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Category Archives: Relationships

The Forms of Love

The Forms of Love

As we continue through 1 Peter, he’s now giving us the exhortations that develop leadership character in our walk with the Lord. In my last post, I talked about the ability to pray effectively. Now Peter moves forward.

Now the apostle talks about something that’s above all. Before you do anything else, you must learn to love. That’s the agape love of God. It’s the non-emotional choice to positively participate in the lives of others.

But more than that, as leaders, we must love deeply. This means that it must be done intently, fervently, and without ceasing. As believers, we must learn to love one another.

This will be the greatest need of the church as we get further into the last days. This means not just showing love by our words. There must be a willingness to participate in each other’s lives.

That’s how the world will know we’re His disciples. Not loving by emotion, but by our actions.

Peter tells us that this is because love covers over a multitude of sins. Sin is missing the mark. You can miss the mark in a lot of things. But if you’re known for your love – it covers a lot of the other areas where YOU miss it.

Along those same lines, Peter tells us…

This concept of hospitality is important for us as believers. It seems to be a lost art in the body of Christ. He literally says we must be alien lovers. That’s the word the Greeks used for being fond of guests.

The Lord wants us to learn to become hospitable. For too long we viewed the church as “that building.” I see a trend taking place. Because of world events, the church is moving back into homes.

There have been burnings, attacks, and anger. Many times, we’re labeled as “Right-wing extremists”.

Look at the early church. According to Acts 2, believers devoted themselves to teaching and fellowship.

Notice how Peter says they met together in their homes – without grumbling.

“I’ll let people in my house, but I won’t be happy about it.”

In actuality, the house owner receives a special blessing. Hospitality is a big way that we can show love to one another.

© 2025 Nick Zaccardi

 

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Cultivating a Together Mindset

Cultivating a Together Mindset

We’re continuing through the epistle of 1 Peter. Currently, we’re talking about our relationships in the body of Christ. In my last post, Peter explained the “together mindset.”

It’s an important teaching, but how does this work in practice?

Here we’re told not to give back evil or insult for insult. Instead, we’re told to speak well about these people. This is very difficult to accomplish in the middle of a conflict. That’s why we need to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit.

According to Peter, we can make this easier by learning one simple truth. He says that we know by experience that we’re called to inherit a blessing. In that case, what does it matter if you’re cursed by someone, if you know you’re getting a blessing anyway?

In the next direction Peter shows that he’s a realist…and so is God.

The fact is that we all want to love life and see good times. Unfortunately, there are many who get this idea that God is against good times. But that’s absolutely untrue. God wants the best for us.

This found throughout Scripture.

Peter tells you how to reach this goal without any regret. He literally tells us to put our tongue on pause from off of evil. He also tells us not to let your lips speak trickery. How many times has one wrong word ruined the whole day for you and others?

One thing is very clear from the Word. Jesus said, in Luke 6:45, “Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.” So, if you fill your heart with the Word, you’ll have more good times.

Peter continues with this thought.

Peter advises us to turn from, shun trouble. Our problem is that usually we don’t turn from it. We keep watch over it and rehearse it in our hearts. That causes it to grow and take over our lives.

Instead of looking for the problems, we must seek and pursue peace. We can only do all this if we know God’s direction. The only way to know where God is leading us to is to spend time in His presence.

This is a wonderful promise for those who cultivate this “together mindset.” In my next post, I’ll talk about it in more detail.

© 2025 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on May 14, 2025 in Fellowship, Relationships

 

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Together Minded

Together Minded

We’re currently going through Peter’s first letter to the church. To review where we are at this point, in chapter 2, Peter started talking about our good lives silencing our critics.

When they see how we live, it draws them to Christ. A big part of this is our attitude toward authority, government, the workplace, and the home. But our biggest witness is how we act in the church.

Jesus said, in John 13:35, that everyone would recognize that we are His disciples. How? Because we obey the law? Because we have a nice family? NO! They’ll recognize it because we have love for one another.

