There it was at the end of chapter 4. Something nipped at the edges of my brain. Those words about a "faithful creator" brought back memories to me. Somewhere there was something very similar. A quick check in the concordance in the back of the Bible I was using did not turn up the thought that was just on the edge of my mind. After all that Peter had to say here in verses 12-19, this was stuck in my craw. Forget the "don't be ashamed if you suffer because you are a Christian."[more] I am thankful that that is…

That was the first thing that popped into my mind while reading verse 12 in First Peter chapter 4. I could just imagine warning someone (usually a kid) who wants to swing from tree to tree. We would in our firmest voice say "watch where you are going, cause it's easy to swing into a tree." Then we let them go, and as they swing, from our vantage point, they are headed for disaster. Worse, we know they will be injured. And so we yell across the great open space between us and hope they are prepared for the impending…

After the tongue-lashing from Peter, earlier in Chapter 4 (First Peter), he comes up with two words that had me scrambling for definitions – "glory" and "dominion." In case you missed the sharp tongue, it was those same words that we get tired of hearing about how we believers should treat one another. Give it a break Peter! We know how we should treat others, and it does not always agree with what you (and Paul and Jesus said)! Whoops! Did I say that? Isn't that how we sometimes live? After all, we are in the real world and know…