Revel in your resources (1 Peter Inductive Bible Study by Sue Edwards)

It's been over a year since I did an intensive Bible study of a particular book of the Bible (Ephesians).  I like the opportunity to really look at the scripture in one book, line by line, and examine the meaning more fully and deeply.  I've missed doing that, so I was glad to have a chance to participate in the Kregel Blog Tour of 1 Peter: Finding Encouragement in Troubling Times by Sue Edwards.  I've done studies in small groups at church and bigger online groups, but this is the first time I've done a study via blog tour.

Like other Sue Edwards' studies for women, this one offers three levels (core, digging deeper, and summit) so you may choose which fits best with your available time resources.  The core level takes about 90 minutes per week and covers the basic questions in each level.  If you're up for more of a challenge and able to make a bigger time commitment, the other levels can lead you into deeper study and reflection.  I like this flexibility.  Right now, I'm at the core level of commitment, but I hope to go back through the other levels in the future as my girls get a little older and life is less hectic.

After completing the first week, I already feel the enrichment from it.  Although I read a daily devotional and/or the Bible everyday, I am guilty of not always allowing the Word to really sink in and change me in my hurry to "just get it done."  That's something I want to focus on in this new year.  I notice the difference between the time I was a young, new believer and really immersed in the scriptures, drinking in each verse like a thirsty desert traveler, and now, when I'm harried and pulled in so many different directions with a long to-do list and little time to truly meditate on the verses.  This study is helping me to slow down and drink it in all over again.  I want to get back that new believer wonder of it all and lose the "yeah, I know, I've read that before" attitude.  I know that God wants to speak to me and I want to listen.

Part of that is being reminded of the trials of believers through the centuries.  It's a blessing to live in a country where I can freely worship.  I own several copies of the Bible, in several translations/versions, and I have no fear of going to the nearest store and purchasing another copy if I choose.  That's a wonderful gift, but it also tends to make us take these things for granted.  Although I have heard this statistic many times, reading it again in this study made me pause:

The New Fox's Book of Martyrs reveals that more Christians were martyred in the twentieth century than in all past centuries combined.

Read it again.

In Peter's day, God gave him the job of strengthening new Christians, encouraging them, praying with and for them, because of the great persecution they faced at the time.  Is our time so different?  Not for many underground Christians around the globe who don't even have basic access to churches and Bibles.  Will it become a crime to be a Christian?  Are we ready to die for our faith if necessary?  Here, in the United States, do we really understand the persecution of our fellow believers?  Do we take notice of the subtle (and not so subtle) discriminations against Christians in this country in the media, the government, and the entertainment industry?

Lesson One (1 Peter 1:1-12) addresses these things as we learn to "revel in our resources."  It means taking the time to appreciate and be thankful for the gifts of salvation, grace, foregiveness, and even our faith through trials.  These are excellent reminders and a great antidote to the "blah" feeling of going through the motions of being a Christian in our daily lives.  Keeping it personal, yet looking at the global perspective as well.  The lesson ends with a Living Stone story about what faith looks like in times of adversity from a woman who walked through cancer treatments with her husband.

I'll be posting about this study every week for the next 9 weeks.  I hope you'll follow along and offer your comments here.  If you'd like to learn more about it, you can visit Sue Edwards' website here.  You can also visit other bloggers in the Kregel Tour.



Disclaimer:  I received a free copy of the 1 Peter study for the purpose of review.  No other compensation was given for my honest opinions.