Good Monday to you my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
Anticipation is a wonderful thing, isn’t it? For many people this week has been anticipated for a long time. Thursday of this week for America is Thanksgiving Day and that normally means friends, family, food and lots of memories. It also means the next day is a crazy shopping day often called “Black Friday” because so much retail business is done that day many businesses find it vital to their profitability. And of course, Thanksgiving turns everyone’s anticipation toward Christmas. I wonder what you are anticipating this week, my friends?
These days we are with the apostle Peter, about the year 64ad, probably in the city of Rome, from which Peter is writing his first letter of great encouragement to Christians all over the known world, but especially throughout the Roman Empire. Over the past few days, we’ve been contemplating Peter’s very encouraging statement of anticipation regarding “an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade, kept in heaven for you…” (1 Peter 1:4) Today, let’s focus on Peter’s next statement: “…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. In all this you greatly rejoice, though for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.” (1 Peter 1:5) Peter was writing during a very, very difficult time in human history for Christians and Jews, especially. Both were hated by some of the leadership of the Roman Empire, and terrible persecution was widespread.
Stories of torture and death were causing people to live in great fear that any day, at any time, for any reason they could be grabbed and taken into custody with no advocate and no appeal for mercy or justice. Peter himself may have been in prison as he wrote this letter. His statement “…though for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials…” is an understatement of the widespread terrorism against Christians in those days. Peter wasn’t minimizing the difficulty they faced daily but rather urging his readers to consider the brevity of this painful time of persecution as compared to all eternity they will have in heaven with Jesus! I wonder what difficulties in life you are facing this week my friends, and can you find hope and peace when you compare this temporary pain with the great joy of all eternity with Jesus?When Peter wrote the phrase ‘who through faith are shielded by God’s power” I wonder if Peter nodded in confidence that the power of God demonstrated in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead; or the Old Testament power of God unleashed in the plagues to gain the release of the Hebrew slave’s from Egyptian bondage, were but only two very practical examples of God’s power used by God to accomplish His purposes and defeat the dark kingdom? First century Christians were needing that supernatural power of God, every day, to face the challenges of living under such horrific persecution.
May I ask you, my friends, when you hear the phrase ‘shielded by God’s power’ what comes into your mind?
What examples of God’s power have you experienced?
What terrible things has God been shielding you from by His power?
What would life be like for you if God was NOT shielding you by His power?
And do you notice the importance of faith which Peter makes clear in this promise? The unleashing of God’s power into the horrific challenges of life faced by Christians is God’s response to their powerful, unwavering FAITH in God. Did you get that my friends?
Perhaps you are asking… what are more specific details about this FAITH which is needed to gain this shielding by God’s power? 2600 years ago, the prophet Isaiah brought an important message from God to a king who was desperate as he faced the approach of an evil, invading, powerful army. The message from God was this: “If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.”(Isaiah 7:9) Faith, of course, is the bedrock of any relationship with God, for the writer of Hebrews says: “Faith is the confidence in what we hope for and the assurance about what we do not see…and without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to God must believe that God exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” (Heb. 11:1, 6)
So, this faith in God that moves God to shield us by His power begins with a sure faith that God exists, that God is who He says He is… Omnipotent, Omnipresent, Omniscient God who is the origin of all that exists. Holy God who is always good and perfect. Life-giving God who has created every person and sustains them every day of their lives. Loving God who loves our human race despite our rejection of God and our embrace of evil. Promise keeping God, trustworthy God, always available God, a God of holy justice but also a God of great mercy. And the list of God’s attributes goes on and on, doesn’t it my friends? So, when you think about Peter’s promise that God’s power would shield these dear first century Christians living in such perilous times, and you look around your world, your life circumstances, what conclusions do you draw my friends, about how God’s power is shielding you, carrying you, sustaining you? And what role does your FAITH in God have in stimulating God to unleash His mighty power upon you as He shields you, as Peter wrote? Or are you counting on something else to stir God to shield you by His power? Perhaps your generosity to charities or your faithful attendance at your church or your careful attention to the 10 Commandments?
May I tell you my friends, I’m so glad Peter, and other writers of the Bible tell us, that God unleashes His protecting power upon His people because He LOVES us, and we have great FAITH in Him and we are pursuing a growing relationship with God! Now let’s just ponder that my friends, as we consider the challenges that you and I face in life each day. And here’s a worship song to help us reflect on these powerful promises of hope from Peter about the shielding power of God available to you and me, no matter where we live in the world.
Today’s Scripture is 1 Peter 1:4-6.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
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Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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