September 23, 2020<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nobody likes to suffer, yet the witness of the Scriptures is uniform in declaring that suffering is one of God\u2019s 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\u2019s make it out goal to fix our eyes on Jesus and to maintain joy in Him even through the most difficult trials and suffering!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Peter\u2019s 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!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
God\u2019s 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!<\/p>\n\n\n\n