Love flows out from a grateful heart
You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls. This salvation was something even the prophets wanted to know more about when they prophesied about this gracious salvation prepared for you. They wondered what time or situation the Spirit of Christ within them was talking about when he told them in advance about Christ’s suffering and his great glory afterward. They were told that their messages were not for themselves, but for you. And now this Good News has been announced to you by those who preached in the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. 1 Peter 1:8-12
The Apostle Peter commended Christians who are facing difficulties in life. From the text, these believers chose to love Christ in spite of the sufferings they were facing because of their faith. They’ve only heard the testimonies of those who had been with the Lord Jesus Christ like Peter and that was enough for them to place their trust in Christ. Peter said about their faith in Christ, “You love Him even though you have never seen Him.” Because they have trusted their present situation in the hands of God, they were anticipating the culmination of God’s promises in the future. This was what made them wait for that glorious day. The anticipation of the future glory with Christ was what also motivated them to strive to live godly lives. Though they were facing grief because of the trials they have been going through, these challenges were temporary and the joy they have knowing Christ will not be taken away because of His abiding presence in their lives. Peter told them that such knowledge will keep them disciplined and focused exercising self-control (v. 13). As someone had said, “an idle mind is the devil’s playground.” As God transform our minds, we submit in obedience to His purpose. Our gratefulness to the salvation He provided will keep us trusting His grace as we live our lives for His glory. The challenge now is for us not to slip back to our former life. Peter described that life was characterized by ignorance that enslaved us satisfying our selfish desires (v. 14). Instead God’s word admonishes us to fashion our lives after Him. We should no longer be conforming to this world but continually being transformed to the life He gave us. This desire to live for His glory was the result of what He accomplished on our behalf. “For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God” (vv. 18-19). When you fix your hearts and your minds to Him and the anticipation of His glorious return, you will desire to live your life wanting to please Him.
Blessings,
Noel De Guzman
www.my-wbc.com
