Faith—trust in God—is necessary for living each day with Hope. It is the foundation under everything that makes life worth living (Heb. 11:1-2). Without faith, we cannot gain a proper perspective of life; therefore, it becomes impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6). Our Creator has made us anew through faith; the gift of grace delivered by faith in Christ is the only way to know God exists and that he rewards those who seek him (Eph. 2:8; Heb 11:6). So, when we place our faith in Jesus Christ, we can connect to our Living Hope and live each day in spiritual abundance. Jesus makes us more than conquerors (Ro. 8:31b). If God is guiding our lives, how can we lose?
In our passage today, the Apostle Peter reminds the early scattered believers—throughout the northern areas of Asia Minor—they are to standout in the culture where they live. These Christians were probably expelled from Rome by the evil emperor Nero. The focus of Peter’s letter is to give these early believers a different perspective of faith during times of persecution. Believers are swimming upstream against the cultural current empowered by allegiance to Christ and the Spirit while unbelievers remain spiritually dead and floating downstream wherever their desires take them.
As followers of Christ, we also struggle submitting to injustice and ungodly people-pleasing authority. We feel the tension in our very souls and rise to see things differently. God is our Author and we live under his Authority. There is no need to demand that others see things the way we do; in fact, apart from Christ giving human beings spiritual eyesight, we are all blind to the things of God. People must seek God if they want to know the One who opens the eyes of the blind to provide Truth (Jo. 8:32; Jo. 9:6-7).
Believers in Christ—our Lord and the Living Word—may be seen in our culture as narrow, foolish, or even strange because we choose to view things from a heavenly perspective. Our faithful God deserves our trust; we can place our faith in his care even when we are criticized, persecuted, or struggle to swim against the cultural current. We must rejoice in our ability to live differently in spite of what is going on around us.
Jesus told his disciples [us] the world would be hostile—hate us because it hated him (Jo. 15:18). If the world loves us and we wait to be affirmed by the world, we have lost our Way. When, by faith, we stay on the righteous path while living on earth, we are given divine protection and promised a reserved place in heaven. God is the Deliverer and he will keep us in his will and safe in his care no matter what we may face. Keep the faith and hang onto your HOPE, because the Savior is with you.
1 Peter 1:3-9 NLT The Hope of Eternal Life
3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, 4 and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. 5 And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.
6 So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. 7 These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.
8 You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. 9 The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for making us strong conquerors in the midst of this raging cultural flood. We stand on solid ground, because you are our Rock and Refuge. We do not need to be afraid nor do we need to lose our way. We have placed our Hope in you, Lord. The Spirit is our guide for daily living and we need to be listening and following along your divinely perceived righteous path. Continue to keep our eyes open and our way clear in Jesus’ name. Amen.