and “always be ready to explain” why they follow Jesus. If someone asked you “why”, what would you say? At Eastside, we encourage every Jesus follower to take some time and write out their “life story” ... write out what life was like before you met Jesus, when (and why) you decided to follow Him and how things have changed on your journey since you began following. Then, every six months or so, reread it ... remember why ... and add to it where your journey has gone recently. Always be ready to explain.

Decide

This past weekend, Jonathan continued our “How To Be Rich” series by talking about the opportunity we have to decide how we can be generous with our resources.

2 Corinthians 9:7

7 You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.”

Decide. As Jesus followers, we are called to decide in advance what we do with our resources. This past weekend, we passed out a handout that offered a challenge to make that decision. Below, you will find a copy of that challenge. We encourage you to reread it and pray about this opportunity to decide in advance.

I’m beginning in my generosity and will begin giving away _____ % of my income.

I’m taking the tithe challenge and will be giving away at least 10% of my income.

I’m already tithing (or beyond) and want to increase my generosity by giving away an additional _____ %.

I’m going to be showing generosity by: (please be specific) _______________________
I’m signing up for Financial Peace University.

Each week of this series, we have been building a thought about how we can be rich. As a reminder, here is what we have so far, “God has blessed me with more than I need. I am rich; but I will not trust my riches. I will trust the one who richly provides and since I have more I will do more and I will give more.”

Peace

I am currently reading through 1 Peter. I invite you to open your Bible and read along with me or find it online here.

1 Peter 3

8 Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude.

9 Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will bless you for it.

10 For the Scriptures say, “If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days, keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies.

11 Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it.

12 The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers. But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil.”

Peace. Peter is concluding his thoughts on respecting one another and throws in a reference to a passage in Psalm 34 to support his conclusions. I love the line about searching for peace and working to maintain it. Don’t wait for it to come to you. Be proactive. Look for it ... in your relationships at home and work and the community, with people that like you and those that don’t ... look for it and work to maintain it.

Example

I am currently reading through 1 Peter. I invite you to open your Bible and read along with me or find it online here.

1 Peter 2

21 For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.

22 He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone.
23 He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly.
24 He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed.

Example. I love the fact that Jesus led by example. He isn’t asking us to do something that He hasn’t already done. He is simply asking us to follow Him.