Genesis 1:26 says, And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.  People were created in the image of God.  I don't believe that this means that we look like God physically, but spiritually.  We have the ability to reason and to know right from wrong.  People were also created with a purpose.  We are to have dominion over all other creatures.  I believe this means that not only are other creatures there for our use, but we are to treat them responsibility.  We are God's caretakers of His creation.  This is about as far from evolution as you can get.  We cannot believe both, so as with all things, we have a choice.  Verse twenty-seven declares, So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.  God created men and women in His image.  We can either believe that life is the result of some cosmic accident or we can believe that it is the result of the creative activity of God.  Verse twenty-eight adds, And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.  After being created in God's image, God blessed mankind.  Whether we accept it or not, we are a blessed creation of God.  As already stated, we are to be the caretakers of the earth and all that God created on it.  Verse twenty-nine proclaims, And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.  God said He gave people all the plants for their use.  Though some would say so, this does not mean that we are only to eat plants, since we know God later blessed the eating of meat.  Verse thirty says, And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.  We can either see this as God saying He gave every creature herbs to eat, or we can see it as God saying that He gave all these animals to man to use for food.  Verse thirty-one declares, And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.  God pronounced the creation of mankind as not only good, but very good, and then the sixth day ended and God's creation was finished.   I believe that is one problem with evolution.  Why did it stop with people?  With creation of all things by God we have the answer.  God was finished with creation.

Genesis 1:14 says, And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:  This is the creation of the stars, sun and moon.  They divide the day and night and set the seasons.  Verse fifteen continues, And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.  The purpose of the stars, sun and moon were to light the earth.  I know that there is a lot of debate today about life on other planets, but the Bible tells us everything in the heavens was created to support the earth.  We either believe that or we don't.  Verse sixteen adds, And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.  I believe that this was during the creation of the lights in the heavens and not a separate act after the other stars were created.  The sun lights the day, and to a lesser extent the moon lights the night.  Verse seventeen continues, And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,  Then verse eighteen concludes, And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.  Once more, God called His creation good.  Verse nineteen says, And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.  Another day of God's creative period had passed.  Verse twenty says, And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.  This is the creation of the fish and the birds.  Verse twenty-one states, And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. After the seas were full of life and the heavens filled with birds, God saw that it was good.  The birds did not evolve from the sea life, but were created separately.  We either believe this or do not believe God's word.  Verse twenty-two declares, And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.  God blessed them and said for them to multiply. And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.  That concluded the fifth day of creation.  Verse twenty-four says, And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.  This is the creation of all the animals.  Once more, we are not told that the animals on land evolved from the fish or the birds, but they were created.  Verse twenty-five declares, And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.  All the animals were created distinctive.  One did not evolve into something else.  We will stop during the sixth day and look at the creation of mankind separately.

Genesis 1:1 says, In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.  We either accept this fact or not.  Some people attempt to totally deny or discredit creation based on science, or the knowledge of people.  Others attempt to explain creation with a combination of God creating, but doing so differently than the Biblical account.  I believe we either accept the Biblical account of creation, or we have to reject God altogether.  We cannot recreate God to suit our own beliefs.  Verse two states, And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.  The earth was yet to be formed into its current shape and was void until the spirit of God moved upon it.  The world was dark.  Verse three declares, And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.  God spoke light into existence on the earth.  God would later send a much greater Light, Jesus Christ, to redeem people of the world that had fallen into spiritual darkness.  Verse four adds, And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.   God saw that the light was good, and separated the light from the darkness.  Throughout the creating process, we will see that God called it good, so we must simply accept or reject that fact.  Verse five states, And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.  God called the division of light and darkness day and night, and this was the first day of creation.  We can debate whether this was a twenty-four hour period or not, but the implication is that it was.  I know that time has no meaning to God, but we can only accept what His word tells us by faith.  Verse six says, And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.  At this point, the earth was covered with water, then God separated the water.  Verse seven adds, And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.  God divided the water below the firmament, or the sky or Heaven, from the waters on the earth.   Verse eight adds, And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.  The firmament above God called Heaven.  This was the second day of creation.  Verse nine proclaims, And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.  Dry land appeared at God's direction.  Verse ten states, And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.  The earth was separated into the land and the seas.  I believe that God will keep them separated as long as the world stands.  Once more we are told that God saw this part of creation as good.  Verse eleven declares, And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.  God created the plants of the world.  Verse twelve adds,  And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.  This is just a statement that what God called for in the last verse happened, and that He declared it good.  Verse thirteen states, And the evening and the morning were the third day.  This was the third day, and God was halfway through His creative process.

We will review some of what Peter teaches us in his second letter.  We see that God gives us everything we need for salvation and to live in accordance with His will through faith in Christ.  Salvation is God's gift of grace to everyone who will accept it.  We are called to reach out to others with the love of God.  We may hate the actions of sinners, but we are to love them and want them to come accept the salvation of Christ.  We will not do this if we hate them.  We should live at peace in the world, because we are assured of our everlasting relationship with God.  We are changed in our nature, since we are now guided by the Holy Spirit.  Just like Peter, we must always remember the truth that salvation comes from Christ alone.  Peter witnessed the life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, and through faith we know this truth as well.  The life of Christ is not a myth or fable but is the truth of God.   We need to acknowledge that scripture, or the Bible, is not just for our own interpretation, but must be interpreted or understood under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  We will never be led to an interpretation that is inconsistent with the teachings of the whole word of God.  We are warned that false teachers will come, as they have throughout the history of the world.  I believe some will be very subtitle, adding little lies to the gospel, and many who were close to salvation will be led astray.   We therefore must know what the word of God, the Bible, really says.  There are many people who would lead others away from the truth of God with promises of material riches or pleasure, but they are no better than animals when they do.  Also, we can be certain of the second coming of Christ.  We are to be at work sharing the gospel until this occurs or we pass from this world.  Christ will return when God says the time is right, and we do not need to spend time speculating on when that will be.

