Christianity Oasis Forum

[cimi]

October 26
Sunday


THE RIPENING
SELF

READ:
1 Pete 5:5-11
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May the God of all
grace,... after you
have suffered a while,
perfect, establish,
strengthen, and settle
you. __1 Peter 5:10
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In his early years of ministry, the English preacher Charles Simeon (1759-1836) was a harsh and self-assertive man. One day he was visiting a friend and fellow pastor in a nearby village. When he left to go home, his friends' daughters complained to their father about Simeon's manner. So he took the girls to the backyard and said, "Pick me one of those peaches." It was early summer, and the peaches were green. The girls asked why he wanted green, unripe fruit. He replied, "Well, my dears, it is green now, and we must wait; but a little more sun, and a few more showers, and the peach will be ripe and sweet. so it is with Mr. Simeon."

Simeon, in due time, did change. The warmth of God's love and the "showers" of misunderstanding and disappointment were the means by which he became a gentle, humble man.

The God of all grace works in all His children, humbling the proud and exhalting the humble, to make them ripe and sweet. Our task is to take hold of God's grace to endure our afflictions with patience, without growing weary.

In time, He will "perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle" us (1 Peter 5:10). We must "wait on the LORD" and "be of good courage" (Ps. 27:14). __David Roper
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````````````````Our fruitfulness and growth in Christ```````````````
`````````````````````Won't happen instantly.````````````````````
``````````````````But meditating on God's Word``````````````````
```````````````````Will bring maturity. __Sper```````````````````
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Salvation is the miracle of a moment;
growth is the labor of a lifetime.

****************Today's Bible Reading __ 1 Peter 5:5-11***********

5 Likewise you younger
people, submit yourselves to
your elders. yes, all of you
be submissive to one
another, and be clothed with
humility, for "God resists
the proud, but gives grace to
the humble." 6 Therefore
humble yourselves under the
mighty hand of God, that He
may exalt you in due time,

7 casting all your care upon
Him, for He cares for you.

8 be sober, be vigilant;
because your adversary the
devil walks about like a
roaring lion, seeking whom
he may devour. 9 Resist him
steadfast in the faith,
knowing that the same
sufferings are experienced
by your brotherhood in the
world. 10 But may the God
of all grace, who called us to
his eternal glory by Christ
Jesus, after you have
suffered a while, perfect,
establish, strengthen, and
settle you. 11 To Him be the
glory and the dominion
forever and ever. Amen.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

In this passage, Peter wrote from his own deep personal experience
of failure and defeat at the hands of the devil. Some 30 years
before, Peter had boasted that he would never deny Christ (Matt.
26:33-35; Luke 22:31-34). In his pride, he overestimated his own
strength and underestimated the devil's prowess. Peter now calls
for humility (1 Peter 5:5-6), total dependence on god (v.7, and an
honest assessment of one's own strength (v.8). He calls for greater
vigilance, watchfulness, and resistance to the devil, whom he now
acknowledges is like a roaring and devouring lion (vv.8-9).
__Sim Kay Tee