Praise to God for a Living Faith!

3Praise 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, 4and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, 5who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8Though 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, 9for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.(1 Peter 1:3-9)

In his letter, Peter wants to encourage Christians who are suffering for Christ. Although Christians might suffer in this life, they will not suffer forever. This world is not their real home. Heaven is their real home. One day they will live with God in heaven and share God’s *glory.

This letter is very practical. When a person becomes a Christian their life changes. Peter tells his readers how to live a good Christian life. Peter was with Jesus for about three years. He saw all that Jesus did. He heard all that Jesus said. Peter is writing to encourage Christians to live like Jesus.

Peter shows us in his letter how having a true knowledge of God has transforming power. Having this power by faith, the Christian should then demonstrate progressive growth towards true knowledge of Jesus. First faith, then goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love.

It is no different for us today. We have not seen Jesus in the flesh, however, we too have faith. Faith becomes who we are. Faith cannot be taught like a subject. It grasps us, shapes our passions, travels all over our systems, and redefines who we are. In that way, faith becomes truly our own. We open up to it in hope because the Spirit works through other people who live their faith honestly and bear its message to those who haven't grasped it yet.

Faith is done and shown in concrete ways of daily living, and in 'moments of truth' where matters of faith most clearly make the difference. Faith trusts God to forgive us. Faith trusts God to make us holy. Faith trusts God to make us effective. Faith trusts God to never abandon us.

Faith is what the Spirit uses to light the fires within you. When the Holy Spirit gets to work inside of you, the Spirit causes an internal revolution. All of your life gets turned in God's direction; thoughts, aspirations, behavioral standards, priorities, and such. It's not just about how you come to Christ, but how you live your life by way of Christ. The Spirit works overtime to lead us to be obedient. The Spirit only does this through faith.

Peace and love,

Sue


"Be still and know that I am God"(Psalm 46:10)