2 Peter 3:9

2 Peter 3:9 says, The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.  The reason that Christ has not returned yet is that God is still giving as many people as possible the opportunity to repent and be saved.  If we are praying for Christ to return soon, then we are not exhibiting the same love for the lost that God does.  Verse ten adds, But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.  Peter tells us that the Lord, or Christ, will return like a thief in the night as far as knowing when He will return.  I have said before that some people are convinced that the time is at hand, but we are told by God's word that we will never know the time.  We are simply to be ready and be at work sharing the gospel.  Unlike the birth of Christ, when He returns the world will be burned up.  Everyone, lost or saved, will know.  Verse eleven continues, Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,  If we believe that this is going to occur, that God's judgment is certain, then we are asked what manner of people should we be.  We should speak and live by the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  Verse twelve states, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?  We should look for the second coming in hope, and if we would hasten the day that it occurs, we must be witnessing daily for Christ.  This should be our concern, and even more so if we believe that the day is close.  We, like God, should hope that none would perish.  Verse thirteen adds, Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.  We are to have faith in God's promise of a new heaven and earth.  This is what we are to look forward to, and it will be a place with no sin or death.  Verse fourteen continues, Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.  If we are looking for this new heaven and earth, we must be diligent in our faith in God.  We can only be at peace with God and without spot or blemish by accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Verse fifteen says, And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;  Peter tells us to count the long suffering of God in delaying the second coming as a time for others to claim the salvation of Christ.  Though some questioned the apostleship of Paul, Peter embraced him as a fellow apostle and said that Paul had been preaching and writing the same thing.  God does not have one truth for one follower of Christ and another truth for another believer.  Verse sixteen adds, As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.  Peter said that some of the things that Paul wrote were hard to understand by those that were unlearned and unstable.  Matthew Henry says this refers to those who have not truly accepted Christ as Savior and Lord, but who still attempt to interpret the gospel.  Verse seventeen continues, Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.  As followers of Christ, we know the truth of God's word, still we must be careful that we don't allow someone to lead us away from this truth.  The way to do that is to allow the Holy Spirit to lead us in all that we do.  Verse eighteen concludes, But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.  We are to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.  The world cannot teach us these things, but they are a gift from God through faith.  Therefore, we are to give God the glory now and forever.

2 Peter 3:1

2 Peter 3:1 says, This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance:  Peter said that this was his second letter that he wrote to them, who would be the early believers in Christ.  He said he wanted to stir up their pure minds by way of remembrance.  We need to likewise stir up our pure minds today, remembering what Christ has done for us and keeping God's will foremost in our thoughts.  Verse two adds, That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour:  Peter wanted those that he was writing to, to remember both those things spoken by the prophets before Christ came and the commandments of the apostles and of their Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ.  We must learn from both the Old and New Testament.  God does not change from one to the other.  Verse three continues, Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,  As this was true in the time of the early Christians, it is even more so today.  There are so many people today who would change what God's word says and call any who believe His word weak minded people who are being deceived.  They mock those who do follow Christ.  Verse four proclaims, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.  Unbelievers in the days of the early church were already asking when Christ was going to return.  They were saying that life was going on as it always had, so why should anyone put faith in the coming return of Christ.  As can be imagined, unbelievers are even more skeptical today, but we as followers of Christ must realize that Christ will return when the time is right.  Verse five adds, For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:  Peter reminded those who said that the world had always continued the same of the flood that destroyed nearly everyone in the days of Noah.  There are many people today who deny that the flood really happened or that God's judgment at the return of Christ is really going to happen, but they are wrong in both.  Verse six continues, Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:  God destroyed the world that existed in the time of Noah by water.  It was not some natural disaster, but the judgment of God.  Verse seven states, But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.  God will sustain the world until He sends the second judgment of the world, when it will be destroyed by fire.  This is as certain as the promise to Noah.  I heard some say once that with the creation of nuclear weapons that God now had the capability to carry out this promise, but God Who controls everything in the universe has always had this power.  God has never needed the capability of people to carry out His promises.  Verse eight adds, But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.  God's time is not our time.  We may say that it has been over two thousand years since Christ was crucified, but for God, it is no more than two days.  Even that is not totally accurate, since there is no earthly time with God.

2 Peter 2:12

2 Peter 2:12 says, But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;  This is speaking about those who refuse to listen to God's word.  Peter compares them to brute beasts, such as mules or oxen.  Verse thirteen adds, And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you;  Peter warns that those who refuse to acknowledge God's word and accept salvation through Christ will be rewarded for their unrighteousness.  God does not send people to hell, but He allows them to go there if they so choose.  Those who deny Christ deceive themselves and feast on, or misuse, those who are followers of Christ.  Verse fourteen continues, Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children:  Peter lists some of the ways that the unrighteous act.  They are full of adultery and cannot stop sinning.  They beguile others who are unstable in their souls, or faith.  Some people attempt to live by faith and sight, not being willing to totally commit to Christ, and are easily deceived by those who would lead them to some other way to salvation.  Verse fifteen declares, Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;  There are really only two ways to live.  One is the right way by following Christ in faith, and the other is following the ways of the world.  Some will always choose the way of the world, even claiming to follow another god.  We must choose to follow Christ and call others to do so as well, with both our words and our actions.  Verse sixteen adds, But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man’s voice forbad the madness of the prophet.  Peter was referring to when Balaam was told by God not to go speak to the king, but was going anyway, and his ass, or donkey, spoke to him to stop him.  Balaam was a prophet of God who was refusing to listen to God.  We are even dumber than the animals when we refuse to listen to God's word.  Verse seventeen continues, These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.  Those who oppose and teach others to oppose God are like wells without water or clouds blown in every direction by the wind.  They cannot offer any real relief or direction to life but are always walking in darkness.  God alone can bring us living water and everlasting light, and He does so through our acceptance of Christ.  Verse eighteen states, For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.  Those who deny God would tempt others with empty promises and the allure of the temptation of the flesh.  We who follow Christ can be cleansed from all unrighteousness that the world would tempt us with.  Verse nineteen adds, While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.  Even as the lost of the world claim to be free to do whatever they want to without being bound by God's law, they are servants of corruption.  We either serve God or we serve Satan.  If we refuse to follow God, we will always be under the bondage of sin.  Verse twenty continues, For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.  I don't believe that this refers to losing one's salvation but refers to those who temporarily follow the teachings of God but never accept Christ as their Savior and Lord.  It is even harder for such a person to then accept Christ.  Verse twenty-one proclaims, For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.  Peter tells us it is better to have never heard the gospel than to hear it and turn away from it.  This does not mean that we are not to share the gospel.  Verse twenty-two adds, But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.  Though this may not be a pretty picture, it is an accurate comparison to those who temporarily obey God's word and then turn away from it.  This can refer to those who only accept God's word intellectually for a while without ever accepting Christ as their Savior and Lord.  Still, even if our salvation is secure, we may find ourselves wallowing in the slop of the world if we do not keep God's word in our heart.

