April 25th

1 Peter 5:1-14

Peter closes off his first letter, with the intent of encouraging elders in the Church and to sum up everything that he's mentioned about suffering.

v.2-3 "Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.
-Really a beautiful imagery from psalm 23 with "The LORD is my shepherd", Peter encourages elders to be leaders in the church just as Peter once did so as well. Almost seems as if this is written on his deathbed, especially with the encouraging undertone.

v.5 "Likewise, you who are younger be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."
-Quoted in both Proverbs 3:14 as well as James 4:6, to literally clothe oneself in this context literally means to tie something on oneself with a knot or a bow, and this is often referred to slaves putting on an apron over their clothes in order to keep their clothes clean.
-And in humility, we ought to recognize God's placement of spiritual authority over us, in order that we may thrive as the church!

v.6-7 "Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you."
-Mentioned in psalm 55:22, "casting" means to throw something on something, like a blanket on a donkey. Christians then, are encouraged to cast all of their discomfort, discouragement, despair, and suffering onto God - and to trust in Him for knowing what He's doing with their lives.

Could I say for myself, that I am trusting in God? Am I truly casting all of my all anxieties upon Him? Or do I seek 'help' whenever it seems like it's out of my reach only?
-I think there's so much work to be done in terms of humbling myself in order that God may prevail and that I may live victoriously day in and day out.
-On a concluding note, it seems as if the final virtues that Peter would want his readers to 'clothe themselves' in would be submission, humility, and trust. And boy do I lack in these qualities.

Hanna, I hope that this week will be fruitful for you as you pack and move in at Kingston. Hope that these devotionals are serving you well and never forget that I am constantly praying for you in order that you may become the best lover of God that you could possibly be. Love you! <3

Passage: Galatians 6

v.1 "Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted."
- It is so important to aid those around me who are struggling in their faith or who are non-believers
- I should want to share the gospel - "good news" (for example, when I was accepted to Queen's I wanted to share the good news with all my friends; I should want to share the gospel in the same way)
- I hope I can do this as I disciple in the future; I would like to journey with my "disciplees?" and share their burdens as well as evangelize to those who have never been exposed to Christianity
- But I should also be careful to not compare myself and my faith to others, which I sometimes find hard to do ("She drinks/smokes/parties and I don't, therefore I am a better Christian") - a wrong mentality to have
"We should not take pride in how much better we are than others, for God alone is our Judge" - Bible Sparknotes!

v.7-9
sowing: "plant (seed) by scattering it on or in the earth"
reap: "cut or gather (a crop or harvest)"
(definition creds to Google!)
- sowing to flesh = reap corruption
- sowing to the Spirit = reap eternal life
Am I sowing to my own flesh? Or to the Spirit? And therefore what am I reaping?

That's the end of Galatians! I really enjoyed it, Paul seems like a lit guy 

Babe please pray that I would have the courage to share my faith even when it may be hard, more specifically to my Chinese friend (Shayla) here at Queen's. She's my only close friend who has never really experienced the church, but I fear rejection. Please pray that I'd trust in the Lord to work through me and to not doubt the amazing things that He can do (because who knows what could happen? ) Love you!