1 Peter 1 – 3
Verse 1:7 is not one people like to hear:
Suffering tests your faith which is more valuable than gold (remember that gold, although it is perishable, is tested by fire) so that if it is found genuine, you can receive praise, honor, and glory when Jesus the Anointed, our Liberating King, is revealed at last.
We don’t want to suffer, we don’t want to hear about suffering and we sure has heck don’t want to think the salvation found in Jesus means we need to suffer. No, suffering is part of life no matter your “faith” and will continue throughout. We need to understand that suffering will build strength and will eventually allow the grace of Jesus to shine through. Think about how people respond to suffering, is it misery or is it “matter of fact”?
The key isn’t that we suffer it’s how we deal with it and how we show it. Do we lean into God or ourselves? Do we whine and complain or do we shrug it off? Do we learn or do we forget? We need to remember that Jesus suffered immensely for our backsides!
Verse 2:1 is simple but key:
So get rid of hatefulness and deception, of insincerity and jealousy and slander.
If you look at much of the problems in this world and they stem off not following the Ten Commandments. Lying, not loving one and other, coveting, lust and other “thought crimes” lead to crimes against others. We need to really understand that those ten simple statements mean more than the whole of the rest of the law. If societies took just those ten to heart, most of the other laws they create would not be required.
Verses 3:3 & 4 focus on our inside and not the exterior:
3 Don’t focus on decorating your exterior by doing your hair or putting on fancy jewelry or wearing fashionable clothes; 4 let your adornment be what’s inside—the real you, the lasting beauty of a gracious and quiet spirit, in which God delights.
This is a tough one for me since I think primping up is a waste of time, but being in shape is good. This turns back into the food laws for me, we have these bodies as vessels for God’s use and therefore need to keep them in tip top health. I have recently learned less than an hour a day will keep you going. So what’s the difference? One is honoring people’s fashion while the other is honoring God. Not to say one can go overboard and make their bodies the idol, but the key is eat right and stay active so when God calls you to action you can jump. Once your focus goes away from honoring God, that is the problem.