This is what Peter is going to talk about in the next section we look at.

These are the goals if we want to draw people to Christ. The first of these goals is to live together in harmony. He uses 5 Greek words in this section to describe this harmony.

He starts with the word harmony itself. It’s a word that means together-minded. This goes against everything we want to strive for in American independence. We want to be able to say, “I accomplished this all by myself.”

That’s not how it works in the church of Jesus Christ. We are a body of believers. We are called to do this together. It’s never about what one person can do by himself or herself.

We need to cultivate a “together mindset”. It’s the knowledge that I’m going to have to work with others if I’m going to accomplish my destiny in Christ.

The next word he uses is translated as sympathetic in English. That word literally means together-passioned. This means that we are all passionate about the same thing.

In my experience, this is one of the hardest things to work on in the church. It requires us to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. This way we can take on God’s heart. We can all be passionate about what God is passionate for.

Then there’s brotherly love. We must recognize that we’re a family. But we’re more than that – we’re closer than blood relatives. That’s because we’ve been blood bought. We are all together in the family of Christ.

The next descriptive word is compassionate. This takes some explanation because the exact translation is good spleen. This is because the ancient Greeks saw the spleen as the seat of our emotions. This speaks about maintaining a good attitude while with your fellow believers.

The final word Peter uses is literally humble courtesy. We need to learn to treat people correctly. There are times I’ve seen Christians treating each other poorly, because “they have to walk in forgiveness.” We need to use common courtesy with one another.

All of these traits are how we should live together to accomplish God’s will. Paul said the same thing.

The word agree in this verse is where we get our English word, symphony. The church should be a symphony of different instruments for God’s glory. We are not all the same, but we are playing the same song under the direction of the Holy Spirit.

© 2025 Nick Zaccardi

 

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The Godly Husband

The Godly Husband

As we continue through the book of 1 Peter, we’ve been talking about the husband and wife relationship. The apostle now gives an exhortation to husbands.

In his opening statement, Peter makes it clear that his goal is for husbands to understand their wives. Unfortunately, this is not the case in many marriages. We seem to get all of our opinions from the world’s way of doing things.

Or, worse than that, so often we get teaching from those who totally misinterpret Scripture. They do this to perpetuate the false idea that the husband is the supreme dictator of the home.

In my last few posts, I dealt with this error. You can review them to see what the Scripture says about who the true Head of the home should be. Spoiler alert – it is Christ!

The first thing that Peter wants us to understand is that the wife is the weaker vessel. This does not mean that she is in any way inferior to her husband. It’s simply a statement of the medical fact that, statistically speaking, women are not as strong as men.

This is an important fact. It tells us, as husbands, that we should be taking care of things to make life easier for them. We don’t just sit back and make our wives do all the work around the house.

The next thing he says is to treat them with respect. This is a statement that literally means to bestow them with value. This flies in the face of how husbands considered their wives in ancient times.

Sometimes they were considered to property of the husband, just like a slave. Other times they were looked at like a beloved pet. Their priority was simply to bring children – especially sons – into the family.

This teaching from Scripture elevates the wife to a higher status. Peter even calls her a co-equal heir of the grace of life. Again, in those days, most women were not able to receive an inheritance. So, spiritually speaking, there are no second-class citizens in the kingdom of God.

As a matter of fact, I personally believe that in Christ there is no “glass ceiling” for women. To see my blog on that teaching, click here.

Finally, the apostle tells us, as husbands, the result of ignoring these exhortations. He says to walk in this way with your wife so that your prayers will not be chopped down. Yes, that’s the actual wording that Peter uses.

Think of your prayers as seed that you’re planting, watering, and nurturing. You want to see the blessing of God on your life, home, and ministry. When you don’t treat your wife in a godly way, you’re tearing down the very thing that could be bringing these good things into your life.

Remember, we should be treating our wives with the same love that the Lord shows to the church. We can all follow this path to God’s best. Let our homes be an example of Christ and the church.

