Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
The Christians that Peter was writing to were just beginning to face the waves of persecution that were to come. As you read these letters, you will notice that Peter calls his readers to submission in the face of trials. They had much to face, these people were scattered among heathens and to stand for faith in Christ meant that they often stood by themselves.
The inheritance we are promised is written of in Romans 8:17-18. We are children of the King. Our inheritance is found in heaven, where it can't perish or be stolen. It is offered to us through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Peter is quite certain of the revelation of salvation that will happen in the last days. This won't be the last time he speaks of it. His words are written to assure his readers (that includes us) that though we face trials now, it is only for a short time.
Have you ever considered that your faith is worth considerably more than gold? (1 Peter 1:7) You see, trial by fire refines our faith. Refinement by fire can destroy gold ... our faith will be proven to be genuine.
When my mother died, I remember telling a friend that my greatest fear was that I would be shaken from my faith because of the trauma of the loss. I was thankful for her reassurance and her prayers. My faith was going nowhere ... I relied on it to get me through that.
I have spent hours screaming at God, pleading, begging, wondering, crying ... all of that based on the fact that I have a relationship with Him. One that allows me to have feelings. Because of that relationship, my faith has grown.
Praise, glory and honor in the revelation of Jesus Christ. I look forward to that day!
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment