A Renewed Perspective on Suffering
In his first letter, Peter writes: "And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen" (5:10-11; NAS).
What was going on when Peter penned these words? Believers were being persecuted and were in need of encouragement. Suffering is a recurring theme in this letter. And the Lord inspired Peter to write these words, not only to sustain the first recipients of this letter, but generations following, including us.
Let's look at the opening:
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God though faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time" (1 Peter 1:3-5).
Before Peter takes us to the matter of suffering, he directs our thoughts heavenward, to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, His great mercy, a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, our reserved inheritance, our protection by the power of God through faith for a sure salvation.
Contemplating these great truths should guard our hearts and minds for what comes next.
"In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1:6-7).
"Even though now for a little while, if necessary"--we so often do not see the necessity of our trials, but God does.
Peter's words remind me of what James wrote: "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing" (James 1:2-4).
We are often short-sighted and fail to realize the benefits of our God-designed trials, even when these are spelled out for us in passages such as these.
Who doesn't want more spiritual endurance? Only trials develop that.
Who doesn't want to hear "well done" from the Lord? Only testing will result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
This is again what we need to remember and embrace: "And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen" (1 Peter 5:10-11; NAS).
Our suffering is, in the perspective of eternity, "for a little while." Christ's own will be perfected, confirmed, strengthened, and established by the God of all grace Himself.
And we respond with Peter: "To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen."
What was going on when Peter penned these words? Believers were being persecuted and were in need of encouragement. Suffering is a recurring theme in this letter. And the Lord inspired Peter to write these words, not only to sustain the first recipients of this letter, but generations following, including us.
Let's look at the opening:
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God though faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time" (1 Peter 1:3-5).
Before Peter takes us to the matter of suffering, he directs our thoughts heavenward, to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, His great mercy, a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, our reserved inheritance, our protection by the power of God through faith for a sure salvation.
Contemplating these great truths should guard our hearts and minds for what comes next.
"In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1:6-7).
"Even though now for a little while, if necessary"--we so often do not see the necessity of our trials, but God does.
Peter's words remind me of what James wrote: "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing" (James 1:2-4).
We are often short-sighted and fail to realize the benefits of our God-designed trials, even when these are spelled out for us in passages such as these.
Who doesn't want more spiritual endurance? Only trials develop that.
Who doesn't want to hear "well done" from the Lord? Only testing will result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
This is again what we need to remember and embrace: "And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen" (1 Peter 5:10-11; NAS).
Our suffering is, in the perspective of eternity, "for a little while." Christ's own will be perfected, confirmed, strengthened, and established by the God of all grace Himself.
And we respond with Peter: "To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen."
posted by Ebeth | 8:30 AM
1 Comments:
Glad to catch up on your worthy blog after our mutual absence. :-)
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