“…casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” (1 Pet 5:7)

This is a popular verse encouraging us to pray and entrust everything to God. Every burden that weighs on our minds, every ailment that eats at us, every setback that frustrates us–we ought to cast all of those upon God–”for He cares for you.” Our high and almighty God can also be so small and so low so as to listen to our problems and concerns. He understands and cares.

We can also gain a deeper appreciation for this verse when we look into the context of this exhortation. Peter speaks a lot about submission in his first epistle: citizens ought to submit to governments (1 Pet 2:13-17), servants ought submit to masters (1 Pet 2:18-25), wives ought to submit to husbands (1 Pet 3:1-6), and youths ought to submit to elders (1 Pet 5:5). Apostle Peter not only stresses the importance of submission, but also the different circumstances of who ought to submit to whom. Submission then isn’t weakness, but a precious sight in the eyes of God (cf 1 Pet 3:4).

With the final pairing–for youths to submit to elders–Peter encourages youths to then “cast all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” (1 Pet 5:7). It is with this notion that this popular verse was written. Apostle Peter understands how tough it can be!

Indeed, among the many attributes we need to cultivate as servants of God, one of the hardest to learn is how to be submissive. As youth, in some circumstances, we may not fully understand why our elders do things the way they do. We may not agree with their thinking, with their decisions, or with their methods. We sometimes think we have better and fresher ideas to prosper the Holy work. So sometimes, our ideas and thinking may clash with the older generation of believers. But it is at this time, that we as youths need to learn the discipline of submission and yielding. If there still remains anguish and frustration in our hearts, then we quietly bring those cares and worries before God, “for He cares for you.” Rather than fiercely insisting on our opinions or campaigning for the merits of our thought pattern, God desires that we learn a heart of obedience and submission. Perhaps, indeed we may have a better idea, that was prayerfully derived, but have we considered maybe it just isn’t God’s timing yet?

It is learning to humbly yield to our elders that we show that we also submit to God and respect the authority the Holy Spirit has given to them. It is in submitting to those that can be seen that demonstrates that we indeed also submit to God who cannot be seen. Of course in matters of errors in doctrine and salvation, we should not submit, just like we shouldn’t heed any laws that conflict with our faith. However in matters of style and method, we can all learn to have a little more of the heart of Christ, to submit to God and to one another, for it was in humility, submission, and obedience that Christ was–and we shall be–ultimately exalted (cf Phil 2:3-11, 1 Pet 5:6, Eph 5:21). Until then, let us cast all our cares upon Him, for He cares for you.

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It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

– Teddy Roosevelt

Lincoln is my favorite presdient. Teddy Roosevelt is my second. Both could write well.

Reminds me of 2 Tim 4:7.

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Remember how during SSCs we would learn about the Sabbath and were taught that Saturday Sabbath was changed to Sunday Sabbath during the Council of Laodicea? Well here’s a quick way to access that information: a wikipedia entry on it or the actual document translated to English. (Canon #29). Basically it was made into church law to separate Jews from Christians, but of course this is not biblical.

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Though I speak with the tongues of men or of angels, but have not love, I have become a sounding brass or a clanging symbol. And though I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned but have not love, it profits me nothing.

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely; does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.

But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, that which was in part will be done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put childish things away. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

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I’ve been meaning to memorize this again. Today was opportune and fitting. Now to put it into practice. Sam suffers long and is kind? Sam does not envy, sam does not parade himself, is not puffed up? Sam doesn’t behave rudely, does not seek his own? Really? Sam is not provoked? Sam thinks no evil? Sam doesn’t rejoice in iniquity but rejoices in the truth? Sam bears all things? Sam believes all things? Sam hopes all things? Sam endures all things. Sam never fails .. ? Really? The funny thing about relationships and love is that I realize how much love I entirely lack.

God instituted marriage for companionship, joy, and refinement. The process of marriage humbles the man, for he must learn to apologize. The process of marriage matures the man, for he must learn to be selfless. The process of marriage molds the man, for eventually he’ll be better than the first day they met. But he must not give up on the process. Typically, the single man will easily be less mature than a married man, physically and spiritually.

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This was an edited section of something I wrote for The Doctrine of Baptism regarding infant baptism.

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We have seen in our study that faith and baptism are inseparable. The baptismal candidate is therefore required to believe in the Lord Jesus and repent of his sins. For this reason, many Christians contend that infants should not be baptized because they cannot profess faith.

However, the Bible also teaches that faith is necessary for salvation, yet the inability of an infant to have faith does not preclude them from being saved. God’s grace upon infants is not undermined by their lack of mental or moral capacity. In the same way, faith is necessary for baptism, but the inability of an infant to have faith does not preclude them from baptism.

A natural question arises: how can the sin of infants be washed away if they are not able to believe, confess, and repent? We now address the relationship between a parent’s faith and the baptism of infants and children. (more…)

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