do your work as a servant of the Lord

1 Thessalonians 4

v11

And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;

Like every part of our lives, we should use our careers to be faithful servants of the Lord. When we work, we should do the most excellent job we can, as if we are working for Him.

I know that's something commonly said, so we have probably heard it before and already know it, but hopefully it can be a good reminder. For example, if you feel tired or unmotivated while you are at work today, remember this passage.

v12

That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and [that] ye may have lack of nothing.

what kind of people ought we to be?

2 Peter 3

v11

[Seeing] then [that] all these things shall be dissolved, what manner [of persons] ought ye to be in [all] holy conversation and godliness,

When trying to decide what decisions to make, and what to do in life, here is the answer to where we need to align those direction: in the pursuit of holiness, godliness, and righteousness.

v18

But grow in grace, and [in] the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him [be] glory both now and for ever. Amen.

For example, when we are trying to decide how to line up our schedules, what we should do first, and how much time we should spend on each thing, let's guide all of those according to the diligent pursuit of serving Christ.

responding to the warning about false teachers

2 Peter 2

v1

But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

First of all, we need to make sure that we are night like those false teachers, as they will receive such judgment. We should be zealous to repent, and we should be willing to do anything we need to do in order to repent from sin.

Next, we should care about other believers who are walking in sin, and realize that they are headed for terrible judgment if they don't repent. If we have a chance to help another believer turn back to the Lord, that would be a great thing, and really important for us to do.

Finally, we should care about people who need saved, and love them enough to try to persuade them to receive Jesus. We should think about what will happen to people who don't turn to God.

why do you weep? whom do you seek?

John 20

v15

Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.

I think that Mary Magdalene was at an all-time low point here. She had been focused on the natural physical in the world, like the Lord's body and His death.

This is an interesting question, Who are you looking for? She thought she was seeking Jesus, because she was looking for His dead body.

Sometimes in life, I think that we make the same mistake. We think we are seeking God while we are focused on the natural physical things. Then, when those things don't work out, we get depressed. Mary would come to find out that Jesus was right there, with her! We can know Him too, through His Word, by faith.

v9

For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.

I think it is interesting that it says they knew not. Hadn't He told them these things, or hadn't they heard it read in the Scriptures? That makes me think of how we've heard the things of Christ in the Scriptures many times, but do we really know it? The key is to believe.

stirred up and put in remembrance

2 Peter 1

v13

Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting [you] in remembrance;

It was such an important thing for Peter to remind us of these things, shortly before he died. I was especially struck in this verse, by how we ought to be stirred up and put in remembrance. With so much busyness and tiredness these days, it is easy to become bored, let my mind wander, and start day-dreaming and wasting time instead of focusing on what I should be thinking about, like the things of the Lord and the Scriptures.

Instead of that, we ought to have our minds and hearts stirred up, and really remember and pay attention to these critically important things of the Lord. Let's work on bringing our thoughts into captivity (2 Corinthians 10:5), having a sound mind, (2 Timothy 1:7) and meditating on the Scriptures (Psalm 23:2).

money isn't everything

1 Peter 5

v2

Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight [thereof], not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;

The instructions to take care of the Lord's people not for filthy lucre (not for impure profit), made me think of how we shouldn't think too much of money.

For example, we shouldn't think that if we just offer a certain amount of money to other people, that they must then help us out like we want. We should recognize their right to say No. If they do say No, we shouldn't give them a hard time for it like a slave-driver. Maybe we weren't offering enough or something, even if we thought we were.

suffering in well doing

1 Peter 4

v19

Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls [to him] in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.

This doesn't mean that we should go out and try to get suffering for ourselves, just for the sake of suffering. It means that we should do what is right and good, according to the will of God, even if we have to suffer for it. The point is not that we should suffer, but the point is that we should live according to the will of God. When we live that way and suffer for it, we should still keep on in well doing, trusting that God will be faithful to take care of our souls, even as He is the one who is the Creator.