Not Even the Worst Persecution

1 Peter 1:7-9 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.

What was the proof of these early Christians' love for Jesus? Although many may not have seen Him physically, they were willing to live for Him, even if it meant losing their lives. It is so easy to say we love someone, but a completely different story to prove it by our actions. God did not just say that He loves us, He proved it first, then recorded it for us in the pages of the Bible. Are we loving Him in the same manner? In John 14:15 He told us that if we love Him, we must keep His commandments. How are we doing at living in obedience to God's Word? For these Christians, who were predominantly Jewish, the fact that they were willing to die for their faith speaks volumes. Why? Because the Jews were waiting for a Messiah who would deliver them physically from their oppression at the hands of the Romans. Instead, they put their faith in One they had not seen, who was now allowing them to suffer, once again; but believed that there was a greater reward...the salvation of their soul. Do we have that kind of love and faith today? Have we become way too comfortable in our salvation? Let us step back today and ask God to help us examine our faith and love for Jesus. Are we loving Jesus as we say we do? Is the evidence of that love being displayed by our obedience? Is our obedience to His word only evident when there is no danger of persecution? Is our love for Jesus based on what He has done for us, and based on the faith and hope we have in the life to come; or is it more because of what we hope to gain physically here on earth? If our joy and ability to rejoice is grounded in true faith, and a real love for Jesus, then not even the worst persecution will be able to shake our faith or desire to serve Him. I guess the real test will be when fiery persecution finally arrives...and one day it will.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

His Faithfulness

His Faithfulness

1 Peter 1:7-8 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,

As we read these verses, we need to stop and ask ourselves, "Are the trials that God allows in my life about me?" The short answer to that question is a resounding, "No!" Yes, we are the ones who have to walk through them, and yes, they help us to grow and learn to trust the Lord; but ultimately our trials are really about the Lord Himself. I have said this before, that when we read about the life of Abraham, Noah, David, or any other person in the Bible, it is really not about them, but about God and how He deals with them and their circumstances. It is no different for us. How things turn out in our life, in each circumstance, is about God and what He does. It is about how God deals with us, and how He shows Himself faithful, even when we are unfaithful. It is about how God molds us and shapes us, with the outcome being praise, honor and glory for Him. In the end it also shows whether or not we are truly loving the Lord. In the midst of the testing of our faith, are we really demonstrating a true love for Jesus? At this point you might say, "Wait, I thought you said this wasn't about us!" Well, it isn't. Yes, trials do test our love for God, but when we demonstrate our love for God, by obeying His commands, and applying His truth, even in the midst of difficulties, He develops a testimony in us, for His glory, that opens doors for us to tell others about Him. Sadly, we often take those opportunities to brag about ourselves and tell others about how much we have grown, rather than tell them about the faithful God who never failed us, even though we gave up, and failed Him. The testing of our faith, by fire, is an opportunity to tell others that God still walks with us through fiery times, as He did with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. The testing of our faith is not about us...it is about Jesus and His faithfulness.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

Far More Precious than Gold

1 Peter 1:6-7 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,

As born again followers of Jesus, we need to change our perspective in respect to life on earth. Keeping in mind that we are pilgrims and strangers, and that this place is not our home, we need to view our circumstances from Heaven's perspective. With that said, why are our trials more precious than gold? Well, let's stop and consider this...what if we were allowed to gather as much gold as we wanted, while here on earth? At the end of our life, regardless of how many years the Lord allows us to have, can we take any of it with us? If after just a few months of having that gold, we are suddenly diagnosed with an incurable disease, will it matter how much gold we gathered? If we were told that by accepting the offer of gathering that gold, we forfeited our salvation, would it be worth it? Now stop and consider this...we are suddenly faced with trials and persecution, and in the midst of it we choose to trust the Lord. As a result, we bring our concerns to Him, and He gives us the peace that passes all understanding. Now we begin to rejoice in the midst of our troubles, and make ourselves available to serve and bless others. While we do all this, the Spirit works in us to make us more like Jesus in our response to life and dealing with others; all the while gaining more and more heavenly reward, as we win others to Christ, love our enemies, bless those who curse us, and continue to walk by faith. At the end of our life, as we live out our final moments, would we be willing then to trade what we are about to gain, for the perishable gold the world offers? I personally would not even give it a moment of consideration. Yet, this is exactly what we do. We trade heavenly reward, in the midst of tribulations, because we fail to trust God, and instead seek worldly solutions to challenging times here on earth. The rewards that come from enduring trials, with Heaven in view, are that we end up with something of eternal value to look forward to, but while we are still here we live a life that brings praise, honor, and glory to the Lord. That, my brothers and sister, is more important and valuable than any amount of gold we could ever gather here on earth. A life that truly honors Jesus is a life that will see more fruit in the area of winning others and personal growth in Christ. Let us change our perspective, and allow the Spirit to remind us, and show us, that our trials are not only temporary, but one of the best investment avenues we have toward gaining something more precious than gold...praise, honor, and glory for Jesus, and heavenly reward for us.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