© 2025 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on May 9, 2025 in Relationships

 

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The Godly Wife

The Godly Wife

We’ve been going through Peter’s first letter to the church. We’re now in chapter 3, which deals with husband and wife relationships. The apostle continues to give some insight for wives.

He starts by saying that the beauty of a godly woman should not be all about the external view. This is true even though we live in an externally conscious society. Unfortunately, many Christians have fallen into this trap.

It’s not the elaborate hairstyles or gold decorations that should be impressing people about who you are. He also makes a statement that should speak volumes to the women of our generation. You shouldn’t be following the investing of yourself into the clothing of the world.

What kind of look is he talking about? It’s the outfit that screams, “LOOK AT ME!!!” That’s the world’s way of adornment.

This self-promotion shouldn’t be the priority of the believer. Our world view should be more toward emphasizing the concealed person of the heart. The question is; would you rather them comment on your new hairdo more than your prayer life?

You have to come to the realization that your life is not all about you. It’s about your relationship to Christ and your husband.

The fact is that everything in the first statement of the above passage decays and goes out of style. But the second half gives you spiritual power.

The word, gentle, above, is actually the word meek. I know we don’t like that word, but in reality, meekness is not weakness. The Scriptural definition is your strength under the control of the Lord.

The next way Peter describes the godly wife is with a quiet spirit. This literally means that you are undisturbed. You know who you are and where you belong and nothing can move you from it.

God says that this type of life is extremely expensive. That’s why so few women pay for it. They’d much rather get the clothes, jewelry, and hairstyles.

This is the conclusion of the issue. As a wife, you know your husband’s shortcomings. So, what you have to do is to put your hope – your expectations – in God and not your husbands. (They are fallible and will let you down.)

The godly women of Scripture learned how to arrange themselves correctly under God, by arranging themselves under their husbands. Then, they had nothing to be afraid of.

This does not mean that a wife is a doormat to be walked on by her husband. She can be a strong individual. Look at Sarah in Genesis 21, where she made it clear to Abraham how she felt about Ishmael. He followed her exhortation.

The path to godly womanhood reaps eternal rewards.

© 2025 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on May 7, 2025 in Relationships

 

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The Husband’s Role

The Husband’s Role

I’ve been posting about the husband and wife relationship from 1 Peter. In my last article, I concluded with the truth that husbands must love their wives as Christ loved the church. This involves laying down your life for her.

So, in order to know my role in the home, I need to take a close look at how Christ relates to the church.

How did Christ show His love for the church? As I said in my last post, He surrendered Himself up for her. But it doesn’t end there.

Next, He cleanses her by the washing of the Word. Now that brings up an interesting question. Husbands, are you bathing your home in the Word? One of my chief roles as a husband is to make sure that the Word of God is front and center in our home.

That brings us back to the verse we started with in 1 Peter.

Remember…this verse actually says that if your husband doesn’t obey the word, he could be won over by your lifestyle. God’s Word should be playing a big role in the life of the husband.

That being said, the fact that your husband doesn’t obey the Word doesn’t stop you, as a wife, from doing your part. In the same way, husbands, the fact that your wife isn’t perfect doesn’t keep you from doing your part.

How does it work between Christ and the church? Does Christ threaten us if we don’t progress as we should? Does He resort to abuse, yelling at us if we don’t fall in line with His plan?

How does He bring about the changes that need to take place in us? We’re told that right now His place is at the right hand of the Father.

One of the major roles of Christ right now is to offer up intercession for us. That’s how He brings about lasting change in His church.

Based on that, how do I lead my home into God’s will? It’s only going to be by the Word of God and intercession. I need to be making sure that on my part, my home is washed by the Word and intercession daily.

Of course, many husbands would take this exhortation as an unreachable goal. Some would even refuse to think about the work this involves. It would mean giving up some time playing sports, video games, or getting to binge your favorite shows.

But this is exactly what laying down your life for your wife (and family) means. This is how I must submit to Christ in my home. As a husband I must make the Word of God and intercession a priority for me and my family.

