A Beginning: The Verse- 1 Peter 1:1-12

1 Peter 1

 ¹ Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

   To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, ² who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood:

   Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

Praise to God for a Living Hope

 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, ⁴ and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, ⁵ 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. ⁶ In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. ⁷ 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. ⁸ 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, ⁹ for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

 ¹⁰ Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, ¹¹ trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow. ¹² It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.

Daniel's thoughts:

As I read these verses I felt the peace of God come upon me. I was listening to Jon Thurlow and was planning to study for a test. Instead I took a deep breath and opened up the Word of God and read the Bible. God used that time to remind me that in the midst of all things in this world he is present and at work. All things in this world will pass away and he alone will remain and all heavenly things with him. Our world, our lives, our worries seem so ever present and all important, but God is all that matters. If I put my trust or my hope in anything but God then I will be disappointed. If I put my trust in God then as it says in Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." God has a plan that is better than anything I can imagine. He loves me and he loves you! He wants the best possible life for us, he is not out to take my happiness, instead he is working to bring me joy, salvation and to remake me in his image. 

We rejoice in the our new birth into living hope as well as the future hope of salvation through Christs resurrection. Our hope is in our future salvation, but there is hope in this life and this world: God is at work! God is at work in our heart and he is at work in our world through us his people his church. 

What does this mean for our present circumstances: in this life we suffer- but there is a purpose to refine and prove our faith. For our faith is of great worth!

The goal of this faith is to make us more like Christ and to inherit salvation through the work Christ has completed for us. 

The prophets searched for the meaning and the salvation to come through Christ, yet they did not see or know Christ in his person. Yet the prophets spoke these things for us who know Christ who lived with Christ and for us who live in the redeemed state after Christ. For we have the promise, the prophecy and the gospel fulfillment.

I often think of the gospel as separate from the cross but they are the same- the good news of salvation! Even Angels long to know Christ, the Gospel and the Cross deeper. 

What does this mean for us now in this life? How do we live? We have still not seen Christ in physical form. But we have felt Christ in our hearts. His Spirit is with us and in us. As verse 8 and 9 says we love him and we are filled with glorious joy! Let us live in Joy!

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, ⁹ for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Daniel's Prayers:

Abba Father my God.

• Help me to center my heart and my life on you and you alone. 
• I want to trust and hope in you and your promises and not in anything temporal not relationships not InterVarsity, not myself. 
• Thank you for making me new and promising me a future - an eternal one. 
• Thank you for your promise, prophecy and the gospel- the good news of Christ. 
• I want to grow in faith and maturity for it is of great worth to you and to me.

 - I pray these things in the name of your Son Jesus Christ 

my Savior, Lord and Friend.