Be Still and Know

1 Peter 4.10-11 NLT 'God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the...

1 Peter 4.7-8 NLT 'The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers. Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other.' The idea of the world coming to an end is a challenging thought,...

1 Peter 3.15-16 NLT 'If someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way.' When Peter wrote his letter, Christianity was still quite new and so I am sure that many people we...

1 Peter 3.9 NLT '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 grant you his blessing.' If you have ever been insulte...

1 Peter 3.3-4 NLT 'Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewellery, or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and qu...

1 Peter 2.21 NLT '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.' I’ve known some wonderful people, and I am sure you have as well. I have only...

1 Peter 2.18 NLT 'You who are slaves must submit to your masters with all respect. Do what they tell you—not only if they are kind and reasonable, but even if they are cruel.' Everything about slavery is horrifying. The idea that someone coul...

1 Peter 1.16 NLT 'You are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil.' On the face of it this verse doesn’t seem to make much sense. Surely freedom means that you can do whatever you like. All constraint...

1 Peter 2.12 NLT 'Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbours. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honourable behaviour, and they will give honour to God when he judges the world.' Socrates, the f...

1 Peter 2.10 NLT “Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.” The television series, Who do you think you are? always makes fascinating viewing. Researchers d...

1 Peter 2.9 NLT 'You are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.' In the Old Testament we...

1 Peter 2.4-5 NLT 'You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honour. And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple.' In the Old Te...

1 Peter 2.2-3 NLT 'Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness.' Babies are not subtle in their...

1 Peter 2.1 NLT 'So get rid of all evil behaviour. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech.' In the previous chapter Peter commanded his readers to love one another. He now spells out what that will involve, becaus...

1 Peter 1.23 NLT 'You have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God.' Terry Pratchett, the famous humourist and novelist, wrote, “It is sai...