Jesus is our Pattern
GodWords Newsletter #14
🎤 The Bible truly is amazing. Even after many years of study, there’s always more to learn. This week, I want to share an insight from the apostle Peter. Here’s our text:
How is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. - 1 Peter 2:20-21
There’s a special word in there. In English, it’s “an example.” In Greek, it’s hypogrammos. Jesus left us a hypogrammos…an example. This is a really cool word picture. The image below conveys its meaning exactly:
That’s hypogrammos. This is how people have learned to write for centuries. We’re given example letters, and we practice writing by tracing the letters again and again. At first our letters are wobbly and messy. As we practice, we gain skill in following the pattern laid out for us.
Let’s re-read our text with this meaning in mind:
How is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example - a pattern for you to trace - that you should follow in his steps. - 1 Peter 2:20-21
When it comes to suffering for doing good, Jesus is our example… our pattern. Suffering well doesn’t come naturally. If it did, Peter wouldn’t need to write about it. Instead, we need to see the pattern - how Jesus handled suffering - and trace His pattern again and again to learn to be more like Him.
Whether we’re learning to suffer well or simply learning to trust God every day, I pray that you and I will put in the effort… that we will work to gain the skills we need to follow Jesus closely. In all things, He is our pattern.
❤️
🔖 Useful Stuff
The GodWords Bible Reading Checklist
I needed to keep track of my Bible reading, so I built myself a checklist. You can use it too! Keep track of what you’ve read, see your progress, in dark or light mode. Oh, yeah… it’s free.What Do We Mean When We Say The Bible Is Inerrant?
If the Bible contains errors, it’s safe to assume they didn’t come from God. What is inerrancy? Equally important: what isn’t it? Jimmy Wallace explains. Video, 9:54The Half-Trained Dog
Well-known blogger Tim Challies compares training his dog to a passage from 1 Timothy about perseverance. I highly recommend his work, by the way.
📰 Can Christians Eat Pork?
Bacon. Sausage. Ham. Pork was forbidden for the ancient Israelites, but what about you and me? Can we eat pork? Shellfish? Should we learn and follow the dietary restrictions outlined in the Old Testament?
🎶 Caedmon’s Call: Too Tender
I know the longer,
I know the harder the walk will be
With my calloused feet
And my too-tender knees
🚀 Quotable
To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.
- C.S. Lewis