Week of December 21

“To learn strong faith is to endure great trials,” says George Mueller. The Apostle Peter knew the meaning of such Christian resolve as he wrote a letter to the churches in Asia Minor. He has been called the “Apostle of Hope” because he directs the focus of persecuted believers away from their severe trials toward a promised future deliverance. Peter knew about suffering for Christ. He had endured the type of harassment and suffering these Christians were weathering, so he provides a testimony packed with success (cf. Acts 15:17-42, esp. v. 40; 12:1-19). Let’s find encouragement to walk faithfully in Christ today, with our sights set on our future hope in Him.

It is believed that the missive was penned in the early 60s AD during the Neronian persecution in Rome. Scholars think it had reached the outlying provinces, like Asia Minor. Some passages, such as 1 Peter 2:13-17, may suggest that Christian oppression was not yet so severe that Christians had to choose between obedience to God and obedience to the government. Peter’s main message to the persecuted believers in Asia Minor was to trust the Lord, live in obedience to Him, and fix your hope on God’s ultimate deliverance. These circumstances are somewhat similar in nature to ours today, and they offer familiar ground upon which we can also stand.

Let me put this theme into perspective. These Christ followers were true faith pioneers because they did not have all that we have to support them. There was no Bill of Rights or Constitution to ensure certain freedoms of speech and religion. There were no guaranteed basic human rights to protect one’s person and property. They did not have a denomination, or even a network of churches, to provide social identity and political influence! Let’s seek to make a contemporary application of this theme to our lives today by examining the social and political contexts of the letter.  

Christ is our model of endurance. Peter’s encouragement was to model their lifestyles after a suffering-servant Savior who had died on the cross and was raised from the grave (2:21-25; 3:18). Christ’s sacrificial example was their encouragement. So, rather than flee persecution, they were taught how to endure it patiently with the promise of end-times deliverance. 

We hear frequent outcries of religious persecution from Christians in our American culture. Whether it is in the form of opposition to Christian cake-making or personal Christian conviction regarding marriage licensing, these forms of opposition have some parallels to the types of maltreatment that Peter addresses in his letter. He mentions suffering quite often in five short chapters, and we may draw encouragement from his words (1:6-7; 2:21-25; 3:13-17; 4:12-19; & 5:10; HCBC). 

See the greater purpose in your hardship. We know that suffering is purposeful in Christ (3:14; 4:14). We are encouraged to weather it patiently (2:21; 3:9) and with joy, despite the hardships we face (4:13). Christ provides them with an example of how to overcome suffering and how to behave while experiencing it (2:21-25)! We should also keep in mind that there may be a requirement from God to endure it for reasons we may not know immediately (4:19). So, from what source is our hope derived?

Feed your daily life with Christian hope. We have this hope embedded within our hearts following our “new birth” (i.e. salvation; 1:3). The result is a daily “living hope,” because Jesus has been raised by the Father (Titus 2:13). This is no fleeting hope, however. Peter likens it to an inheritance that can never “perish, spoil, or fade” (1:4). And Peter writes that it is “garrisoned” in heaven. There is no way that anyone evil, or any form of the same, can gain access to the fortress and rip it from the Father’s grasp. That is mighty secure, if you ask me! So, Peter says to us today, as he did to those believers in his day, to stand firmly in this hope. George Mueller also said, “I have learned my faith by standing firm amid severe testings.” That is a good testimony to follow!

Harassment from non-Christians followed me throughout my school years. Many of you may well testify to the same in your own personal experience. I learned that clinging to Christ helped me to face the calumny that often was thrown my way. I also recall that some of the very people who had mocked and ostracized me were the ones who later came privately to me to find the source of my resolve and hope (4:4). I was able to share with them the source of my strength and hope in Christ. The words of Tomas Fuller challenge us to see the future hope through the lens of our current troubles. He said: “That which is bitter to endure may be sweet to remember.” Find hope in your hardship today.

1. Write down some of the personal experiences you are facing with opposition to your faith in Christ. Ask Christ specifically to mold His example of faith in suffering to your life. 

2. We cannot pray #1 above without knowing that this could mean the heat of opposition will flare up around you (cf. “fiery trial” in 4:12). Should this experience occur, then be prepared to thank God now for His mercies to come and for His ultimate deliverance. Recognize that others will be watching you, so pray now that the witness to your hope in Christ will bring glory to Him.

3. For Families: We have been reading about, and practicing, how to remain steadfast and faithful, even joyful, when suffering or walking through trials. We can explain this to our children, but to really learn this principle, they will need to live and experience God’s presence and help on their own. Just like we have to do quite often.
 
As you share with them these devotionals, let them experiment. Offer to let them taste something that is bitter at the first bite, but becomes sweet as they savor it. The most common example of a candy that is bitter and then sweet is dark chocolate, especially when it is high in cocoa content. The initial taste is often slightly bitter, followed by a wave of sweetness as the sugar in the chocolate melts on the tongue. Licorice candy is another example. 
 
Let your kids sample a bite as they hear about this important truth from Peter’s letter. Sometimes we have hard times, kind of bitter, but when we trust in God and are obedient to Him, we will know the sweetness of His care for us through every step.

May your paths be straight,
Larry C. Ashlock