As we were planning for the fall, one member of the LCM Leadership Team asked if our Bible study might look at a New Testament book which wasn't a Gospel or written by Paul. "What might there be to learn from the others?" was the request.
This morning, my devotional guide has me starting one of those books: I Peter. Over the next couple of days, I will reflect on this book and invite you to read along each day. Today's section is I Peter 1:1-12.
This book is written to one who is experiencing difficulty. Peter writes to assure us that, even "though now for a little while you may have to suffer various trails." Peter wants to assure the reader that these "trials" are but temporary while God's love and God's gifts are eternal.
He tells us, "You have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." This living hope is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading.
One of the advantages of regularly reading our bibles are the stories of those who have endured hardships, only to emerge later. We are allowed to gain the perspective of those who have a longer view of history and of God's interactions with us. Living in a ghetto, sometimes called a University, we are surrounded by persons our own age and too seldom provided opportunities to benefit from those who have lived a bit longer; those who have had the experience of months, or years, or even decades of "trials," only to see these fade and that which is eternal take center stage.
Peter writes to such an audience. He writes to encourage us to hold fast and not to forsake that which truly does have the ability to endure.
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