1 Peter 1:10-21
Being a Christian isn’t easy. I heard recently about a friend’s grandfather who gave up a life of sin and debauchary to give himself over to Jesus. This led to a legacy from this man that faced many hardships, but included multiple international workers (missionaries), many national gospel workers, and even a man who served a prison sentence in Indonesia for his faith! This man’s life can be looked at as either incredibly encouraging or severely discouraging, depending on how you look at it. His unwavering devotion and willingness to put aside everything else in this world is a challenging thought, but one that really needs to be considered in this world of distractions. Christ promised us that life would be challenging, but looking at an example like this and knowing what we’ve gained in our spiritual lives because of it reminds us that maybe we have more to be grateful for than we think.
The Christian Life is Better than You Think
It’s humbling to think of those who suffered in the past on our behalf; serving us through their trials. They gave their all so that we could carve our own legacy in Christ. Consider Daniel, who lived as an exile in front of Nebuchadnezzar, even choosing not to go back to Jerusalem when the exile ended, to be an influence and advisor to the Babylonian kings. Daniel suffered to leave a legacy for the people there, future Jews, and all Christians today. With all the hardships Daniel suffered through, it’s perfectly understandable that he would be so focused on wanting for the Messiah. But not Daniel, not anyone else was given the details on when the messiah would come, only that He would. In fact, the entire history of the ancient Jews was focused on the messiah. It was such a passion in ancient Jewish culture that permeated everything they did. From Joseph to Moses to David to Simon bar Kokhba, the Jews scoured the world looking for their promised messiah. It’s really tragic they misunderstood what they were to look for, thus missing out on Jesus when He came. They missed what was right in front of them. But looking forward like that is hard. Thankfully we only have to look backwards!
It’s really not that bad for us today! We get to look back at what all the prophets looked forward to. We get to hear the stories, read what Jesus did, and learn how He has impacted history through the cross. The prophets only knew the promise that He would do great things to bless the world. We actually know what He did! We know about the calming of the storm and the healing of the man born blind. We know about Jairus’ daughter and the Roman centurion’s servant. And there’s lots more. Yes, a life of faith is hard, as many people look back and don’t believe, but it could have been a lot harder!
Live in an Abundant Mindset
To help us with that He also gave us the Holy Spirit – something that only a few people got to experience before Jesus. All of us get that direct connection to God! Our life in Him is better than you think. And having the Holy Spirit living within us is certainly not to be tossed aside. In the Old Testament, He came as went as God commanded, but now He is the deposit that stays with us, guaranteeing our inheritance in Heaven! With Him in us today, we can fulfill the challenges and teachings given to us by the New Testament writers. We aren’t talking about the name it and claim it gospel—you aren’t going to call on God’s name and walk outside to a Corvette. That’s not what scripture says, but it does tell us that we will have the faith to move mountains and that God will accomplish His will through us. I encourage you to read some about George Muller, an English leader of an orphanage and how each night he went to bed with bare cupboards, but God provided every meal every single day (Wikipedia). You do not need to fear, hoard, or keep stowed anything that can be used for Christ’s mission. He will make sure you have all you need.
Next Steps
Focus on Christ and live set apart in holiness, remembering that you have a just king who will judge this world. You’ve been ransomed through that judgment by the blood of Jesus and are God’s people through Him, allowing us to look forward to that judgment. We can choose to live a giving life in the abundance of Christ. Don’t take what we have in Christ for granted, but live generously for Christ, as each moment is a gift.
- Set yourself apart for God’s use each day; give Him your life.
- Train your mind through study and accountability
- Pay it forward and give generously
Times may be hard, but I once heard someone say that as a believer, this is the closest to hell you’ll ever experience, but for a non-believer, this is the closest to heaven they’ll get. Don’t take what we have in Christ for granted, but live generously for Christ, as each moment is a gift/opportunity.
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