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Memorize Scripture: 1 Peter 1:24-25

Hiding God’s Word In Our Hearts

These two verses wrap up the first chapter of Peter’s first letter, and provide some finality to his discussion of God’s Word and it’s power in our lives. However, his conversation isn’t finished, because he dives into the results of that power as chapter 2 begins.

You can see this week’s passage for yourself in 1 Peter 1:24-25.

1 Peter 1:24-25

In order to drive home the point of the power that God’s Word contains, Peter quotes Isaiah 40:6-8 to his readers. This is helpful to reinforce the point of just how imperishable God’s Word is. Because of such power, it does not fade or fail, and it will not perish.

This quotation draws a pretty strong contrast between the frailty of humanity and the Word of God. Peter’s phrase “all men” is literally “all flesh.” Nothing created can last like God’s Word can.

Humanity and all of creation resemble the grass in Isaiah’s passage. There is a beauty that can be found in our universe, cursed though it is by the Fall. Yet grass withers and fails, and flowers wilt and drop their petals. They do not last.

In the same way, mankind also fades. Our lives are defined with a beginning and an end, and we do not live forever. In fact, even the very creation itself will not last; it is headed for destruction as well.

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Top Posts For August 2016

Reviewing The Month On JeffRandleman.com

Football games. Cooler weather. Turning leaves. School is in session. Pumpkins. And a whole lot more is just around the corner. Fall is just about here, and summer is heading out the door.

Top Posts for August 2016

September will be a busy month around here. Between our family activities and our church activities, there is a lot going on. I hope that I can keep my sanity through it all. In early October, I will be attending Wilderness, a retreat for ministers in the mountains outside of Colorado Springs. This is something I generally try to fit into my schedule each year. I missed it last year, and I regret that. I am really looking forward to the opportunity to stop and take a break for a few days.

Even though I know that should happen on a regular basis, it can be hard to do. The daily life seems to keep us busy all the time, doesn’t it? And, unless something big happens, we don’t usually make the effort to step back and take a break like we need to.

That is one reason I consistently post the top posts from JeffRandleman.com each and every month. It is an opportunity to step back, and see what has happened, and where I need to go from here. I take an even bigger view of things on an annual basis, and run a weekly view as well. Those things help me keep my perspective, at least in this one area of life.

For this month’s top posts, I want to take the same approach that I did last month. Each month, it seems like the same few posts consistently make the list. I am glad that my content is continually making an impact. But those same old lists get pretty boring. So, again for this month, I am listing out the next seven posts, in terms of traffic.

  1. A New Bible Reading Plan – 9 Months Later
  2. How To Gain Insight By Hand-Copying The Bible
  3. Tips For Becoming More Consistent In Your Bible Reading
  4. Trying A New Bible Reading System
  5. Classic Bible: My Favorite Passages From Judges
  6. ICR’s Days Of Praise Daily Devotional
  7. 2016 Bible Reading Plans

I found this to be a very different list than last month’s, and the fact that every single one of them is centered on the topic of Bible reading or devotional reading is very interesting to me.

My personal favorite post from the month of August was from a conversation that I had while in Arizona, on our mission trip in July. It’s called Slow Down And Listen: Wisdom From An Apache Elder. I learned a lesson that I hope to not soon forget.

I am praying that you have a great month! I look forward to seeing what God brings in the weeks to come!

Question: If you are a blogger, leave a comment with your top post for the month. If you don’t blog, leave a comment with a favorite post or blog that you read this month. You can leave a comment by clicking here.

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Book Review – Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson

Understanding ExposureI love photography. Some of my favorite feeds on Instagram are photographers, especially nature and landscape photographers. In fact, that is one of my lifelong hobbies, landscape photography.

And although I may not have the following that many of the “pros” have, I rather enjoy many of the images I take. Recently, I have decided to make this more of a source of income, and have launched a photography business in our community. I would rather specialize in nature photos, but that is a pretty small niche. And so I must include people.

My goal is to capture those moments in the lives of people and families that carry significant meaning, and provide a photographic record of them that will inspire memories for years to come.

In order to do that, I need to know my equipment as well as I can. I need to understand the concepts of what makes a great photo, rather than just a mediocre photo. And one of the key elements of that is exposure.

I recently received a copy of Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson. Since I am a reader by nature, and learn best in that fashion, I have several books on photography and exposure. This one is, by far, the best one I have.

Peterson covers the basics, aperture, shutter speed and light, just like the rest do. But he defines and explains things in a way that is more understandable, more graspable. That really helps me when I’m out in the field with my camera in my hand. The information is there in my head, and I am able to think through it as I snap the shots.

I saw a hint of the Northern Lights once, when I was a kid. I live too far south for these to be readily visible though. Someday, I hope to be able to see them again first hand. However, to see them from space would be really cool!

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Memorize Scripture: 1 Peter 1:22-23

Hiding God’s Word In Our Hearts

One of the emphases of Peter’s letter is unity among believers, especially within the local churches. Throughout his letters, he stresses the importance of strong relationships. This passage is the first of several such.

You can see it for yourself in 1 Peter 1:22-23.

1 Peter 1:22-23

If the church is to build strong relationships, then love must be the foundation. As Peter relates the importance of this, he doesn’t really focus on instructing us to love, or even how to love. He focuses first on why we must love. That is where he takes his readers in this passage.

As he discusses this rational, he gives two distinct reasons why we should love, with the command sandwiched in between them.