2 Peter 2:1

2 Peter 2:1 says, But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.  Peter tells us that there were false prophets in the Old Testament and warns that there will be false teachers today who will teach heresies instead of the true gospel.  Some of this will come from individuals, and some from groups who profess to believe Christ while attempting to add other requirements to the gospel.  They will bring upon themselves swift judgment as false teachers when God's judgment comes.  Verse two adds, And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.   Peter tells us that many will follow these false teachers.  This is why it is so important that we know what the Bible really teaches.  God is never going to lead someone to teach anything inconsistent with the Bible.  Verse three continues, And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.  These false teachers will appeal to people's coveteous nature.  They will attempt to make the gospel about merchandise, or material things.  Verse four declares, For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;  The angels were in heaven created to serve God, but some began to covet being as powerful as God.  Their evil desires resulted in them being cast out of heaven.  Verse five adds, And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;  In the days of Noah, even as he proclaimed God's coming judgment, people refused to listen, and all but eight people were destroyed by the flood.  Verse six continues, And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;  We are reminded of what happened to the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah due to their depravity.  These two cities should serve as an example of what happens when people totally refuse to listen to God's word.  People often want to claim that natural disasters are God's judgment on a group of people or a particular place, but I believe that if it is God's judgment, there will be no doubt.  If God's people are suffering as much as those who deny God, I believe that we can rule out a natural disaster being God's judgment.  Verse seven states, And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:  God spared Lot and his family, though they lived in the wickedness of those that were destroyed.  In order to be spared, they had to respond in obedience to God's call, and Lot's wife is an example of what happens when we refuse to follow God in obedience to His word.  We cannot look back on the things of this world that we are told to leave behind.  Verse eight adds, (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)  I believe this tells us that Lot was vexed by the unrighteousness of those that he lived around.  We today should likewise be vexed by those that we live around who are unrighteous.  If we are to live with them, we must make sure that we bring the gospel to them instead of allowing them to pull us away from the truth of the gospel.  Verse nine continues, The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:  God will deliver us from temptation if we rely on the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  God also reserves the day of punishment for those who refuse to accept His salvation provided by Christ.  It may not be in this lifetime, but it is certain.  Verse ten concludes, But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.   God especially reserves judgment for those who live for the lusts of the flesh and even refuse to obey and even despise the government.  They are presumptuous, self willed and unafraid to speak evil of God's word.  Though we may never see it, their day of judgment is coming.  Verse eleven declares, Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord.  The angels are greater in power than human beings, but even they cannot defy God and go unpunished.

2 Peter 1:12

2 Peter 1:12 says, Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.  Peter said that he would continually remind his fellow believers about the truth of the gospel, even though he knew that they knew it.  As followers of Christ, we can never forget that He died for us and we are to live for Him.  We can never allow lies or distortions to come into truth of the gospel.  Verse thirteen adds, Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance;  Peter said that he felt that as long as he lived that it was his responsibility to keep his fellow believers stirred up in the gospel.  The tabernacle was a reference to Peter's earthly body, which is the tabernacle of the Holy Spirit if we are followers of Christ.  Verse fourteen continues, Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me.  Peter knew that he soon would die, just as Jesus Christ had died physically.  We can be certain of one thing, and that is that either in death or the second coming, we will put this old body off.  Verse fifteen states, Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance.  Matthew Henry says this refers to why Peter was writing this.  I believe that inspired by God, Peter did not want them to have to rely on oral traditions or memories to remember the truth of God, which is also why we have the Bible to guide us today.  Verse sixteen adds, For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.  Peter reminded his fellow believers that the gospel was not just a myth, as many people would make it today.  Peter was an eyewitness to the truth of the gospel, and though we have not seen the death, burial and resurrection of Christ physically, once we accept Christ as our Savior and Lord, we know the truth of salvation spiritually.  Verse seventeen continues, For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.  Peter was an eyewitness to this proclamation of God at the baptism of Jesus.  Though we may not have been there, if we accept Christ for Who He is, the only way to salvation, then we must accept the truth of the Biblical account of His life.  Verse eighteen says, And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.  Peter was with Jesus at His baptism and at His ascension.  Peter knew the truth of what he was saying, and if we are to be effective witnesses today, we must have our faith grounded in that same truth.  Verse nineteen adds, We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:  The coming of Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world was not a new concept but had been prophesied by the Old Testament.  We can look back on that truth when we read God's word.  Verse twenty continues, Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.  As Peter said then, we cannot just come up with our own interpretation of what the scripture, or the Bible, means.  Our interpretation must always be consistent with the whole scripture and guided by the Holy Spirit.  Verse twenty-one concludes, For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.  The prophecies of the Bible, though spoken by men, are the word of God.  We cannot change His word to suit our own purposes, but we must believe all of it as we study it under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.

I am going to pause briefly from what we have been looking at to discuss Easter.  We know that the first Easter that the followers of Christ felt defeated, but because of that first Easter, we never have to feel that way again.  Many churches have sun rise services, though for some may conduct them well after sunrise.  This is done to commemorate the women getting to the grave early that first Easter to discover that  the stone was rolled away and Jesus' body was gone.  They were the first to receive the good news that Jesus was not there, but that He had risen from the dead and had no need of the tomb.  We, as followers of Christ, will likewise one day rise from the dead and have no need for a grave or any other burial place. The good news of Easter is that even though sin had sealed us into a life that could only result in death, physically and spiritually, Jesus has broken that seal and set us free if we only put our faith in Him.  The women went and told the disciples, who were huddled in defeat, what they had seen and been told by the angel.  Two of the disciples, Peter and John, went to see what had happened.  We have to assume that the others weren't convinced enough to go look.  Even those who are closest to the word of God will not believe in salvation through Christ until they respond to Him by faith.  Peter and John went eagerly, but the other disciples were still not ready to believe.  This Easter, hopefully we are like Peter and John, ready to believe and understand what the death, burial and resurrection of Christ really means.  We do not need to live as defeated people, but we can live without fear and boldly proclaim that Christ is risen and lives forever, and that we can also claim victory over sin and have everlasting life through our faith in Him.

2 Peter 1:1

2 Peter 1:1 says, Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:  Peter calls himself a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ.  Whatever else God may call us to be, we are all servants of Jesus Christ, if we have obtained the precious faith like Peter had.  We can obtain this faith because of the righteousness of God.  Verse two adds, Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,  Peter asked that their grace and peace be multiplied through their knowledge of God and Jesus their Lord.  When we live under the grace of God, shown to us fully by the sacrifice of Christ, we should live at peace in the world.  If we are not at peace in the world in which we live, it may be that our faith in God's grace is faltering.  Verse three continues, According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:  Peter tells us that God has given us all the things that pertain to life and Godliness through our knowledge of Christ.  Peter does not say that God gives us everything we want in this world, but that He gives us everything we need in order to live by faith for His glory.  Verse four concludes, Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.  God has indeed made great and precious promises to those who follow Christ.  We become partakers of the divine nature of God.  We do not become divine, but our nature becomes shaped by God.  We, through our faith in Christ, escape the corruption of the world brought on by our lusts.  Verse five states,  And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;  Our faith in Christ should change our nature.  We should become virtuous under the knowledge of God.  We cannot accept Christ and not be changed in the way we live and view the world.  Verse six adds, And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;  This is a continuation of the way our nature will be changed by our faith in Christ.  We should be temperate, patient and godly in all that we do.   Verse seven continues, And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.  When we follow Christ, we will be kind to others and have a love for them like God has for us.  To say that we love God but hate sinners is not consistent.  We are to hate the sin, but we are to pray for the sinner.  Verse eight continues, For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  If we have the things just discussed guiding our life, we will be productive in our life for Christ.  We are not promised earthly riches, but we are promised a greater relationship with Christ.  If our faith is barren, we may need to change the way we live out our faith.  Verse nine says, But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.  If we lack the things mentioned, the we have become spiritually blind and have forgotten that we were purged of our sins.  We cannot effectively follow Christ if we feel that we are morally superior to others simply because of who we are in the world.  Verse ten adds, Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:  We need to be diligent in our faith in Christ.  If we put Christ and His will first, then we will never fail in our spiritual walk with Him.  Verse eleven concludes, For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.  If we accept Christ, we have been granted entrance into His everlasting kingdom.  We should follow God's guidance in all that we do because of this great gift of everlasting salvation.

