Where Our Joy Comes From - I Peter 1:6

I Peter 1:6 – Where Our Joy Comes From

So be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead, even though it is necessary for you to endure many trials for a while. (NLT)

In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. (NIV)

This life will have many obstacles to overcome, but because God has promised to be with us, we can look beyond our current circumstance and keep our focus on the prize before us...the Hope of Heaven. That hope is where our joy comes from. (CDC)

I am sure that believers in Christ realize what a privilege we have, knowing that God is watching over us. Also, we truly believe that we have an eternal home in heaven someday. We experience hope in God's provisions and protection here and now, plus we have the assurance that our future is going to be a blessed event, beyond our comprehension. Still, because we are human, there are times that we get discouraged and feel the burden of our pain and sorrow in the trials we go through. God created our emotions...He totally understands our grief. That's why He wants us to read His word, His love letter to us, on a regular basis. His Holy Spirit inspired the authors of each of the 66 books of the Bible to write so that we might gain insight and encouragement from the Word of God.

Peter is specifically writing to encourage believers. He is telling us to remember our trials are only for a season. Comedian Mark Lowry's favorite verse is “And it came to pass.” No matter what we are going through, it will pass. Life has a rhythm to it, just like a heartbeat. There are ups and downs in the pattern. We are sometimes on mountain tops and sometimes in the valley. That's the way God designed the mountains...to have valleys in between. If life was the same every day, we would become bored and discontent. If we read a book where there is no mystery, no dilemma to catch our attention, would we keep reading? No...we want to see how the problems are resolved and how the story turns out. That's the way life is. Only...if we keep the faith...we already know the ending is nothing but good...full of unbelievable blessings and rewards. Our trials are the means by which our faith is strengthened, and they cause us to look forward to Christ's return and our eternal hope...a time when there will be no more sorrow, no more pain, no more grief.

Even when we are going through the valleys, the storms of life, we know deep down inside that as a child of God, He is with us. If we are in a right relationship with Him, we have an inner sense of peace and well-being. There is no reason to stay up at night worrying. God wants us to go to sleep and leave the problem with Him. Our joy is not dependent up on our current circumstances, for we know that God will work all things out in His time. When we compare our current circumstances to our new birth, our living hope, and our inheritance in heaven, we find reason to keep our head up, our eyes focused on Jesus, and moving forward, even if only one baby step at a time.

The pain of failure is one reason we grieve. Peter very well remembers the time when he failed Jesus, and the pain it caused him. On the night Jesus was betrayed in the garden by the kiss of Judas, Peter denied even knowing Him three times. Then the rooster crowed and his eyes met the eyes of Jesus. He knew he had utterly failed his Best Friend. How could he have done such a thing? How could Jesus ever forgive him? He had behaved just as Jesus had said he would, and now here he was...at the bottom. But Peter accepted Christ's forgiveness, and refocused, making his life count for God's Kingdom. We, too, have to let go of the pain of our past, and fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:1-2).

The pain of loss is another reason we grieve. Jesus himself also experienced deep sorrow. At the tomb of His close friend Lazarus, He wept. Tears, which God collects in bottles, is His way of bringing inner healing. Because Jesus felt the same emotions we feel, He promised to be with us to guide us through the maze of sorrow and grief. Peter tells us later on in this letter to “Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.” (I Peter 5:7) And the Psalmist reminds us that: "Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy." (Psalms 126:5) May it be an encouragement to us that God is indeed watching over us! He knows exactly what we are going through, and what our future holds. He wants us to trust Him.  


"God of the Mountain" by Lynda Randal:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V65EPF2S-s0

Salvation: Past, Present, Future - I Peter 1:5

I Peter 1:5

And God, in his mighty power, will protect you until you receive this salvation, because you are trusting him. It will be revealed on the last day for all to see. (NLT)

...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. (NIV)

Meanwhile, as we await our eternal destination, our Heavenly Father, who is all powerful, will watch over us and protect us. As we trust Him, He will see us through the storms of life. There is coming a day when the storms will cease and all will be peace forevermore. (CDC)

Is salvation a done deal, or is it something we strive toward throughout our whole life? Well, I suppose the answers for that question is why we have so many denominations and creeds of belief. I don't think God meant for it to be so difficult to understand.

