A word from Peter

08 Novembre, 2008

A Word from Peter

“Though you have not seen [Christ], 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.”

--1 Peter 1:8-9

I spent time this afternoon in 1 Peter 1, particularly in the first nine verses. It was encouraging to me as he outlines in verses 3-7 that we have been given such hope in the resurrection of Christ and that we have been given an inheritance in heaven that will never spoil or fade. He talks of the truth that we by faith are shielded by God until the “last times” and that because of this we can rejoice, even though for now (“a little while”) we endure grief in all kinds of trials. These trials are given to us to refine our faith, that it would be proved genuine and that in the end it would result in the praise, glory and honor of Jesus.

I can’t tell you how much this is encouraging to me today, as I reflect on the trials we have seen here. I would be not truthful if I did not say that we have indeed seen the Lord provide for us in many ways (see post about answers to prayer in October). I would also be painting a falsely perfect picture by leaving it at only those joys. Especially as the weather has gotten cooler here and we have settled into the rhythm and grind of ministry, our rose-tinted glasses have come off. It is easier to get discouraged when then trials of living overseas and doing ministry in a part of the world which is so spiritually cold have worn down on you for two months. Living in a small community, you start to realize what things about each of your team members wear on you. Struggling with a foreign language, you realize that even by the end of the year you will probably still have moments when you feel like there is no way to express some of the things that you want to. Pouring into ministry in a dry place, it seems as if it will be years and years before any real fruit is seen here.

And then Peter talks to us about faith. In verse 7 he states that our faith is “of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire.” Because of our faith in Jesus Christ, we love him, and this fills us with “inexpressible and glorious joy.” (vs. 8). When I read that phrase, I had to stop and ask myself, “are you filled with inexpressible and glorious joy?” The best response I could give myself was a resounding “um…” So I asked the question: “what prompts this kind of joy?” I found the answer at the beginning of the same verse: love. It seems as if love for Christ and faith in Christ are somehow linked and result in the joy of which Peter writes.

So how does one experience the “inexpressible and glorious joy” promised to us by these words? How does one endure trials with the same joy as great triumphs? How does one live like Paul, who states that “I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish (literally: dung) that I may gain Christ and be found in him…” (from Philippians 3:7-10) How does one live a life “full of faith?”

We wait in hope for the Lord;

he is our help and our shield.

In him our hearts rejoice,

for we trust in his holy name.

May your unfailing love be with us, Lord,

even as we put our hope in you.

--Psalm 33:20-22