We will briefly review what we have learned from First Peter.  We, like Peter, should identify ourselves as Christians, those saved by faith in the grace of God.  This has been the plan of salvation since before the creation of the world.  It is not that God ordained us, or even certain of us, to fail, but that He knew when He gave us free will that we could fail.  The life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ was and is and always will be the only way to salvation.  We also learn that we are to love one another as God loves us.  We are not only to love our fellow believers, but we are to even love those who hate and despise us.  Christ did not just love and die for certain people who loved and treated Him right, but for all people, even those who nailed Him to the cross.  We, as followers of Christ, are to love with the same type love.  We are also called on to obey the government, or anyone in a position of power over us, unless they require us to go against God's law.  We cannot just claim that since we are forgiven of our sins that we are free to do anything we choose to do.  We are to set the example for others, not only our fellow Christians but also for the lost of the world.  God should always be glorified by our actions, and we should always make sure that He receives the honor and glory.  There is no room for self glorification as a follower of Christ.  We are also to control our speech.  This is more than just not using profanity.  We are not to say anything that would dishonor God, and spreading rumors or telling lies about others is certainly never acceptable.

1 Peter 5:5 says, Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.  The young are called on to submit to the elder.  This was once more common than it is today, I believe, but it should especially be true of young followers of Christ submitting to older followers of Christ.  There is no room for the self centered attitude of saying no one has the right to tell me anything.  We are to be subject to one another and to do so humbly.  We are told that God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble.  Verse six says, Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:  There is no room for boastful self pride in Christianity.  I don't mean having pride in the things we do, but instead bragging about how great we are.  We should always humbly do our best in everything we do, not so that we will be honored, but so that God will.  Verse seven says, Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.  We are to cast all are cares and concerns on God.  Whatever our burden, we are to bring it to God.  We can do this through prayer, believing that God really will hear and answer.  Sometimes, we pray without real faith, just going through the motions while still not believing that God will answer.  Or course, I believe that everything we pray for should be in accordance with God's will and for His glory.  We can also bring our burdens to the church, our fellow believers.  We are to share one another's burdens.  Verse eight declares, Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:  We are to always be vigilant in our faith in God.  We never reach a point where Satan will stop tempting us, and if we think that we have then we are really setting ourselves up for trouble.  Satan, or the devil, is like a roaring lion, always seeking to destroy anyone that he can.  Verse nine adds, Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.  We are to remain steadfast in our faith.  If we suffer for our faith in Christ, we are not alone.  People all over the world and throughout history have done the same.  We simply must put our faith in God, especially during times of trouble.  We should never ask where God is, because as followers of Christ, the Holy Spirit lives in us.  Verse ten proclaims, But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.  This God of all grace, the only true God, will sustain us through all our sufferings.  Our sufferings, no matter how long they last, will be but for a little while in the prospective of our everlasting life with God.  Verse eleven says, To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.   As followers of Christ, all that we do should be done to honor God.  God has dominion over all His creation forever.  Verse twelve states, By Silvanus, a faithful brother unto you, as I suppose, I have written briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God wherein ye stand.  Peter tells them that he wrote them to exhort them to stand in the grace of God.  This is what we must do today.  Peter also said he was sending the letter by Silvanus, a faithful brother.  We should always be willing to trust and acknowledge our fellow believers.  Verse thirteen states, The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you; and so doth Marcus my son.  Peter said that not only he, but the whole church at Babylon saluted, or sent greetings to those the letter was written to.  He singled out Marcus, or Mark, as being like a son to him.  We are never really alone in our actions for Christ, but work with fellow believers throughout the world.  Verse fourteen adds, Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity. Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus. Amen.  This is simply a call for Christians to love and respect one another.  We certainly need this today.

1 Peter 5:1 says, The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:  Peter identified himself as one of the elders and as one who had witnessed the sufferings of Christ.  He did not identify himself as someone in authority over the other elders.  Peter was a man who had faith enough to step out of the boat and onto the water, but was also a man who lacked the faith to stand with Jesus when He was arrested.  Still, after Peter accepted Jesus as his Savior, he was saved forever.  When we are born again through faith in Christ, we are saved forever.  Even if we falter in our walk with Christ, we are still saved.  Like Peter, we have no authority over other Christians simply because we are saved.  Verse two states, Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;  Peter was speaking to the elders.  They did have a responsibility to feed the flock, or those fellow believers that God had given them the responsibility to minister to.  The elders were to have the responsibility for overseeing other believers, not by claiming power over them, but by reaching out to them with the love of God.  Elders, or as we might say preachers and deacons are not called to be dictators over other Christians.  They are never to assume a position of leadership and use that position to gain the material things of this world.  Verse three adds, Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.  Those who are called to be pastors or deacons, leaders in the church, are never to view themselves as superior to other Christians.  They are simply sinners saved by grace themselves who are called to a particular position of service in God's kingdom.  They are called on to be an example to others which means that they are the do all that they do to glorify God.  Verse four concludes, And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.  Peter told the elders then that if they were obedient to the will of God, that they would receive an everlasting crown of glory when Christ returns.  I don't believe that we should work for Christ for personal rewards, either here nor in the world to come though.  All that we do should be done so that God will be glorified.