The Beacon Bible Expositions points out three salvations:

1. We are saved when we receive Jesus into our hearts. This is an accomplished fact. Ephesians 2:8 says: God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.
2. However, salvation is an on-going process. You don't stop growing spiritually once you surrender your life to Jesus. You've really just begun to truly live a life of Godly purpose. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (I Cor 1:18)
3. Salvation is also yet to come into it's grand finale when we are glorified.(Rom 13:11) This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.

Another way of stating these three salvations is to say that salvation is:

• past – when a person first believes
• present – through the on-going process of sanctification
• future – when our sanctification is completed through glorification...at the time of the return of Christ.

While we await our glorification, God is protecting us. He has a shield around us...the shield of faith. The power of God is able to keep us until the end if we keep our faith placed in Him. God already knows when His appointed time will be...when all earthly things will end, and His kingdom will reign forever and ever. We do not know, but with our choice to trust Him, not going by feelings, but by faith, we can rest assured there is coming a day when our pain and sorrow will be over. God will wipe away all of our tears, and we will be safe forevermore. Jim Hill penned the such an appropriate song for this passage: “What A Day That Will Be”:

“There is coming a day when no heartaches shall come

No more clouds in the sky, no more tears to dim the eye.

All is peace forevermore on that happy, golden shore,

What a day, glorious day that will be.

There'll be no sorrow there, no more burdens to bear,

No more sickness, no pain, no more parting over there;

And forever I will be with the One who died for me,

What a day, glorious day that will be.

Chorus:

What a day that will be when my Jesus I shall see,

And I look upon His face,

The One who saved me by His grace;

When He takes me by the hand

And leads me through the Promised Land,

What a day, glorious day that will be!

A Heavenly Inheritance - I Peter 1:4

I Peter 1:4

For God has reserved a priceless inheritance for his children. It is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. (NLT)

...and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, (NIV)

The children of God have the guarantee of eternal life in heaven. Though we die, yet we will live. Our earthly bodies will decay, return to dust, but our souls, our heavenly bodies, will be raised in purity and perfection...never to change or decay. What a priceless treasure God has reserved for us. (my personal translation [CDC version] of verse 4)

As believers we have an inheritance that is waiting for us in heaven, a place where it remains forever under God's care. It will never diminish in its luster, never spoil, never be stolen by thieves. God gave the people of the Old Testament land as an inheritance, but our inheritance is a spiritual reality that far exceeds earthly land.

Once you become a believer in Christ, you have made your reservation in heaven. The Beacon Bible Commentary describes it this way: “Two men were traveling to a convention. They arrived late. One was told with regret that there were no rooms available. The other was handed a key. When the first man asked “How come you get a room and I don't?” the other replied, “I phoned ahead and made a reservation.” Have you made your reservation?

A Living Hope - I Peter 1:3

I Peter 1:3

3 All honor to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for it is by his boundless mercy that God has given us the privilege of being born again. Now we live with a wonderful expectation because Jesus Christ rose again from the dead. (NLT)

3 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, (NIV)

Our hope is in Jesus Christ. Because He rose from the dead, we who place our faith in Him live with the privilege of being born anew. This privilege stems from the mercy of God, who deserves all of our honor and praise. (my personal translation [CDC version] of verse 3)

Apostle Peter penned his first letter to Christians who were undergoing persecution. In the midst of their suffering, he wanted to encourage them by sending them words of HOPE. Hope, to him, was a firm conviction of something that is true, not just wishful thinking.

When Peter writes “our” Lord Jesus Christ, he reminds them and us that they/we have a personal, intimate relationship with Jesus because of God's mercy. God granted that relationship through the cross. Even though the cross meant the sacrificial death of God's Son, the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the reality of Jesus triumphing over death, is our guarantee that we have a living hope.

