Kristi Burchfiel

VERSE: Lamentations 3:39–Why should any living mortal or any man offer complaint in view of his sins? TRUTH: Some days I can really complain. It easy to do when I focus on all the things I think I should be entitled to. If I focus on the sins in my life instead, as this verse suggests, I realize how gracious and loving and patient God has been with me, even when I don’t deserve any of it. What are we focused on today? RESPONSE: Lord, help me to focus on You, Your grace, Your mercy and Your goodness, even when I don’t deserve any of it. Thank You for Your blessings…

VERSE: Lamentations 2:19a–Arise, cry aloud in the night at the beginning of the watches; pour our your heart like water before the presence of the Lord. TRUTH: When we are confronted with our sin, like the people of Israel had been, how do we respond? Do we deny it or try to hide it? Or do we cry out and turn to God immediately at the beginning and seek His forgiveness? RESPONSE: Lord, please forgive me for not always seeking Your forgiveness immediately, at the beginning of the watch. Allow nothing to stand in the way of being in a right relationship with You.

VERSE: Lamentations 1:20a–See O Lord for I am in distress; my spirit is greatly troubled, my heart is overturned within me for I have been very rebellious. TRUTH: Disobedience to the Lord results in our distress. Even when we are troubled, the only place to turn is back to the Lord. He is ready to comfort and forgive us, but only when we turn back to Him. RESPONSE: Lord, help me to not just sit in my distress when I have rebeled against You, but to repent and return to You!

VERSE: 2 Peter 3:14–Therefore beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless, and blameless TRUTH: As believers we are all looking forward to the return of Christ. When He comes, we want to be found to be like Christ: peaceful, spotless and blameless. Do we focus on becoming more like Christ everyday? Do we allow Him to perfect His peace in us? RESPONSE: Lord, use this time waiting for Your return to perfect in me Your peace.

VERSE: 2 Peter 2:9–then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation and to keep the righteous under punishment fro the day of judgment. TRUTH: The Lord is more than capable of rescuing us from the temptations that we face. He know what we need to get away from and we are to trust Him to bring us out of the areas that are not good for us. Do we trust that He knows what is best for us? RESPONSE: Lord, help me to turn away from temptation for my spirit is willing, but sometimes my flesh is weak.

VERSE: 2 Peter 1:8–for if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. TRUTH: This list in verses 5-7 looks very similar to the list of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians. Are we being useful for God? Are we being fruitful for God? If not, we are probably lacking these qualities. RESPONSE: Lord, help me to be useful and fruitful for You. Help me display Your qualities and characteristics on a daily basis.

VERSE: 1 Peter 5:7–Casting all your anxiety on Him because He cares for You. TRUTH: What do we do with all the things that cause us concern or fear? Give them to God! He can take them. He can deal with them. He cares about us and wants to relieve us of them. Do we let Him? RESPONSE: Lord, You know the areas of my life where I have anxiety. Forgive me for my lack of trust in You. I give You everything because You care for me.

VERSE: 1 Peter 4:8–Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another because love covers a multitude of sins. TRUTH: We are to view each other through love. Each of us is loved by God and we need to view those we are around as God views them. Love helps us to look past what people do and see who people are. Do we love as Christ loves? RESPONSE: Lord, help me to see people and love people with Your love.

VERSE: 1 Peter 3:8–To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kind-hearted, and humble in spirit. TRUTH: This is quite a list for us to live up to on a daily basis. The Lord desires these characteristics and qualities in us. Do we measure up? The only way to live these out consistently, is to surrender and allow Christ to live through us, as He is all these things. RESPONSE: Lord, teach me how to allow You to be these things in me. Help me to surrender to Your leading in order to display the characteristics that You desire. COMMENTS: What areas do You struggle with? In what…

VERSE: 1 Peter 2:15–For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. TRUTH: Unfortunately, doing Godly things doesn’t always mean that we will be treated well. People will still speak against us. We are to continue doing what God tells us and by our actions and integrity, we will silence the evildoers and foolish men. RESPONSE: Lord, help me to act in integrity in everything so that people are left in silence who might speak against Your work through me.