1 Peter 4:10 says, As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.  We are told that since we are given the free gift of salvation that we are to freely share the gospel with others.  Being a follower of Christ was never intended to be something that makes us want to hoard God's gracious gift of salvation.  Verse eleven declares, If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.  We are told once again that everything we say and do should be directed by God if we are His followers.  We are to do so by the ability that God gives us.  Verse twelve states, Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:  As Christians, we should not find it strange if we suffer persecution.  It may be even more strange if we don't, because we may not be living up to our calling if we aren't encountering any opposition from the lost of the world.  Verse thirteen adds, But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.  We, as followers of Christ, too often complain when we don't get something we want instead of rejoicing when we suffer persecution.  Christianity is not a way to personal riches, but is a call to deny ourselves and take up our cross daily.  Verse fourteen says, If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.  If we are reproached for our relationship with Christ,, we are to be happy because the Holy Spirit resides in us.  The world, those without Christ in their lives, will speak evil of us because of our relationship to Him.  When we remain faithful to Christ if we are persecuted, then He is glorified.  Verse fifteen declares, But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters.  This simply tells us that we should not do these things, and if we do and suffer for it that it is not the same as suffering for our faith.  If we violate the laws of man, we should not expect our relationship to Christ to prevent us from being held accountable.  Verse sixteen adds, Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.  This is another statement that suffering for our faith in Christ is different than suffering for our own sins in the world.  Though we are forgiven by our faith in Christ, we are not given a license to sin without punishment in the world, but if we are punished for our faith it is different.  We are not to be ashamed of the gospel in such a situation.  Verse seventeen asks, For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?  Peter said that the time had come for judgment to begin at the house of God, or with those who called themselves God's people.  Then comes the question if the judgment begins with those who call themselves God's people, then what hope is there for those who do not accept the gospel.  There is no hope for those who reject the gospel of Christ.  Verse eighteen asks, And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?  This is just another statement that there is no hope of salvation without putting our faith in Christ.  Even as followers of Christ, we are not saved by our own merit.  Verse nineteen declares, Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.  If we, as followers of Christ, suffer for our faith, we are to commit to the fact that God has saved us and will keep us spiritually as His children.

1 Peter 4:1 says, Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;  As followers of Christ, we are to be like Him.  Christ endured physical suffering in order to remain faithful to the heavenly Father, and we should be willing to do the same.   We are not called on to suffer physical abuse just to suffer, but to be willing to suffer for our faith in God.  Verse two states, That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. We are to no longer live by the lust of our flesh when we become Christians.   Not only are we to be willing to suffer physical abuse to serve God, we are not to let the lusts of the flesh to rule us.  Verse three adds, For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries:  Peter, speaking to the Jews, those who were to be God's holy people, were no better than the Gentiles because of their own merit.  They had been just as guilty of sin as had the Gentiles.  The only difference was that God chose to work through them to reveal Himself to the world.  We today, as followers of Christ, are no better than anyone else because of our own goodness, but are simply sinners saved by grace, so we have no reason to feel superior to others because of our own righteousness.  Verse four declares, Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you:  People of the world who do not know Christ as Savior and Lord find those who do to be strange when we do not live by the excesses of the flesh.  I am sure you have heard someone ask, "What is it going to hurt?"  The answer is that anything done that is not done under the leadership of the Holy Spirit will harm our relationship to God.  Verse five adds, Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead.  When we are tempted to give in to sin, we must remember that it is not the world that will judge us, but God.  Everyone in the world could say that there was no harm in what we have done, but that does not justify us.  We can only be justified by following the will of God in our lives.  God is the ultimate judge of all.  Verse six says, For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.  This is not speaking of preaching to those who are physically dead, but to those who are spiritually dead.  Once we die physically, our everlasting fate is already determined.  We are to live spiritually according to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  Verse seven declares, But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.  Even in the time of the disciples, the thought was that the second coming of Christ was close, and it has been the thought of many Christians ever since.  We are to simply be faithful and pray for God's guidance in life and even more so as the time of the second coming draws nearer.  I personally do not believe that we are to be simply waiting and praying for the return of Christ, but instead are to be busy witnessing for Him.  Verse eight adds, And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.  We are called on to have a fervent charity, or love, for all those around us.  When we love everyone with a love like God's love for us, we cover a multitude of sins, because we will act accordingly to God's guidance.  Verse nine states, Use hospitality one to another without grudging.  We are to help others without doing so grudgingly.  God calls on His people to help anyone that they can willingly, and I believe to do so in His name.  We should always give God the glory and not seek it for ourselves.

1 Peter 3:12 says, For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.  God hears the righteous and watches over them.  On the other hand, God does not hear those who do evil, except for their prayer for forgiveness by faith in Christ.  Verse thirteen asks, And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?  Matthew Henry says this means under normal conditions, we don't have to fear any harm for doing good, but if we live in a time or place where Christians are persecuted, even then they cannot harm us spiritually.  Verse fourteen declares, But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;  This is a further statement that even when persecuted, we are to be happy in our salvation and not afraid of anything this world can do to us.  This is only true if we are suffering for righteousness sake, and not if we are suffering because we have not lived up to our calling as followers of Christ.  Verse fifteen states, But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:  We are to sanctify ourselves, or put God first in our hearts.  We are also to be ready to tell anyone who asks why we have hope in life, and to do so humbly.  Verse sixteen says, Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.  When we are obedient to God and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we can live with a clear conscience.  If we are accused of doing wrong then, it will be those that falsely accuse us who will ultimately be put to shame.  Verse seventeen adds, For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.  If we are going to suffer as followers of Christ, it should always be because of doing God's will if we are to be bring honor and glory to Him.  Verse eighteen declares, For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:  Christ died once for the sins of all mankind.  Jesus Christ was the just dying for the unjust, and He is the only One qualified to do so.  Because of His sacrifice, we must die to the flesh in order to be obedient to God.  Verse nineteen adds, By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;  Christ reached out to those in prison.  I believe that this does not mean physically imprisoned, but imprisoned by sin.  Matthew Henry relates it to those in the days of Noah who would not listen to him.  Verse twenty states, Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.  We can definitely say that this refers to those in the days of Noah, who after all the years of Noah building the Ark and warning of the coming destruction refused to believe in God's warning.  Only eight were saved.  Verse twenty-one proclaims, The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:  It is not baptism itself that saves us, but the death, burial and resurrection of Christ that it represents that does.  We are to be baptized, when possible, to show our obedience to Christ.  Verse twenty-two proclaims, Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.  Jesus Christ now sits on the right hand of the heavenly Father, and everything is under His power.  I cannot fully comprehend nor explain the triune nature of God, but simply accept that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are One.

1 Peter 3:1 says, Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives;  This is basically a call for a wife to live in such a way that she will lead her husband to Christ if He is not a believer, assuming that she is.  If both are believers, and are both obedient to Christ, then they will have no problem in their relationship to each other.  It is not about a power struggle, but about living to bring honor to God.   Verse two states, While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear.  This does not mean that the wife is to speak nicely out of fear of her husband, but that she is to speak guided by her respect for God.  Verse three declares, Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;  This tells us that a woman should not be concerned only with outward beauty or looks.  I don't believe it means that a woman should not do these things, but means that they should not be a priority.  Verse four adds, But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.  Like any believer in Christ, the wife is to be ruled by her inner being, that personal relationship with Him.  No wife or husband should be controlled by outward appearances, but by the inner relationship with Christ.  Verse five says, For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands:  The women of the Old Testament adorned themselves in obedience to God if they believed in Him.  If God is truly in charge of a marriage, then there will be no arguments about who is in charge, because God will direct both husband and wife.  Verse six says, Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement.  Peter says that as Sara obeyed Abraham, Godly women today should follow her example.  Verse seven declares, Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.  The husband is to honor his wife, and not to just act as a dictator over her.  As long as a husband is led by the Holy Spirit, he will always do what is best for his wife.  We too often make marriage to be between a man and a woman and leave God out of it.  In a true marriage, God will always be the One in charge.  Verse eight says, Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:  As followers of Christ, we are to all have our minds centered on doing God's will.  When we do, we will naturally have compassion for one another, love one another, and be courteous to each other.  Verse nine states, Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.  We are not to meet evil with evil if we are to follow Christ's example, but we are to bless, or pray for, those who treat us badly.  We are not to speak badly about others, even if they speak badly about us.  Verse ten declares, For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:  If we love the life that God gives us through our faith in Christ, we will control our tongue, or what we say about others, no matter what format we use to say it.  Verse eleven proclaims, Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.  I believe this tells us that morality does indeed count.  God expects His people to live bringing honor to Him in all that they do.

