September 23, 2020
Nobody likes to suffer, yet the witness of the Scriptures is uniform in declaring that suffering is one of God’s greatest tools of transformation in the lives of His people. In his letters to the scattered church throughout Asia Minor, Peter addresses this issue and provides encouragement for believers who were under attack through persecution, oppression, and even direct attack by the enemy through false teachers. In the midst of their suffering, Peter reminds them to keep their eyes fixed on their eternal reward: Christ Jesus Himself! As we spend time over the next eight days reading the epistles of Peter, let’s make it out goal to fix our eyes on Jesus and to maintain joy in Him even through the most difficult trials and suffering!
Peter begins his letter by giving praise and glory to God for the incredible grace He has poured out on His people through Jesus Christ! This salvation, according to Peter, is kept in heaven for us and will never, ever fade away. The problem is that his readers are having a hard time seeing it; they are in the midst of great persecution and suffering, and in such times it can become difficult to see the faithfulness and goodness of God.
Peter’s response to their sufferings is to point their attention forward to the final coming of Jesus. He points their attention to what their suffering is producing in them, namely a genuine and tested faith, and reminds them that their faithfulness will end with their being honored and praised on the last day. When our hope is set and our eyes are fixed on Jesus, our eternal reward, we can have a glorious and inexpressible joy through even the most difficult circumstances!
In light of this glorious hope and the joy that comes with it, Peter calls his readers to holiness in t heir conduct. He reminds them that they have been purchased with the precious blood of Christ, that they have been born again of the Spirit and that their hope and faith are now in God.
God’s call on our lives is clear; in light of the redemption He has accomplished for us in Jesus, the salvation He has graced us with, and the eternal hope He has freely given to us, we are to live lives of faithfulness to Him no matter our circumstances! It can be so easy to justify our sinful choices and actions when life gets hard for us, but God calls us to hold fast and trust that. It will be worth it in the end!
1 Peter 1
Greeting
1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood:
May grace and peace be multiplied to you.
Born Again to a Living Hope
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.
Called to Be Holy
13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 17 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, 18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold,19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you 21 who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, 23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; 24 for
“All flesh is like grass
and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
and the flower falls,
25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.”
And this word is the good news that was preached to you.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Family Discussion Question:
- Think of a time when you made a sinful choice because life was difficult in that moment. How might you have acted differently if you had remembered the faithfulness of God and the living, eternal hope which you have in Him?
Father, all praise and honor and glory belong to you and you alone.
I have nowhere to go but to you in prayer. Hear my plea today for guidance to do your will. Father you see tomorrow and the next and next. May my plans mesh entirely with your plans for my life.
Today, Father, may I seek your will, your guidance, your blessing on all I do today. May my goals be the goals you have placed in my heart.
May my words be your words spoken through me inspired by the Holy Spirit.
Pour out your spirit on our land. Be close, Father, to all who cry out to you through the name of Jesus. May each serve you with a clean heart that only you can give to each who asks. Father, start with me. Help me clean house to serve you and only you.
Now Father, let’s be going to do your will.
Amen
Gracias padre amado por hoy por tú palabra y misericordia sobre cada uno de nosotros gracias por tu soberanía glorioso omnipotent Señor llámame de tú espíritu santo dame sabiduría no permitas que me aleje de ti eres mi guía spiritual eres quien me sacó de la inmundicia guíame protégeme protege tu nación todo aquel que te busca en espíritu y verdad somos tus hijos amados te necesitamos en cada momento de nuestra vida en nombre y por amor de tu hijo amado amén ?
AMEN and HALLLELUJAH!!! Terry, Beautifully said.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Help us to remember to not bend or waver under pressure but to hold fast to You, our Rock. Everything around us may sink or pass away but Your steadfast love and assurance is forever. I am reminded of the song Blessed Assurance which says Jesus is mine, oh what a fortress of glory divine… I’m am so thankful of my rich unbringing in the church and all of the wonderful hymns that are forever embedded in my heart. These are part of what sustain me through trying times. May I always live for You in actions, word and deed. I’m Jesus’ name. Amen.
I have been redeemed by the precious blood of the Lamb.
Dear father in the past when I lost my first husband Bobby I let the pressure get to me with my grieving and not letting you handling the situations. I am so thankful that I serve a faithful God who three years later gave me a Christian husband who believed as me . You forgave me of my past sins and I have been married to a wonderful man for 12 years.
Today, I pray that the things I do and the words I speak represent holiness.
born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you
God gives us the faith to get through our trials faithfully. No greater joy than knowing we are saved. As we go through trials, our faith becomes stronger.
Lord I know that even my best is not even close to your perfection, and the purity I am called to. Thank you that in Jesus, my position before you is perfect, and help me to continue to submit to your Spirit to sanctify me daily.
God I thank you for your love that sustains us. Help us to discern what is holy and true as we go through life. Our battle is not against flesh and blood. We need you Lord more than we realize at times. Please stay close Lord, forgive us our sins please stay close dear Lord . May all glory belong to you alone.Amen.
Thank you my holy God for calling me to holiness. Thank you for saving me with the precious blood of my savior and Redeemer Jesus Christ. Thank you for the finished work on Calvary. I love you Lord. Thank you for loving me first ??. In Jesus name I pray.
Thank You Lord for this day. Thank You for the trials for they strengthen my faith in You. Though I plan and try to fix things myself, Your plans are better. Thank You for enabling me to read and grow in understanding how You are working in me and through me to reach out to others. Amen.