You Can Live Without That Boy.

Here's the post I feel most girls can relate to. You like a boy, and you like him a lot. He seems to have everything you want, maybe you desperately want to be with him, maybe you ARE with him. Here are some things to remember.

1. God should ALWAYS be number one.
-Can't live without him like how you can't live without God? Can't live without him UNLIKE how you can live without God? Problem. One, you can't put God and this boy on the same playing field, because they're not. Two, believing you can't live without any person in any circumstance is severely damaging. You're making an idol out of them, and that's a sin. They will never be able to satisfy you like God can. At one point or another, that boy will let you down--God never will. Keep that in mind.

2. It is our responsibility to flee temptation.

-If we are in a predicament where we are spending more time and more energy on something other than God, we need to set ourselves apart from it until we are ready to handle the situation in accordance to God's will--We need to make sure HE is priority. This is how we can grow personally, and we can also set an example to for others.

^"But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses."
-1 Timothy 6:11-12

The Peters Highlights

1P 3:1 "they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives"
-live humbly and reserved.
3:8 "unity of mind, sympathy,^(L) brotherly love,^(M) a tender heart, and^(N) a humble mind."
-stay humble and clean no matter what the circumstances, God will provide justice.
 3:13 "Now^(S) who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good?"
-we can trust him. when we suffer for Him, it is even better than when we believe we're satisfied in sin.

 4:1 "Christ suffered in the flesh,^[a](B) arm yourselves with the same way of thinking"
-we must fight the flow of sin that runs in sinners' lives, but also continue to love our brothers and sisters.
4:18 "If the righteous is scarcely saved,
   what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?"

5- We must live humbly but also live strongly against the devil. This strength comes from God; He will exalt us.

2P 1:3-4 "His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him^(F) who called us to^[c] his own glory and excellence,^{[d] 4}by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become^(G) partakers of the divine nature,^(H) having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire"

1:5-7"make every effort to supplement your faith^(I) with virtue,^[e] and virtue^(J) with knowledge, ⁶and knowledge with self-control, and self-control^(K) with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, ⁷and godliness^(L) with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection^(M) with love."

1:19-20"And^(AG) we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention^(AH) as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until^(AI) the day^(AJ) dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, ²⁰knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation."

 2:10-16?

3:8 "But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and^(N) a thousand years as one day. ^9(O) The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise"
  I also like the final words of this chapter, 14-18.

1 Peter 2

Memorable verses:

"spiritual milk...tasted that the Lord is good." (2-3)
I'm really enjoying how this book is written. Indulging another sense, not just sight or sound or touch, but taste. Milk- a fortifying metaphor. Just another way to understand who God is.

"A living stone...chosen and precious" (4)
We are used to build the spiritual house of God. We were chosen for it, with a specific purpose that makes us precious. We have such value in God's eyes.

Cornerstone (6-8)
--I'm not positive I'm getting the message here. What does it mean to be the cornerstone?

"but you are a chose race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession" (9)
We can really see the value that God puts in us here. We are incredibly meaningful, intentional. Paul goes on to write about how we once didn't have mercy, and now we do. I love that.

"by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people." (15)
How do you combat the ignorant? goodness. Goodness seems to always be the best answer. Probably because God IS goodness.

"Honor everyone." (17)
This is not an easy task. There are a lot of people who pop up in life who I don't initially think deserve to be honored. I need to remember this in those times, that I can not be prideful. I am not to judge.

"Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust..." (18-25)

I feel I might as well quote the entire chapter.  This is also a verse to remind me to humble myself, even to the unjust. By trusting God will judge the unjust, I can carry out this verse. After all, when we suffer for God, we are following in Jesus' footsteps, and Jesus died for us! Perfect and blameless! God's got this figured out. We can trust in Him!

1 Peter 1

Things that pop out at me:

"born again to a living hope" (3)
 A living hope--as opposed to all other hope in the world. Jesus opens the door for us to die to our sinful selves and be born new to a hope that we can trust and love. But really, what does this mean?

"an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, ⁵who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. " (4-5)
I don't know of one thing on this Earth that I could call imperishable, undefiled and unfading. But that's what's waiting for me in Heaven. I also learn from this verse how faith is powerful. It is used to guard my inheritance. Something to look into- "who" by God's power?

"The tested genuineness of faith" (7)
Our faith is tested for genuineness. Anyone who just sits there, claiming to be a Christian, without lifting a finger for Christ will have to answer to this verse. Faith is just so powerful. More precious than gold or silver. It will call us to lead equally powerful lives.

"obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls" (9)
And what happens thanks to the power of faith in the Lord? Salvation. Amazing. I feel that I need to focus more on my faith so I can really develop a deep-seeded relationship with Christ. But which really comes first? faith or relationship?

"things into which angels long to look" (12)
I love this insight into the character of angels. I don't completely understand what they're longing to look into.

"do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance"(14)
I feel this is what I do a lot. I conform. As a new being, I need to focus on reshaping my whole self in order to conform completely to Christ.

"you shall be holy, for I am holy" (16)
We are called to be holy because He is holy. We are to be like Him. With the living hope we find in Him, we can accomplish this.

"having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth" (22)
Our obedience is what purifies our souls. Simply by obedience- repenting for the sins we've committed, and staying away from sin- we can be pure. I love purity. This world is so filled with dirt and grime, a truly clean spirit is a beautiful thing.

"All flesh is like grass
   and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
   and the flower falls,
²⁵ but the word of the Lord remains forever." (24-25)
This reminds me of verses 4-5.  We are made of perishable things. Everything we touch, see, interact with will not last. The Lord has always been and will always be forever. The sheer inability to even comprehend this is awe-inspiring.