© 2025 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on May 2, 2025 in Relationships

 

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Husbands and Wives

Husbands and Wives

I’m continuing through Peter’s first letter. In my last post I started talking about submission in the husband and wife relationship. Remember that submission is a personal choice to arrange yourself under someone.

But the question comes up; why does the Lord tell a wife to arrange herself under her husband? For the answer, we need to go back to the last verse we looked at in 1 Peter.

The verse literally says to do this so that if any husbands are not convinced to obey the Word they may be won over without words. It says that they are inspecting the wife’s behavior.

The Lord wants them to see that this behavior is clean, innocent, modest, and pure. Of course this is accomplished under the fear of God, not the fear of your husband.

This verse is not necessarily talking about the salvation of the husband as much as his obedience. Is your husband obeying the Word as he should?

If you remember from my last post that Christ is the Head of the home, not the husband. The husband must arrange himself under Christ. And that’s not as easy to do as it is to say.

I feel that it’s important for me to take a side track to talk about this. It’s something that’s misunderstood very often.

On the surface, that sounds like a good arrangement, if you’re a husband. But, there’s more to it that we seem to forget.

We are to love our wives the same way Christ loves the church. That’s a tall order. It says that He gave Himself up for her. That word, gave, literally means He surrendered and yielded up himself for her.

In actuality, the husband is called to surrender himself for his wife. What does this mean to us as husbands? What did it mean for Christ and the church?

I’ve heard so many husbands say things like, “I’ll do my job when she does hers.” The fact is, that’s Adam talking – it’s all her fault. That’s not loving like Christ.

He took the initiative to relate to the church. He showed love first, never getting a commitment that His “bride” would follow suit.

In my next post I’m going to continue this thought to show just how deep this calling to surrender goes. It could possibly change the whole course of your marriage relationship.

© 2025 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on April 28, 2025 in Relationships

 

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Home Submission

Home Submission

We’re continuing through the book of 1 Peter. We’re currently in a section of Scripture dealing with the different areas of society where we need to be under submission. I understand that this is a controversial word in some sectors.

However, I’m going to try and give the biblical teaching. I want to show the true Scriptural way that we are to arrange ourselves under the structures of human society.

The purpose of this is to bring the Gospel into all the structures of society. So that through us, Christ can be seen.

Today, Peter is talking about the home.

The actual words used in this verse are more general than this translation makes it seem. Peter says to women, in the same manner, arrange yourself under your own man.

When we were going through some of Paul’s writings, he talked about the three phases he saw in the lives of Christian women.

Phase one was the virgin, submitted to her father’s authority. Phase two is the married woman, submitted to her husband’s authority. Phase three is the widow, submitted to Christ’s authority.

Right now, our society has a huge single female population. Scripturally, this is uncharted territory. There are those who are single and on their own. There are those who are divorced, with children. These are just a couple of examples.

In this post I want to start with the husband and wife relationship. In the marriage relationship, the wife must arrange herself under her own husband. That being said, I want to deal with some unscriptural views.

First of all, I have to give the truth that all women are NOT called to submit under all men. A wife is only to arrange herself under her own husband. I know there are some who teach that all women are to submit under all men. That is simply not Scriptural.

The next thing I have to clear up is that arranging yourself under does NOT mean you are a slave to that person. Again, I know there are some who teach that the husband is the supreme ruler of the home.

Remember from chapter 2, that submission is an internal thing. It is not to be forced from the outside by the husband. It’s a condition of your heart.

In actuality, the husband is not the head of the home. I will leave you with this verse as proof of this truth and continue in my next post.

Without a doubt, Christ is to be the head of the home.

© 2025 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on April 23, 2025 in Relationships, Spiritual Walk

 

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Christ in the Workplace

Christ in the Workplace

As we continue through Peter’s first letter, we’ve been talking about how we relate in the workplace. In my last post, I talked about how we are to be a copy of Christ in our workplace.

