{Blog Tour} 1 Peter by Sue Edwards ~ Week 3

Kregel Publications is hosting a "graduated blog tour" of the book 1 Peter: Finding Encouragement in Troubling Times by Sue Edwards. Each week a group of bloggers will be completeing the weekly lesson, blogging about what we've learned, and linking it all up on the Kregel page (you can find that here).  

I am enjoying this Bible study more and more the further I get in to it. This week we learned that "we rock." That's right. You rock. I rock. She rocks. We all rock. Why do we need that reminder? Because we tend to lessen our gifts. Cheapen them even. We downplay what the Lord has done for us. I'm just as guilty of this as anyone else.

However, God has promised us something. Something that we sometimes forget to cling to, to hold on to with all of our heart, soul, and strength. God lives in us. He created us. He will never leave us. He loves us too much to ever turn His back on us.

We learned this week that we are just like Jesus - living stones.

As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ~1 Peter 2:4-5

So why would this be a comforting verse? I find it very comforting since I learn that Jesus it the true living Stone. He was rejected by men - scorned, laughed at, made fun of, and even beaten. However, God chose him as he was precious to him. Then it tells me.....God views me the same way....previous and chosen.

One thing I learned this week that I never quite connected before. In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 it says this - Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. In the Old Testament days, the "temple" was a physical building. You went there to atone for your sins as God required of you. However, once Christ came, he set us free from a physical building. Since the Holy Spirit now lives in us, we have become that temple. Therefore, we must honor God by taking care of our body just as the priests once took care of the temple since God now resides in us, the believers.

I'm finding that even the core questions are very meaty and make me think hard about what it is I am here on earth to do. One verse that we looked up as part of our study this week is a favorite one of mine. I'll end by sharing it and ask that you think about how you could apply this to your life daily....

He has showed you, O man, what is good. 
And what does the LORD require of you? 

To act justly and to love mercy 

   and to walk humbly with your God.

~Micah 6:8

Disclosure: I was provided with a copy of the book through the Kregel Publications Blog Tour program. I was not compensated in any other way. All opinions stated above are mine alone.