Friendship with the Enemy

1 Peter 1:6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials,

"In this you greatly rejoice", are not the words most of us want to hear while we are going through difficult times. Yet, this is exactly what the Lord wants us to do; and just so that we get a real sense of the kind of rejoicing James is talking about, he is saying that we are to "jump for joy". Today's verse is a reminder that in spite of our moments of suffering, we need to remember that they are temporary in comparison to eternity; that we have every reason to have joy and peace because we are saved, sealed, and on our way to receiving the inheritance that has been reserved just for us. Interestingly, in making reference to our trials, James says, "if need be". Sadly, there are far too many of us that get comfortable in the world. When we begin to prosper and gain more of what the world offers, we forget that our purpose in being here is to serve the Lord and tell the world about Jesus. We start trying to avoid "stirring the pot" because things are going so well, and we do not want to invite trouble to come knocking on our door and possibly rob us of our "blessings". However, God does not see things the way we see them. What He sees is His children being sucked into friendship with the world and being disobedient to what He called us to. What He sees is His children getting comfortable, and settling into a world that is not our home. Therefore, He must, out of need, allow tribulation and persecution to come so that we are reminded that the world is not our friend, that the world is not our home, and that all that it offers has not eternal value. The bottom line is that without trials and persecution our faith, and walk with the Lord, become stagnant. Trials should be a reminder for us that we have a God who loves us. We have a God who wants the best for us; therefore, He allows trials to come our way in order to keep our faith growing, to remind us that we have a mission while we are here, and that we must stay focused on that mission until we finally make it home. The bottom line is that there is nothing here on earth that equals what awaits us in Heaven. So the next time we find ourselves in the midst of persecution or some other trial, "jump for joy" knowing that it may be God's loving reminder that we are getting too comfortable in our friendship with the enemy.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

His Unfailing Promises

1 Peter 1:3-5 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Even in the midst of severe persecution, James focuses on the hope and joy we have in Christ Jesus. He did not open his letter with a "woe is me" kind of attitude, but with praise and adoration for God because of the wonderful mercy He imparted to His children, giving us new life in Christ. In the midst of trials and tribulations we need to remember that we have been born again unto a living hope. Our hope is not in this world or what it offers, because it has nothing of real value to offer. It is filled with evil and corruption. Our hope lies in what is to come. Just like Israel's hope was in reaching the Promised Land of Canaan, so our hope is in reaching our Promised Land, where we will be reunited with Jesus. Our hope is in the inheritance we have been promised, and that has been reserved for us in Heaven. It is an inheritance that is guarded, secure, and unlike anything we could gain here on earth. The hope that we have in seeing this inheritance is founded, not on our ability to maintain our salvation; but because our salvation and this promise are kept by the power of God through faith. One way or another, whether through death or the Lord's return, we will see this promise fulfilled, because the One who made the promise is faithful and never breaks His promises. It is in the midst of persecution and suffering that our testimony for Jesus will truly shine, if we, by faith, hold on to His unfailing promises.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

How Are We Doing?

1 Peter 1:1-2 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied.

As Peter writes to these persecuted Christians, he reminds them that they were chosen and set apart by God. He reminded them that the Spirit purified them, and that by the work of the Spirit they had the ability to live in obedience to God's Word. All of this is possible, of course, because of what Jesus did on Calvary. His Blood has washed us, cleansed us, and made us pure and acceptable before the Father. This is certainly the case for us today. A true follower of Jesus is chosen and set apart. Our acceptance of the Gospel was not a surprise to God. He knew we would be one of His children long before we were even conceived. What we need to remember, especially in the midst of trials and persecution, is that we belong to Jesus, we were bought with a price (His Blood), and we have been set apart for HIS purposes. Therefore, regardless of what He allows us to face, we must stay focused on what we are called to do...proclaim Jesus to the world (or at least the circle of influence He has placed us in). How are we doing with that? If we are not willing to share Christ now, while persecution is not that intense, what will we do when it reaches the level of possible martyrdom? We have been chosen, set apart, and called to live a life of obedience. How are we doing so far?

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

Are We Ready?

1 Peter 1:1-2 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied.

The Apostle Peter wrote this letter to Christians who had been scattered throughout the region. These Christians had suffered, and were suffering, at the hands of Romans, Jews, both strangers and family members. This letter was meant to be a letter of hope during difficult times. These Christians were running for their lives, being displaced from their homes, and being discriminated against for their faith. This still happens today in many places around the world. In our country, we have yet to experience this sort of persecution; and as a result, the church has a very weak testimony for Jesus. Our attempts to "fit in" has caused much compromise for the sake of "winning them". Many local churches are preaching a watered down version of the Gospel. We have allowed a worldly mentality to permeate our congregations; and we have been drawn into friendship with the world through prosperity preaching that feeds the flesh and our corrupt desires. Sadly, the church today is setting itself up for great pain when the world, and our country, finally make that sharp turn toward the persecution of anyone who is a true follower of Jesus. It will serve us well to read Peter's letter to the pilgrims and sojourners of his day, and be reminded, today, that this is not our home. Our citizenship has been changed by the One who gave His life for us. We, as born again followers of Jesus, need to reevaluate our walk with Him. We need to be reminded of who we are in Jesus, and what that will cost us, if we are truly living for Him, and walking according to His Word. It will mean persecution, rejection, and at some point could even cost us our lives. The comfortable life we live today is on course to be a very uncomfortable one. However, if we have Jesus, we know that no matter what happens, we have hope. It may very well be that God will allow strong persecution to come so that we will wake up and go out, as He commanded, to boldly tell others about Jesus who loves them and gave His life for them. I only have one question to ask..."Are we ready?"

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).