I had bible study group today combined with the first years' group. Was a massiveee group! Haha. But I think I got quite alot from it today :)) We looked at the passage 1 Peter 3:1-12
And one thing that was brought up during the all girls discussion that struck me the most was how we treat others...
v. 9: Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with BLESSING, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.

Amazing eh? I guess sometimes it's not difficult to just ignore the person because he's being mean to you.. But here it says to actually bless the person who insulted you. Now that's not very easy eh? To walk away and totally ignore the person doesn't do anything, but neither does it bless the person. I guess it's hard to be a blessing when the person ignores u too? But I guess there are ways to go about doing it. Could ask God for wisdom on how to deal with this.. Aye, nobody said being Christian was gonna be easy. Especially when we're called to live holy and pleasing lives acceptable to Christ, to be set apart for God. - to be a vessel and to be different from the rest. To be above reproach - so that no one can find fault in you.. that they may glorify God when He comes.

Oh, and we talked about wives and husbands (1 Peter 3:1-7)
It's about how wives, IN THE SAME WAY,(*) be submissive to your husbands (so that if they do not believe the word, they may be won over by the behaviour of wives), have pure conduct, gentle and quiet and to focus on inner beauty (unfading) and not on ur outward adornment.
And the guys mentioned that how girls can actually use their looks to manipulate a guy. Haha. Like when they dress provocatively, then like guys find it hard to reject them? So yeah... must dress appropriately... And I guess when we dress appropriately, we're loving to our brothers in CHrist cause we do not tempt them..

And there was this whole fear issue in verse 6.. where is says "like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear" And we were asking what this "fear" meant... Some were saying cause you when ur submitting you might not noe if whatever ur husband say might be right and there might this fear?

(whoa, I think better find the right husband lor..)
And my bible study leader said something like... "it sounds crazy to stay in abusive situations where life is threatened for the sake of Christ and our witness for Him... Does that mean the martyrs got it wrong?" So it's holiness vs life... which would u choose??? Maybe now I understand why some people die for the sake of the gospel... well, if the guy points a gun at ur head... would u still believe in Christ? I think it's worse if u die a slow death :S

And, like we saw in v6 also, when Sarah called Abraham her "master"... What does that mean? Cause in previous part of 1 Peter, it talks about how slaves should submit to their masters... And in the English Standard version instead of master, it says "lord"... So we've concluded that it's not say that we should treat our husband as we treat Lord... but to actually treat them with respect... and how lord can be used to address men in general but with a respectful feel to to it.

Also, about how Peter's principles apply to husbands where they should live with wives in understanding, showing honour to wife and not to take advantage over the fact that she submits? But to love her like how Christ loves the church... Ha. Not an easy taskk... But it's a cycle eh.. Wife submits, husband loves, wife submits more, husband loves more? lol. or the other way around works well too. Either way, both parties are giving to the marriage and indirectly recieve from it too!


(*)This "in the same way" refers to 1 Peter 2:12 about how we should live such good lives among the pagans that though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

There's this 2 principles that Peter talked about in 1 Peter 2:11-12
1. abstain from sinful desires
2. Do good deeds so that gentiles may glorify God when He comes (Evangelism - doing good, standing out)

And it links to 1 Peter 3:1-12 when we learn how Peter's principles apply to wives and husband. Like how can wives abstain from sinful desires - (not focus on external beauty, but on internal beauty which is unfading) and how we can do good deeds that others may know Christ - (if husband is unbelieving, then yeah... continue to do good..)
And likewise for husbands too :)


hmm... I keep farting.. wonder if it's the pepper and onion combination that my housemate was talking about.... :S (what late effects!)

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9:18 PM