Hope over suffering
1Peter 1:3-9 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, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 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, 8 whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 receiving the end of your faith–the salvation of your souls.
I hope and pray that you see the Good News in this scripture. I pray that you know the faith that lies in the hope of this passage. If you are sitting under a solid teacher of God’s Word, you will understand it. If you are sitting under one that only teaches prosperity, it brings about a question. It should bring about a question if you do not understand it. Smiling preachers that preach only hope that pads their pocketbooks, will never teach about suffering as a Christian; it would hurt their bottom line. Will the same Gospel that is taught in the nation of excess, teach in the street of the slums of India?
Christ told us that as his followers the world will hate us. John 15:18 “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Christ was telling this to his disciples to encourage them. He knew they would face persecution in their ministries to come; He knew the deaths they would die for their faith. But all that we face today is temporary as Christians. If we all understand that we will stand before Christ on Judgment Day, we all must understand our lives will be on trial. Did you accept the work of Jesus Christ to Atone for your sins; or did you deny him and pursue all the pleasures this temporal time here can bring? Christ taught that if you do, you will receive your reward only for your short time here. What does your eternity hold?
Someone at the bottom of the pile in this life, can truly grasp the Hope that lies in the next. Someone who understands the Bible sees that their life in the afterlife will be glorious when they live this life for God as his disciple no matter what their situation. Matthew 19:30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first. This life is temporal, a chance to live your life for the One who give you the life eternal afterwards. When you truly grasp that, hope grows more each day, for you realize you are closer to Him in eternity each day. Titus 3:4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
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