1Peter 2:13 says, Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme;  We are to obey the law, so that God will be glorified.  I believe that there is the exclusion that if the law requires us to dishonor God that we are not to obey it, but any law that simply has to do with worldly matters should be obeyed.  Verse fourteen continues,  Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.  Most laws are made to punish evildoers and to help those who follow those laws.  Verse fifteen adds, For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:  God expects us to obey the law, so that we can silence the ignorance of foolish people.  If we, as followers of Christ, begin to claim that we are above the law, then the lost of the world can speak out against God and us.  Verse sixteen states, As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.  Though we are set free from the power of the world through our faith in Christ, we are not to use this freedom maliciously.  We must always remember that we are servants of God, and are to live to bring honor to Him.  Verse seventeen says, Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.  We are to live in such a way that we honor others and show God's love to them.  Verse eighteen declares,  Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.  We may not be servants with masters, but we are often employees with employers, and this tells us that we are to follow their orders, even when they may not treat us right.  Verse nineteen states, For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully.  If we follow God and suffer for it, this is worthy of thanks.  Verse twenty adds, For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.  Peter says that if we suffer for our own faults, then there is no glory in this.  We simply get what we deserve.  On the other hand, if we suffer for our faith, then God is glorified.  Verse twenty-one continues, For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:  We are simply following the example set by Christ when we suffer for our faith.  Verse twenty-two adds, Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:  Of course, unlike us, Christ suffered for our sins and not His own.  Therefore, as followers of Christ, we should be willing to suffer for our faith in Him.  Verse twenty-three continues, Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:  Though He suffered unjustly, Christ did not treat those who abused Him the same way.  At any point, He could have destroyed all those who were around Him mistreating Him, but He acted out of love for them.  We must do the same.  Verse twenty-four concludes, Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.  Christ died for the sins of everyone for all time so that everyone could be restored to God.  Yet, many, many people refuse to accept this forgiveness.  Those who do refuse to accept Christ go to hell even though He had brought them redemption on the cross.  God does not send anyone to hell, but He allows them to go if they so choose.  Verse twenty-five declares, For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.  Every person is guilty of straying away from God, but through Christ and His sacrifice on the cross, we are returned to God if we accept the call of Christ.  We do not really find Christ, but we respond to His call for us to come unto Him.  Christ is the Good Shepherd Who seeks His lost sheep and returns them to His fold.

1 Peter 2:1 says, Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,  This is what God expects from His followers.  We are to lay aside many of the attitudes that exist in too many people.  We are not to look at others thinking of how we can use them to benefit ourselves or envying what they have.  Also, we are not to speak badly about them.  If we profess to follow God and do these things, we are but a hypocrite.  Verse two states, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:  When we become a follower of Christ, or are born again, we are like a new born baby that needs milk to grow, and our milk is the word of God.  We need to feed on it daily as we grow in our relationship with God.  Verse three adds, If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.  I believe that this means that we will do these things if we have accepted the grace of God shown to us through our accepting His gift of salvation.  Until we do this, none of this will be possible.  Verse four declares, To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,  This refers to the coming of Christ as the Savior of the world.  He was rejected by mankind, but He is chosen by God as the precious cornerstone of salvation.  Verse five adds, Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.  We are to be as spiritual stones ourselves, a holy house and a holy priesthood, or one set aside for God.  This is the only way that we can offer spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God.  We must do so through accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Verse six declares, Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.  The coming of Christ was not a sudden new idea for salvation, but was predicted throughout the scriptures.  God knew what was going to be necessary for the redemption of mankind even before Creation.  This does not mean that God created us to fail, but that when He gave us free will, He knew we could fail and would need a Redeemer to restore us to Him.  Verse seven continues, Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,  it is the choice of each individual how Christ is viewed.  To those who believe in Him, He is the precious cornerstone of our faith.  Even though Jesus was rejected by almost everyone when He came to earth and by most since, He is still the only cornerstone on which faith can be based.  Verse eight declares, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.  Many people stumble over the fact that Christ is the only way to salvation.  Many people today proclaim that Jesus is but one way to salvation, if He is a way at all.  Others claim that being born again is not a requirement for salvation, but we must declare that being born again through faith in Christ is the only way to salvation.  Otherwise, Christ becomes a stumbling block.  Verse nine continues, But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:  We do not need a priest because as followers of Christ we are priests.  Because as Christians we are a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and a peculiar people, we are to praise God for His marvelous Light, which is Jesus Christ.  Verse ten adds, Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.  Though this does apply to the Jews, I believe that it applies to the Gentiles as well, who until the coming of Christ were not considered a part of God's people.  Of course, it really applies to anyone who accepts God's mercy that Christ brings to anyone who accepts Him.  Verse eleven declares, Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;  Peter begs that those who are strangers to the God to accept Christ and become pilgrims in life and abstain from the lusts of the flesh.  This is still very good advice to anyone today who is seeking to please God and follow His path.  Verse twelve adds, Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.  Though this was spoken to the Jews, I believe that we can say that it applies to Christians today.  We are to speak to and about the lost in a way that brings honor to God.  I don't believe that speaking to or about the lost with anger or disgust will ever bring honor to God.  We are to reach out with God's love and mercy, because we are but sinners saved by grace.

