The God Shot With Tara-Leigh Cobble

The God Shot: 1 Peter 2:13-14

"Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right." (1 Peter 2:13-14)These words are hard for us to hear today because no matter which political party you're a part of, or even if you prefer not to affiliate with either at one point or another, all of us will be under the authority of someone we don't like or agree with. Try to imagine what it was like for the Christians Peter wrote this letter to Rome was persecuting, taxing, and even killing them. Yet Peter says to trust God with it all. God is sovereign over all authorities and all the moving parts. Their role is to punish evil and praise those who do good, but our world is broken. So it doesn't always happen that way. Come, Lord Jesus. He's our eternal hope. He is where the joy is!

The God Shot: 1 Peter 2:12

"Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us." (1 Peter 2:12)You may really feel like you can relate to these Christians who got this letter from Peter. You might know what it's like to live among people who don't love God and think you're a terrible person for loving Him. Maybe they're even in your own home. But Peter doesn't say to make out a list of all the reasons we're right and they're wrong and email it to them. He doesn't say to be passive-aggressive or act self-righteous. Instead, for these Christians whose very lives were at risk, not just their comfort, Peter says to conduct themselves honorably and to do good deeds that point to God. That is the way to catch the attention of those who persecute us. Not by trying to prove them wrong. That's because when they don't have ears to hear, our actions can still point them to God. He's where the joy is!

The God Shot: 1 Peter 2:11

"Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul." (1 Peter 2:11)Have you ever felt like you didn't fit in, like an exile or an outsider? In those instances, did you feel overcome by the desire to defend or prove yourself? Just verses earlier, Peter told these believers to knock it off with the malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander. Those are all sins we can commit with our mouths. So here when he tells them to abstain from the passions of the flesh, that covers a broad range of sins. It certainly includes malice, deceit, hypocrisy, and slander. These Christians were living under the rule of Rome who persecuted, taxed, and even killed them. Peter says the bigger battle is the one our souls fight against our flesh. So today, don't let your mouth win the battle. It was meant to praise God. He's where the joy is!

The God Shot: 1 Peter 2:10

"Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy." (1 Peter 2:10)Have you ever been given an honor you knew you didn't deserve? Isn't it humbling? If that has ever happened to you, you may have felt like an imposter waiting to be found out. But God knows all the wrongs you've done and all the wrongs you've yet to do and still He chose to adopt you, His enemy, by birth into His family. You are now one of His people! Ephesians 2 says we were born as children of wrath but here Paul tells us that we have now received mercy. God doesn't give his kids the punishment we deserve. So you don't have to live your life terrified of Him. Mercy is yours because of Christ. You can draw nearer to the Father and receive mercy. He's where the joy is!

The God Shot: 1 Peter 2:9

"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." (1 Peter 2:9)Wow! What an incredible gift it is to be called any of those things. What's even more astonishing is that Peter wrote these words to a church filled with believers who were mostly Gentiles, meaning they weren't Jews. For them to be called chosen royal priests, totally part of God's nation of people for his own possession, that is huge! These things are true of you too Christian. Peter quickly brings us back around to the point because we've been given those titles and because God has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. We should proclaim His excellence. Set your heart to do that today. He's where the joy is!

The God Shot: James 4:3

"When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." - (James 4:3) The early church faced lots of problems that were brought on by selfish desires among the church members. This caused lots of fights and quarrels and much worse. Left unattended, our selfish desires can lead us to tragic actions. When we seek to gain advantages or protect ourselves and our interests, we've wandered off course. We may even take our desires to God in prayer but if our prayers are rooted in selfishness, God is right to answer with a "no". He knows the motive of our hearts when we pray. Scripture says God delights to give good gifts to His kids. He loves it when we pray the kinds of prayers He can answer with a yes and the more we orient our hearts around his desires, the more we'll see His yes to our prayers. May we want what He wants! He's where the joy is!

The God Shot: James 4:1-2

"What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God." (James 4:1-2)According to this book, one of the things that can cause division and fights in the body of Christ is when we're leaning into our selfish desires. Not all desires are selfish, but if two people truly desire to honor God, then it should prompt them to humbly seek God together, not quarrel. When Jesus' brother wrote these words of the early church, they were enduring lots of issues both inside and outside the church. He knows that left unattended, our selfish desires can lead us to tragic actions. He wanted to save them from further dividing the church by pointing them to God. He's where the joy is!

The God Shot: James 3:18

"Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness." (James 3:18)Have you ever heard anyone describe the difference between a peacemaker and a peacekeeper? Peacekeepers are driven by fear of man. They avoid conflict. They may gossip or vent to others who can do nothing to actually help solve the problem. Sometimes they keep things bottled up for so long that they explode. Peacekeeping is self-protective and it doesn't serve the body of Christ. Scripture never calls us to be peacekeepers. It calls us to be peacemakers to enter into the chaos bringing truth and hope and love with us and through the patient work of the Holy Spirit, create peace where it didn't previously exist. This is a call to gentle courage. This is a call to persistent love. Peacemakers lean in to sow peace and wait for God to bring a harvest of righteousness. He's where the joy is!

The God Shot: James 3:16-17

"For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere." (James 3:16-17)Wow! This passage is worth evaluating our hearts against wherever disorder exists in your life. You'll probably find jealousy or selfish ambition at the root of it. For instance, is your life constantly chaotic because you're trying to keep up with the people you follow on social media? Scripture offers us a better truth to lean into and this spirit equips us to do it. Seek out the wisdom from above and listen to these traits again and ask the Spirit for help where you need it. His wisdom is pure, peaceable, gentle, it isn't irrational, and it can be reasoned with. It's full of mercy, full of good fruits, it is impartial and genuine. This is Jesus and He's where the joy is!

The God Shot: James 3:14-15

"But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic." (James 3:14-15)How can you tell when you're being driven by the flesh when your sinful desires are ruling over your godly desires? According to this book, one way we can tell is when we find ourselves leaning into jealousy or pushing our own agendas. Sometimes that can even lead us to distort the truth. When Jesus' brother wrote these words to the early church, they were enduring lots of issues both inside and outside the church. He wanted them to be united, not divided and one of the quickest ways the enemy can move us toward external division is through our internal desires. Where do you see godly desires that work within you? Lean into God's work in your life. He's where the joy is!