The Upper Room Daily Devotional in Nashville Tennessee United States for Sunday, 27 May 2018 "A Little Beyond" by Connie Schroeder (California) 1 Peter 5:6-11

The Upper Room Daily Devotional in Nashville Tennessee United States for Sunday, 27 May 2018 "A Little Beyond" by Connie Schroeder (California) 1 Peter 5:6-11
Resist [the devil], steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering. (1 Peter 5:9 (NRSV))
I enjoy exercising by attending an aerobic dance class. Many times the instructor shouts words of encouragement from her place in the front. With an elastic band held in each of my hands stretched out in front of me, I hear her say, “Try to stretch the band as far as you can and then a little beyond. If you expect to get stronger, you need to meet and exceed the resistance!”
Later I realized that these words apply to my faith life as well. As I identify areas of challenge, I now see them differently. Perhaps God is calling me to cultivate character traits like patience, acceptance, and kindness. I’ve found that those traits are easy to reflect when I’m around loved ones and friends but much harder when I’m surrounded by people who seem different from me. I am challenged now to find those areas where I “resist” treating others the way Christ would and then push past this resistance. When I went to the gym to work out my body, God helped me to work on my spirit as well.
TODAY'S PRAYER: Dear God, help us to trust in you, and train us to reflect your glory in all that we do. Amen.
TODAY'S READING: 1 Peter 5:6 Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, so that at the right time he may lift you up. 7 Throw all your anxieties upon him, because he cares about you.
8 Stay sober, stay alert! Your enemy, the Adversary, stalks about like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Stand against him, firm in your trust, knowing that your brothers throughout the world are going through the same kinds of suffering. 10 You will have to suffer only a little while; after that, God, who is full of grace, the one who called you to his eternal glory in union with the Messiah, will himself restore, establish and strengthen you and make you firm. 11 To him be the power forever and ever. Amen. (Complete Jewish Bible).
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Where is God asking me to stretch beyond my routine?
PRAYER FOCUS: To grow stronger spiritually
***