Hop on over to http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Peter+1&version=NIV and read 1 Peter 1, then come on back and see what I got.
Right away, Peter reminds us that those of us who have faith and believe that Jesus was who He claimed to be, have an inheritance awaiting us. Better than a truck full of cash or a warehouse full of snack cakes, this bounty of ours doesn't rip, tear, fade or spoil. Ever. I mean, we're already rich if you think about it. And not "rich" by society's floppy standards. With gold and that stuff. No, having that stuff makes you constantly worry about NOT having it. Nope, this cornucopia of Greatness is something we only lose if we choose to lose it. Keep the faith, keep the lotto winnings.
And Peter tells us that, sure, you may have been thrown some life curveballs and perhaps been beaned a time or two, but that only serves to let your true faith shine. This allows those who suffer a fastball to the dome and fall, to get back up, and be more gung-ho for Jesus than ever before. Honed. Refined. Shaped. To be tested and know you passed is a great feeling. And if you didn't pass at first, God is one of those really cool teachers who lets you retake the exam. But, just try not to make a habit of it. Don't be "that student." Cool?
Peter says that the truly faithful are the ones who love Jesus, but have never met him. We are those who have not seen him, but glorify, praise and exalt His name. Because, quite honestly, that's the definition of faith. Believing without seeing. However, if you keep your eyes open around you, like really open, evidence of God, the Son and the Holy Spirit are surrounding us like Monday morning traffic.
One thing about faith and knowing without logic telling you that you really know something, even though you really do know it, is that once you got it, you need to keep it. Hold on to that faith in Jesus. That belief that he is the Deliverer and Saviour of your world. Because now that that's part of you, you are meant to be different. In pretty much all that you do. All the bad stuff that was brought down upon you by family, friends, past, present...none of that matters. Wash it clean away because you were just washed clean.
"...for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” I mean, there it is. Do that.
Peter tells us something pretty cool here, that maybe possibly gets overlooked in the text because the whole chapter is, honestly, a little wordy and we as faulty humans tend to gloss over things that we shouldn't. "He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake." Not to go off on a tangent here, but Peter is saying that, yep, Jesus was around before the creation. Hanging out with the Father and the Holy Spirit.
Kickin' it in space or heaven or wherever they wanted. Blueprinting this amazing place we call home. I think that's pretty cool. Like he was watching the universe happen, earth's construction, all of the Old Testament events go down and then, God looked at His watch and was like, "Okay, let's do this." Just to save all of us. Go ahead and thank Him for that real quick...
Sorry, that did end up a tangent. Back to Peter...
...who tells us that after receiving Jesus into our lives, believing in Him, having faith and then honoring that faith on a daily basis, we are reborn through the Word that cannot fail and cannot die.