But, if we’re to be an accurate copy of the Lord, we need to know how He worked. Needless to say, His workplace was the cross. Peter uses this as the prime example for us to follow.

The first thing we’re told is that there was no sin or trick in His mouth. That’s a big issue. When it comes to the workplace, how often does our tongue get us into trouble. When it does; do we try to get out of it by defensiveness or deceit?

We need to be careful of what we say and how we react.

This is one of the hardest parts of being a true copy of Christ. When He was abused, He did not reply with abuse. When He suffered, He didn’t threaten. This was true even though the Lord knew the authority of His position.

He used the proper channels. The Lord surrendered all of His rights to God the Father. He’s the only one who will give a just decision. Christ was vindicated. The proof of this was the resurrection.

So many people complain about unfair treatment in the workplace. Here we see that Christ Himself suffered the most unfair treatment in the history of the universe.

Fair would have been for me to be eternally separated from God. Instead, Jesus Christ paid for my sins. That is supremely unfair.

Think about that the next time you believe that someone is treating you poorly in a way you don’t deserve. I thank God regularly that He wasn’t fair in dealing with my sin.

Christ did this because He saw the whole picture. The Lord knew that it was the only way to purchase our salvation. I’m so glad that He did.

Here’s the bottom line for all of us in the workplace. We need to remember where we came from to where we are now. We were all lost, without hope. Now we are a part of God’s family, if we’ve accepted the gift of the Lord’s salvation.

We need to constantly be aware that our ultimate Supervisor, Shepherd, and Inspector is Christ. But He goes deeper than any earthly supervisor. The Lord oversees our soul. This means that He not only decides based upon your treatment of others, but your attitudes as well.

That speaks volumes about our place in this world. Bring Christ to your workplace!

© 2025 Nick Zaccardi

 

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Workplace Submission

Workplace Submission

We’ve been looking at the teaching of the Apostle Peter in his first letter. He’s been talking about submission to authority in general. Now he gets more specific.

You may read this verse and think, “This verse doesn’t apply to us. We’re not in slavery.” That’s not exactly true. The words slave and master in this verse directly translate to household servant and binding house-husband in English.

In our society, contracts are binding. In a modern company, you’ve effectively bound yourself to your workplace. So, this slave/master relationship can directly apply to the worker – boss relationship.

We’re told here to submit to our supervisors with all respect. That word for respect is actually the word fear (phobos). If you remember from my previous posts, that this is the fear that only lasts until love is present.

That’s an important concept to know especially in this context. In talking about the world’s way of living Paul said something that applies here.

What we find is that in our society people worship and serve created things rather than the Lord. Peter tells us to respect, not worship those in authority. What we see happening in many cases is that they love money, so they worship the workplace for the money they receive.

We’re told by Peter to give respect. But who do we respect; only those who respect us? NO! We’re to respect all. That includes those who are good and appropriate, as well as those who are harsh, warped, and bent.

The fact is we must respect our boss, manager, or supervisor. Remember, it’s the position God established that you’re respecting. There’s a bonus for obeying this teaching.

The word commendable in this verse is actually the word grace. God has a grace available to you for the workplace. Why do we need this special grace?

According to Peter, it’s under the sadness of suffering unjustly. Guess what! This will happen to you no matter where you work. There will be policies put into effect over you because someone else messed up.

But the key is, you obtain this grace because you are conscious of God. That word, conscious, means that you’re seeing the whole picture all together like God does.

Of course, you could always narrow your vision and say, “That’s not fair. Poor me.” Or you can see the whole picture and take on the attitude of Christ.

That word creation is talking about all the authority structures in society. This includes your workplace. When you arrange yourself correctly under your employer you get grace. You start to see the whole picture.

It’s not just about you. Your boss and co-workers need to hear the good news. By your attitude, you can make it easier for them to hear and believe the Good News of Christ.

Be the light of the Gospel they need to see in your workplace.

© 2025 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on April 14, 2025 in Leadership, Relationships, The Gospel

 

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