1 Peter 1:13 says,  Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;  We are to wrap our minds in the hope of the grace of Jesus Christ, Who will be with us forever.  Our thoughts are to always be directed by the Holy Spirit.  Verse fourteen states, As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:  Our thoughts, directed by the Holy Spirit, are to lead us to be obedient children of God.  We are to no longer be led by the lusts of our ignorance as we were before we became followers of Christ.  Verse fifteen adds, But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;  Holy does not mean self righteous or sanctimonious, but set apart from the world under the guidance of God.  We are to honor God in all that we say and do.  Verse sixteen concludes, Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.  We can never be holy by our own strength and understanding, but can only be so by the grace and power of God.  We never have a reason to boast of our own goodness, but only of the goodness of God.  Verse seventeen proclaims, And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons  according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:  When we call on the heavenly Father, if we have accepted Christ as Savior and Lord, He will hear us no matter who we are in the eyes of the world.  Of course, God will hear anyone who calls to Him by faith for salvation through Christ.  God does not forgive some and not others.  This should give us an awesome respect for God.  Verse eighteen states, Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;  Salvation is not made available by the things we consider valuable in the world, such as silver and gold.  We cannot buy salvation with corruptable things, but can only claim it as a free gift from God.  Verse nineteen adds, But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:  The only way to salvation is through the blood of Christ, the sacrifice without blemish.  This does not say that faith in Christ is a way to salvation, but that it is the only way to salvation.  Verse twenty continues, Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,  Christ was the only way to salvation even before Creation.  He was not an afterthought.  Because God gives people free will He always knew that they could rebel against Him.  Still, God loves us enough to make a way of salvation available, even at a great cost to Himself.  Verse twenty-one concludes, Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.  We must put our faith in Christ, believing that He died for our sins.  We must give Christ the glory, so that our faith and hope will be in God.  Verse twenty-two states, Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:  When we accept Christ as our Savior and Lord, our souls are purified.  Then, we are to have a love for our fellow believers that is real and not faked.  We are too truly have their best interests at heart.  Verse twenty-three declares, Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.  This is not an option.  If we are to be saved, we must be born again by faith in Christ.  To say we are Christians but not born again makes a liar either of God or of us.  Verse twenty-four proclaims, For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:  Our physical bodies are as temporary as the grass or the flowers.  Verse twenty-five concludes, But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.  Only the word of God lasts forever, and it is by the word of God that the gospel is preached to us.  We can add nothing to the gospel, nor can we take anything away from it.  We can simply accept it by faith, or reject it altogether.

1 Peter 1:1 says, Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,  First, Peter identifies himself as an apostle of Christ, then he identifies those he is writing to.  We should always identify ourselves as Christians, or followers of Christ.  We should also know who we are talking to, whether they are fellow believers or not.  We do not have to share the gospel with someone who already accepts it,but we can still share the results of living by faith.  Of course, we need to share the gospel with the lost.  Verse two states, Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.  This pretty much lays out the gospel.  God knew before creation that there would need to be a way to salvation, and He sanctifies it through the work of the Holy Spirit once we accept the sacrifice of Christ on the cross.  Verse three proclaims, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,  We, like Peter, should praise God for His abundant mercy for allowing us to be born again through our faith in Christ.  We should have a lively hope.  We do not have to question our everlasting relationship with God once we accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord.  Verse four adds,  To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,  The promise of our everlasting relationship with God cannot be stated more clearly.  It is incorruptible, undefiled, and will never fade away.  Salvation is ours forever, and we will fully enjoy it in heaven.  Verse five concludes, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.  The reason we can be certain of our everlasting salvation is because once we accept Christ as our Savior, then God Himself keeps us as His by His power.  We never can earn or keep salvation by our own power, but it is a free gift of God, secured by our faith in Him.  Verse six declares, Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:  We are called on to rejoice in our salvation, even if we are suffering in this world.  Though we may have manifold temptations, we are to remain strong and rejoice in our faith.  Verse seven adds, That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:  Though our faith may be tried by fire, if we remain true to God it will only be purified.  We are to remain true to our faith in Christ until we die or He returns.  Verse eight continues, Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:  Though we, like those Peter was writing to, have not physically seen Jesus, we believe in Him as our Savior and Lord, if we have accepted Him by faith. Because of this, we should be filled with unspeakable joy.  Verse nine concludes, Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.  The end of faith in Christ will always be the salvation of our souls.  Anything beyond that is simply a bonus.  Verse ten says, Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:  Salvation through Christ was not some new or secondary plan, but was in place from the time of creation.  The Old Testament prophets looked ahead to the coming of Christ.  They prophesied of the grace of God to come.  Verse eleven adds, Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.  These prophets testified even before His coming about the suffering that Christ would endure.  Then verse twelve concludes, Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.  The Old Testament prophets never saw the fulfillment of their prophecies, but all those who have come after Christ have.  The Old Testament pointed to the coming of Christ, and the New Testament points to His accomplishing salvation for all who accept Him and to His return.  We, as followers of Christ, are to hold firm to our faith and rejoice in our salvation through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Also, in Proverbs, we learn to listen to and obey our parents.  I believe this refers to parents who follow the teachings of God, but to the best of our ability we are to always love our parents, even if they are basically unloving towards us.  We love and treat them with respect because of who we are, if we are followers of Christ.  Of course, if we aren't, then we are not going to be guided by God's teachings anyway.  Another thing that we learn is God expects us to be honest in our relationship to others, whether they are in a position over us or below us.  We can never justify cheating the rich because they have so much and we have so little.  Neither can we justify doing as little as possible for those that we work for, but as followers of Christ, we are to work in such a way as to bring honor and glory to Him.  Neither can we justify cheating those who are below us, the poor and those who may work for us, just because we are in a position of power over them.  The book of Proverbs also calls on us to be good citizens.  As long as the government, or those in power, does not come between God and us, we are to obey the law.  We cannot follow God and cheat on our taxes, for example.  We can never glorify God by choosing to ignore the law, unless it affects our ability to follow God's law.  We also learn that material things do not determine whether or not we are following God.  We are not promised material blessings simply because we are followers of Christ.  As a matter of fact, the opposite may be more true.  Nor are people necessarily followers of Christ simply because they are poor.  To be a follower of Christ, we cannot allow material things to control us.  We are also warned against being controlled by sexual desires or alcohol, which often occur together.  Finally, we are to be diligent in our relationship to God and at work to advance His kingdom.  These are but a few of the things we can learn from Proverbs.  Next, we will look at the book of 1 Peter.

What have we learned from Proverbs?  The first thing that we can say is that true knowledge and understanding come only from God.  No matter how intelligent or educated we may be, if we deny God and His laws we are but a fool, which we know God defines as anyone who denies Him.  We will never find wisdom through gaining the material things of this world, and gaining them will not prove that we are wise.  Solomon, one of the richest and wisest men in the eyes of the world at that time attempted to find the meaning of life through every pleasure imaginable and declared them to all be vanities, or nothing.  He concluded that only knowledge of and obedience to God mattered, and so must we if we are to become God's children.  Though this may be stated more clearly in the book of Ecclesiastes, it is still expressed in Proverbs.  We next learned that God expects us to help the poor.  This is repeated so many times that we cannot see it as an optional thing.  Just as God has mercy on the poor, so must we.  I don't believe that God ever expects His people to live in luxury and ignore the poor.  If we acknowledge that everything we have belongs to God, then we have to acknowledge that the way we use what we have should be directed by God.  We cannot just look down on the poor with disdain, but must look at them with compassion guided by God's love.  Also, we learn that we are not to hate anyone, even those that may hate or wish to harm us.  Just as God loved us even when we hated or attempted to deny Him, we are to share with everyone the love of God.  If we hate them, we will be unwilling to do this.  We also learn that God expects those who are His followers to be productive and not to just sit idly by while someone else provides for their needs.  We should know that God always has a purpose for those who follow Him, no matter how rich or poor we may be and we should be busy accomplishing that purpose.

