March 8: VIEWED AS TRAITORS
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you. 1 Peter 1:3-4
Peter learned many valuable lessons in his lifetime, many of them the “hard way.” But his situation as a believer in Christ should not have been an anomaly in the Jewish world. After all, the Hebrews had been gifted with prophets and taught from early on the expectation of the Messiah. They were even given the timing of His arrival upon the scene (Daniel 9:25). It is ironic that the Jews who believed on the Lord Jesus were viewed as traitors to the faith.
Persecution has a way of causing either growth or bitterness. The Christian’s response is the determining factor. Peter was called by the Holy Spirit to send encouragement to his scattered Jewish brethren, whom he called pilgrims of the Dispersion (1 Peter 1:1). He recognized that the diaspora of his fellow believers was actually a seed of great potential for the spread of the Gospel.
Already, Peter has mentioned the key to a life of thriving growth in God’s kingdom: sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience (v.1). This thing called obedience is the fruit of a relationship built upon trust in Jesus. He generously sends His Spirit — an extension of Himself — for guidance. Yet, our own will is never overridden; rather we have a choice to make – to align with Him or not. Learning to live in obedience to the Lord is ongoing. We cannot predict where the next temptation will come from. Often, it is the thing we consider least likely that poses the real danger; something familiar that “hides in plain sight.” Before the Lord’s return, there is a last-day call to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3). Christians who do this will be viewed as traitors, in keeping with history’s pattern. Beloved, we are in training for severe testing to come.
Whether those things that trip me up come from without or from within is not for me to choose. But they are for God to reveal to me, whether those things are evidence of the world’s fallenness, or character defects that I have allowed to fester within myself. Peter would be the first to admit that some of the most powerful lessons he learned were confrontations with his own inability to see what was just ahead (Matthew 26:75). My absolute trust must be in the One who knows. He knows the future, and He knows me better than I know myself. Faith in Him is considered a precious thing to the Lord, more precious than gold (1 Peter 1:7). When I exercise faith, I am obeying Him. He is the One who is truly in control. As our heavenly High Priest, He intercedes on our behalf. This is an essential element to His “keeping” of each of us. To keep is to honor. And we are to honor Him through keeping those things that He has taught us…
who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 1 Peter 1:5