1 Peter 1 - 9.30.25
SCRIPTURE: 1 Peter 1:3-8
“Praise be to the 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, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven from you, 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 now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith - of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire - may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”
OBSERVATION: In this portion of Scripture, Peter is writing to the Jewish Christians regarding God’s greatest blessings to them. Some had been experiencing persecution for their faith, and Peter wrote to comfort and encourage them, and to challenge them to continue living holy lives. He prayed for God’s grace and peace to be in abundance over them. His encouraging words helped them face opposition.
APPLICATION: As Christ-followers, we will all face opposition and persecution, but thank God for God’s grace and peace that is ours, in abundance, as we go through trials and times of suffering for our faith.
In my own life, as I have grown in my faith, I have experienced feelings of being the outcast. It hasn’t been easy because so many times when I wanted so much to share what God was doing in my life, I knew many of my family members didn’t want to hear it. They just weren’t interested! Thank God for my husband, who has been so kind to sit and listen when I needed to share.
God has been so good to meet me every step that I’ve taken to draw closer to Him. And the things that He’s taught me about Himself have been mind boggling! He’s shown me time and time again that He is the true and living God, and that His Word is faithful. No matter what I have had to face, He has faithfully been there to guide me through as I have called out to Him. Every challenge and trial I have gone through has refined me and strengthened my faith in God! He has NEVER failed me, and He never will!
PRAYER: God, I praise You for Your grace and mercy over my life. Thank You for the countless ways that You have shown up when I have suffered grief and all kinds of trials. You are in the refining business, and as I look back and remember all the many ways You have been faithful to me, it makes me have inexpressible and glorious joy for all the wonderful blessings that I have received from You, and especially the salvation of my soul.
Holy Spirit, I pray You will use me to bring encouragement to the ones who need to find joy and hope in the midst of their trials, and for the ones who are longing for security and hope for their future, I am willing to point them to Jesus.
- Robin Orefice
