1 Peter 1:3-12, The Message - What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now! God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you’ll have it all—life healed and whole.
I know how great this makes you feel, even though you
have to put up with every kind of aggravation in the meantime. Pure gold put in
the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering
comes out proved genuine. When Jesus wraps this all up, it’s your faith, not
your gold, that God will have on display as evidence of his victory.
You never saw him, yet you love him. You still don’t see
him, yet you trust him—with laughter and singing. Because you kept on
believing, you’ll get what you’re looking forward to: total salvation.
The prophets who told us this was coming asked a lot of
questions about this gift of life God was preparing. The Messiah’s Spirit let
them in on some of it—that the Messiah would experience suffering, followed by
glory. They clamored to know who and when. All they were told was that they
were serving you, you who by orders from heaven have now heard for
yourselves—through the Holy Spirit—the Message of those prophecies fulfilled.
Do you realize how fortunate you are? Angels would have given anything to be in
on this!
Peter
writes to gentile Christian communities all over the Roman empire who were
being persecuted for their faith. He
wants to encourage them with three important reminders. First, he reminds them that they now have a “new
and living hope.” They have an eternal future
that God has promised to those who believe.
God will heal their brokenness and make them whole. These promises lead to the second reminder;
through Jesus, they are given a new identity.
As we talked about last time, they now part of God’s chosen people. Thirdly, they now a part of a new family, God’s
family. They are adopted sons and
daughters of God. These three reminders
provide the core of the message of the entire letter.
These
reminders are important for people who are suffering. They need to know that they are not alone,
they are not forgotten, and their suffering is not in vain. In the passage for today, Peter makes a bold
claim. He tells them that there is a gift in the midst of their suffering. Through fire, metals are purified and refined,
and through suffering, faith is purified and refined. The salvation available through Jesus is made
available through Christ’s suffering. Likewise the salvation received by those
in Christ is deepened and strengthened though adversity.
All
this truth is our truth as well. We too
have been given a new and living hope, a new identity, and a new family. Take some time to reflect on that today.
Questions: What is the state of your hope right now? Does it align with the truth of what you have
been given because of Christ? What does
it really mean to you that you will be made whole and healed because of the
Holy Spirit at work in you? What value do
you maintain in the fact that you are now part of the family of God? How does all of this change how you view your
difficulties, pains, and challenges?
Prayer: Lord Jesus,
thank you for the hope I have because of you; help that hope sink even more
deeply into my soul. Thank you for my
new identity as a chosen child of God; help
me see the unique way I can live out that identity wherever I find myself. Thank you for including me in Your family; help me see my brothers and sisters as You
see them. Help me see my trials as an opportunity for You to purify and refine
my faith. Amen.
Prayer Focus: Pray
for the leaders of our local government today.
Song: Living Hope - Phil
Wickham
