Posts by Josh Moody

Jeremiah 52, Song of Solomon 5, John 6:41-59, 1 Peter 3:13-22 1 Peter 3:13-22: Peter is writing to Christians needing godly counsel as to how to act when they sensed that the culture and the world around them was inimical to their Christian faith. What were they to do? What were they to avoid? How were they to…

Jeremiah 51, Song of Solomon 4:8-16, John 6:25-40, 1 Peter 3:8-12 1 Peter 3:8-12: In many people’s minds, being loving, compassionate, and forgiving is a rather sentimental philosophy of life. Such behavior is for wimps. It is for those who are not brave enough to face the cruel necessities of life, to return evil for evil, to stand…

Jeremiah 50, Song of Solomon 4:1-7, John 6:16-24, 1 Peter 3:1-7   1 Peter 3:1-7: The complementary view of marriage relationships as taught in the Bible is much misunderstood these days; at its best it creates a relationship of a beautiful gospel dance that proclaims Christ through servant leadership and loving respect. But what about when things are…

Jeremiah 49, Song of Solomon 3, John 6:1-15, 1 Peter 2:18-25 1 Peter 2:18-25: What is the right response to unjust suffering? It is one thing to suffer out of the natural course of events – a medical malady, an accident on the road, that sort of thing. But it is another thing to suffer because you are…

Jeremiah 47-48, Song of Solomon 2, John 5:31-47, 1 Peter 2:9-17 1 Peter 2:9-17: How are we to live when we sense we are in “exile”? When the culture is not Christian, and our surrounding city or country develops antipathy to the Christian faith? Peter is answering that question at various levels throughout this letter, and today he…

Jeremiah 44-46, Song of Solomon 1, John 5:16-30, 1 Peter 2:1-8 1 Peter 2:1-8: Given that these Christians are in exile – scattered, it seems, throughout the world, alienated from the surrounding culture, and under pressure to conform – how should they then live? Peter here gives them instructions on how to live, and a motivation to live…

Jeremiah 39-43, Ecclesiastes 12, John 5:1-15, 1 Peter 1:17-25 1 Peter 1:17-25: Peter is addressing himself to Christians who are exiled, strangers, foreigners, out of sync with the culture and world in which they live, and unsure how they should therefore act and think as Christians in this situation. Now, he gives them four reasons to be faithful, to…

Jeremiah 35-38, Ecclesiastes 11, John 4:43-54, 1 Peter 1:10-16 1 Peter 1:10-16: Peter is equipping these “exiles” – Christians, like us, who often feel excluded, alienated, far from home, friendless, and adrift in an adversarial world. And he has been reminding them of reasons why they can rejoice and persevere even in this exilic situation. Primarily, because of…

Jeremiah 32-34, Ecclesiastes 10, John 4:27-42, 1 Peter 1:1-9 1 Peter 1:1-9: Perennially relevant, parts of the Bible sometimes have particular resonance in certain periods of time. And there is no doubt that for many Christians today, the book of 1 Peter has that resonance. Many Christians feel as if they are “exiles.” In the Middle East, there…