This hope is alive and dynamic, and it does not depend on our circumstances. Everyone experiences the pain of suffering, for it is a universal language. Peter, however, gives us a prescription to relieve that pain. He reminds us that just as God brought Jesus through the horrible death by crucifixion, He will see us through, no matter what we are currently experiencing. We can be assured that there is not an earthly problem too big for God to fix. We experience His deliverance from sin and death as we are born anew by placing our faith and trust in Jesus Christ and allowing His Spirit to live in us. This, however, is not the end of the Christian experience, it is only the beginning. God's grace and peace are available to us as we journey through this life, even when things are not pleasant or going the way we wish they would.

If you want to feel the presence of God in your life, you begin the same way Peter began this letter...by giving God all the praise and honor and respect that is due Him. We have been chosen by God, and we are being made more and more in the likeness of Jesus Christ. Jesus was raised from the dead, and as we place our faith in Him, we can know beyond the shadow of a doubt that we will one day overcome the disappointments of this world. 

Our living hope gives us a reason to smile at whatever storm we are facing now, because there is coming a day when we will be moving to our eternal home in heaven, to reign with Jesus! There will be no more sorrow or pain, only everlasting JOY! On that day our LIVING HOPE will be fully realized and the trials of this life will seem so insignificant compared to the Glory that awaits us!

"It's a Song Holy Angels Cannot Sing"

http://north-valley-baptist-church-a-song-holy--mp3-download.kohit.net/_/417713

Click on the above button and listen to this song. In my study of I Peter 1:12, this is the song that came to my mind, and hubby was kind enough to find it for me on the web. It is a nice wrap up to the section of I Peter I am currently studying. I have spent several days working on I Peter 1:3-12. My research is complete, now I just need to make it flow, both for a Bible study, and for a blog. Check back later, but meanwhile enjoy the song above.

Chosen by God - I Peter 1:2

God the Father knew you and chose you long ago, and his Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed him and have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ. May God give you more and more grace and peace.


Chosen by God…can you imagine any higher honor? The Awesome Creator of the world, who makes no junk, has chosen you…me. The Psalmist says in Psalm 139:13-16:


You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born.Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.


God knew all about me before I was even formed in my mother’s womb. Even then he had a plan for my life, and chose me to be filled with his Holy Spirit so that I would walk in obedience to him. It isn’t that God created me any more special than others, nor did he choose me above others.


I fully believe that he chooses everyone, but only those who choose him in return are cleansed and set apart for his holy purposes…sanctified by his Holy Spirit and separated from the world’s evil ways of operation. God’s foreknowledge simply means he already knows our past, our present, and our future. He knows the choices we will make, rather than making the choices for us. We find God’s instructions in making our choices in I John 2:15-17:


Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.


And that is my goal…I want to please God and live forever with him. There is nothing in this world that brings lasting satisfaction, and any happiness is only temporary. True peace isn’t even an option for anyone living outside the will of our Father God. I desire to have the joy and peace that comes only from being in relationship with God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit.


God chose me, and in return, in loving gratitude, I choose him. I choose him in living by his standards and adopting his values and following the example of Jesus. It is a daily choice…a surrender of my will for his. And I am honored to make that choice.

Introduction - I Peter 1:1

This letter is from Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ. I am writing to God’s chosen people who are living as foreigners in the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.

Following the typical letter writing format of the first century, Peter has identified himself as the author of this epistle, and he tells us to whom he is writing…God’s chosen people in foreign lands. So let’s take a few moments to talk about Peter…who is he?

Peter was one of the original 12 disciples, in fact he was the very first disciple chosen to be a follower of Jesus. He was known as Simon at that time, and his trade was fishing. Let’s read what Mark recorded in his gospel:

One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. Jesus called out to them, "Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!" And they left their nets at once and followed him. (Mark 1:16-18)

When Peter was called by Jesus, he did not hesitate one moment. He didn’t even take time to gather his belongings, or say goodbye to his family…he never once looked back. He simply followed Jesus from the moment Jesus called him. If that sounds like a person of strong faith, keep in mind he didn’t even know Jesus yet.