Proverbs 31:10 says, Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.  I believe that this is more a rhetorical question.  This implication is not that a virtuous woman cannot be found, but who would know enough to look for one.  Such a woman is of more value than any precious stone.  Verse eleven states, The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.  This is a very simple statement.  Her husband can trust her without worry.  Verse twelve adds, She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.  A virtuous woman will do what is good for her husband as long as she lives.  She will not suddenly be looking around for someone who might be better, nor will she do anything just to hurt her husband.  Verse thirteen states, She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.  We don't have a lot of weaving going on today, but we can say that the virtuous woman insures that her family is well clothed to the best of her ability.  Verse fourteen says, She is like the merchants’ ships; she bringeth her food from afar.  The virtuous woman will do what she must to see that her family is fed well.  Verse fifteen adds, She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.  She is not only concerned with her family, but with those who work for her as well.  Verse sixteen states, She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.  She is capable of conducting business wisely in addition to taking care of her family and home.  (I don't believe that this means that she must do everything, but that she can do so and does so willingly.)  Verse seventeen proclaims, She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.  I believe this means that she not only takes care of others, but she takes care of herself as well.  Verse eighteen states, She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night.  The virtuous woman knows when merchandise is good, and she doesn't allow darkness to rule her home.  Verse nineteen states, She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.  Once more, we don't make our own cloth as a general rule, but we can again say that she does what she needs to in order to ensure that her family is well clothed.  Verse twenty declares, She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.  The virtuous woman reaches out to the poor and needy out of compassion.  Verse twenty-one says, She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet.  She doesn't worry about cold weather, because she has her family prepared for it.  Verse twenty-two states, She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple.  I believe this would mean that she makes her house look as nice and be as comfortable as possible.  Verse twenty-three says, Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land.  Her husband is known and looked up to by those he encounters.  Verse twenty-four says, She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.  I believe we can say that she engages in work that brings money into the home.  Again, I don't believe that this means that a virtuous woman must do everything, but instead that she willingly does everything she can to help her family.  Verse twenty-five declares, Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.  This doesn't say she will be clothed in riches, but in strength and honor.  I believe this is because the virtuous woman first does what God directs her to do.  Verse twenty-six says, She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.  In order to speak with true wisdom, she must know God in a personal relationship, then He will lead her to show kindness to others.  Verse twenty-seven states, She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.  She is diligent in caring for her family and home, and does not just sit idly by while things go undone.  Verse twenty-eight adds, Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.  Her family respects her.  I believe this is the highest accomplishment in this lifetime.  Verse twenty-nine declares, Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.  I don't believe that this was speaking about any particular woman, but means any woman who lives a virtuous life.  Verse thirty declares, Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.  Beauty and worldly praise are fleeting at best, but being obedient to God brings everlasting rewards.  Verse thirty-one concludes, Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.  This is the most someone could ask for.

Proverbs 31:10 asks, Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.  I don't believe that this implies that there are few virtuous women, but is more a rhetorical question.  How many men look for a virtuous woman would be more the implication, or how many men finding one recognize her value.  We are to look beyond appearances and look to the character of a woman.  Verse eleven states, The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.  A husband can trust a wife who is virtuous.  He need never wonder if she is doing something that will harm their relationship.  Verse twelve proclaims, She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.  Her actions will not be just a one time or sometime thing, but will last a lifetime.  She will always do what is best for her husband and family.  Verse thirteen says, She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.  We may not have a lot of weaving going on today, but we can say that a virtuous wife will do all that is necessary to ensure that her family is clothed well.  Verse fourteen states, She is like the merchants’ ships; she bringeth her food from afar.  Just as she does whatever she needs to do to clothe her family, she does the same to see that they are fed properly, even if she has to go out of her way to do so.  Verse fifteen states, She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.  I realize that this is not what we often expect today, but a wife and mother should be willing to work long days to ensure that her family is properly cared for.  I believe that we should acknowledge that these are not things that a woman is required to do, but that these are things that a virtuous women will want to do.  (Of course, the husband and father should likewise put his wife and family above himself and do everything he can to help her and them.)  Verse sixteen says, She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.  We see that she is more than just a housewife.  She wisely considers, buys, and utilizes things that will help her family.  Though we are no longer an agricultural nation in America, the concept would apply to doing those things necessary to improve the family situation.  Verse seventeen proclaims, She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.  This tells us that a virtuous women is not concerned simply with looking good, but will do what she must to use her strength to help provide for her family.  Verse eighteen says, She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night.  She will make sure that what she buys is good, and that she has enough of the necessities to last through the night.  Verse nineteen states, She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.  Again, we don't really spin cloth anymore, as a general rule, but I believe that we can say that she does what she must to keep the family clothed.  Verse twenty proclaims, She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.  A virtuous woman is not just concerned with her family, but has compassion on the poor and needy as well.  This does not say that she simply helps them if they come to her, but that she reaches out to them.  Verse twenty-one says, She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet.  She isn't afraid of cold weather, because she has her family clothed and prepared for it.  Verse twenty-two states, She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple.  Not only does the virtuous women provide for her family's needs, she provides for her own as well.  I don't believe that this means that she is vain about her looks, showing off, but that she simply wants to look her best.  Verse twenty-three states, Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land.  Her husband is well thought of, and is looked up too.  He sits among the elders, or those who rule over the people.  Verse twenty-four says, She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.  Once more, this speaks of more than being just a wife and mother.  She helps provide for the family income.  I don't believe that this means that a wife and mother should do it all, but that she will willingly do everything she can to help her family.  Verse twenty-five declares, Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.  I believe that this implies that she is strong in her faith in God, and because of this she will be honored by God,, and hopefully by her family and friends.  Verse twenty-six says, She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.  A virtuous woman speaks with wisdom and kindness.  This pretty much eliminates gossip and unkind words.  Verse twenty-seven adds, She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.  I believe this has already been stated in all the things she is said to do.  There is no room for idleness.  Verse twenty-eight proclaims, Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.  She is loved and cherished by her family, I believe not so much because of what she does, but because of her character.  Verse twenty-nine concludes, Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.  I don't believe this was speaking of a particular woman, but of any woman who lives a virtuous life dedicated to God and her family.  Verse thirty says, Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.  If a woman lives just to please those around her and to look good while doing so, she will find these things to last but briefly.  True beauty comes from following God's will, and it is neither physical nor temporary.  Verse thirty-one proclaims, Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.  I guess in today's society we might say these traits are outdated, but when done under God's guidance, even if they must be updated to really have meaning today, they are still God's guiding principles.  When a woman lives by these guidelines, she is due praise.