Life Values For Success Series

1 Peter 5:1-11 “Our Daily Life Values”

(THREE SECRETS TO THE SUCCESS)

Greetings: The Lord is good and his love endures forever.  Greetings in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Today we will see “Our daily Life Values.” Today’s meditation is based on 1 Peter 5:1-11 such as ‘SUBMIT, HUMBLE, and DISCIPLINE.’

The simple definition of Disciple is the one who denies himself and takes up the cross (Matthew 16:24). I was going through the vision and mission statements of Jesus Christ found in Luke 10:19 and Luke 19:10 respectively. His VISION– “Empower the Disciples of Christ” and Luke 19:10 was his MISSION – “seek and save the Lost” (Mt.18:11).  

To execute the vision and to complete the mission, we need to have three life values as checklists, namely submission, humility and self-control or disciple.

Illustration:

Some hundred years ago two team leaders adopted the same goal: Both sought to be the first to lead an expedition to the South Pole. Once made, the decision presented with them countless choices. Selecting the cloth to wear, food to eat and the mode of transport, etc.

Roald Amundsen, the Norwegian explorer, gleaned from Inuit methodology the best type of equipment and clothing to use. He chose the dogs to pull the sleds.

Robert Falcon Scott, the naval officer chose to use ponies and modern motorized sledges. He was a brave and daring man but did not prepare like Amundsen.

As they were nearing the Transantarctic Mountains ponies became weak and died, motors stop functioning but dogs kept moving. Amundsen became winner but Robert lost the race and incurred loss of lives and properties because of pride and poor planning.

Our choice of living is going to determine our destinies “Chose to do what you can do, not what you want to do”.

“Some decisions made as a result of ignorance, rebellion and stubbornness can have lifelong repercussions”. “Successful people generally set goals and objectives; highly successful individuals make evidence-based decisions that move them deliberately toward those goals” (from Celebrations: 7th Day Magazine).

1. Be a Leader (1Peter 5:1-3)

- Under your care

- Watching over them and Serve

- Not lording over them

2. Be an exemplary leader (5:4)

Be an example in three important areas of life, submit to the Lord, humble before men and God, and discipline yourself day after day.

1. SUBMIT

1 Peter 5:5. SUBMIT YOURSELVES to your elders (NIV). Be subject unto the elders (ASV), lesser rank and experience be subject to your elders seek their counsel (amplified). Be submissive to those who are older (EHV). Be willing to be under submit/be subject to older people or the elders (EXB). Place yourselves under the authority of spiritual leaders (GW). Follow the leadership of those who are older (TLB). Should willingly support the leadership of the elders (TPT).

The submission of Jesus is described in Philippians 2, Hebrews 1, 2, 5. Jesus has given himself to be subjected as little, feeble, weak personality in the hands of Mary and Joseph. He accepted the silent period in his life- “kenotita” (Luke 2:7).  Christ made himself nothing (Philippians 2:7), and made himself of no reputation. The concept of empty is “KENOSIS” in Greek.

This kenotita is Morphe instead of schema. Morphe is “an essential form it never altars, expression of the reality”. Schema is “an outward, temporary, changes from time to time, circumstance to circumstance, person to person and situation to situation.”

As Peter says, Jesus never gave place for violence, grasping, exploiting but completely existed with MORPHE. Christ became Jesus not an avatar but an incarnation. It’s not temporary but permanent form.  Empty yourself is core, means completely neglected and forgotten. His form cannot be changed once for all he became flesh. Marvin Vincent says ‘the self-denying zeal of Christ was for the salvation of others’ and not for his personal gains.

Do we take avatars or permanent forms?

Jesus exercised the servant leadership. Jesus taught his disciples to last of all and be servant of all (Mark 9:35). God the Father gives everything to People, exaltation comes from the Lord and our desires may not come true (Mark 10:40, Luke 1:52). Jesus came not to be served but to serve (Mark 10:45).

Jesus submitted to do the will of God, that was his food. That was his aim and goal. The submission of Jesus was not better than others but solely his own.

Submission comes by Living IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD: CORAM DEO is a Latin phrase refers ‘in the presence of God, under the authority of God, to the honour and to the glory of God’ Living before God in all areas of Life.

Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit (Luke 4:1). He was led by the Spirit (Luke 4:1). He fasted for forty days and nights (Luke 4:2, Mark 9:29). He was tempted (Luke 4:2). He acquired his power and strength from the LORD. Jesus Prayed to have intimate commune with God. Isolated intimacy with the Father was his main motivation (Mathew 14:22-23, Mark 1:35). His prayers were with such intensity of focus that at the end of His life He even sweat great drops of blood (Luke 22:44). Coram deo was his anthem.