Peter was a Galilean…a group of people who were known to be adventuresome, ready for anything new. They were also impulsive, and emotional, quick tempered and quick to argue. These traits definitely described Peter. He was the disciple who was quick to speak out, and bold enough to question Jesus. It was his impulsiveness that caused Jesus to rebuke him more than the other disciples.

Even though Peter’s claim that Jesus was the Son of God caused Jesus to change his name from Simon to Peter, meaning "rock", it was this "rock" that also denied his Lord three times, just as Jesus had predicted. Peter’s leadership role was reestablished when Jesus asked him three times if he loved Him, and commanded him to take care of Jesus’ sheep.

We see Peter as the key spokesperson at Pentecost; healing the lame man at the temple; going against the Sanhedrin’s demand that he be silent about Jesus; and reaching out to Cornelius, a Gentile, after it was revealed to Peter that the gospel was universal. Yes, Peter was given a second chance to prove his love for Jesus.

The purpose of this letter is to offer encouragement and hope to Christians in a time of suffering. The Roman civil authorities required believers to make the confession that "Caesar is Lord". Because of their faith in Jesus Christ alone, they were scattered throughout Asia Minor and facing persecution.

In his letter, written about AD 64, Peter reminded his recipients that they could remain victorious in their spirit in spite of the troubles they were facing. No matter what the external circumstances were, their citizenship was in heaven, for salvation is eternal, but this life is only temporary.

Peter felt so unworthy of the grace Jesus had bestowed on him that he requested to be crucified upside down on a cross, rather than in the same manner Jesus died. He was a fellow sufferer, but he was looking to the future. Read his words in I Peter 5:1-4:

And now, a word to you who are elders in the churches. I, too, am an elder and a witness to the sufferings of Christ. And I, too, will share in his glory when he is revealed to the whole world. As a fellow elder, I appeal to you: Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly—not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God. Don’t lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your own good example. And when the Great Shepherd appears, you will receive a crown of never-ending glory.

New Personal Study of First Peter

The signs of spring...flowers pushing up from the earth, showing their endurance through the barrenness and cold of the winter season. I love spring...it is my favorite season. This is the 60th spring I have witnessed. In celebration, I have decided to embark on a new Bible study. It seems that I have heard God whispering "First Peter" in my heart for the last decade. Perhaps if I start now, I'll be able to complete it before another ten years slips through my life.

It seems like it was just a few years ago that I turned 38 and started back to college to earn my degree in psychology. At age 41 I became a seminary student with a focus in Greek Biblical studies. Now here I am at a "young" 60 years of age with no spectacular achievements to show for my life. At times that bothers me...like the day I turned 60. Then there are other times when age doesn't mean anything, and just knowing that I have walked faithfully with my Lord across the years is the only accomplishment that really matters.

But I haven't been able to turn off that tune in my head that sings "Study First Peter....see what I have to say to you in this epistle." So here I am ready to crack the bottle against the ship and set sail on a new personal study with my Bible, three commentaries (see side bar), and my interpreter and prompter...the Holy Spirit.

I am in no hurry, but I do feel that there is a reason why I will be studying this book at this time in my life. I always thought the theme of I Peter was holiness. However, as I have read the introductions to the letter authored by the Apostle Peter, it appears that the purpose of the writing is to encourage those Christians of the first century during times of persecution and suffering. That's a little scary for me. Am I going to be walking into another dark tunnel in my life? If so, I know the Lord Jesus Christ will hold my hand and guide me through, as He did for me as I walked through clinical depression at age 37-38.

So, here I go. I will blog as I study, hopefully focusing on the highlights of what the scripture is saying to me and how it applies in my life. Perhaps others will drop in now and then and find tidbits that they can use as they go around the bends of life. I was recently in Gatlinburg at the Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort Waterpark, and enjoyed floating in the lazy river. That is how I want to take this trip through First Peter...slowly, relaxed, getting ready for the next bend in the river...not knowing how it will turn, what will be there, or who will be there. But, hey, with Jesus in my float, what have I got to worry about?