Burunche’s Blog

1Peter 1:6 – 9 “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in various trials so that the proven character of your faith—more precious than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and rejoice with an inexpressible and glorious joy, now that you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”

It has been said that “Character is what you are when nobody is looking.” Most of us can look good for a little while and we may make a great impression as long as we are not under pressure. But bring a little stress and we don’t look nearly so outstanding. In Peter’s day, it was common to go to the market and see a goldsmith working gold. Raw gold contains lots of impurities, and these impurities can only be eliminated by heating the gold to the melting point and skimming off the impurities. The same thing is true with silver. And even after gold or silver have been refined, they can still be destroyed if the fire is hot enough.

Several years ago, my husband’s grandmother gave us some pure silver forks that had been passed down in her family. We left those forks with our daughter while we went overseas. Unfortunately, our daughter’s house was completely destroyed by fire, and the silver was never found. That raging fire had totally consumed the silver.

Faith that remains untested is not faith but merely wishful thinking. Unless our faith has been tried, nobody really knows if we are merely mouthing platitudes or if we are willing to act on what we say.

There are all kinds of trials of faith. We have one friend who has been in ICU for three weeks. Not only has our friend’s faith been tried, but his entire family has been forced to endure tremendous stress. But our friend continues to pray and to praise God, as do his other family members.

What good is faith? Why should we believe? If there were no reward for faith, it would be worthless; however, faith in Christ Jesus has a definite goal: eternal salvation. None of us can earn our way into heaven. Each of us has sinned and has fallen short of the glory of God. But if we will pray to God, confessing that we are sinners and ask God to save us, He will. We then must trust that the blood sacrifice Jesus completed on Calvary has the power to save us from our sins. Faith in the redeeming power of that sacrifice gives us the energy and the hope to continue to trust God and to praise Him and worship Him, even in the darkest of times. When we trust in God, He will give us the grace and the courage and the strength to withstand the pressures that assail us.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I confess that I am a sinner and that nothing I do will help me earn my way into heaven. Please forgive my sin. I thank you that you died for me and that because you have defeated death, you have the power to grant eternal life when I believe in you. Help me to trust you completely and to follow hard after you all the days of my life. Amen.

1 Peter 1: 3 – 5

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, reserved in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power for the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.”

Nobody could understand it! These people should have left town immediately. Certainly, their neighbors did everything they could to drive them away. The couple lived in a small village in what is now Democratic Republic of Congo, and they were the only Christians in the place. John and his wife had moved in at the bidding of the Holy Spirit, but they had had nothing but problems ever since they had arrived. As soon as the neighbors learned that John and Victoria were Christians, they began harassing them. The neighbors stole their goats and chickens and allowed their cows and pigs to enter their garden, despite a carefully woven fence. When nothing else would drive this couple away, the neighbors set fire to their house while they were at the farm, killing their small son who was asleep inside the house. Despite all of these persecutions, John and Victoria continued to be kind and to worship Jesus, singing and praying frequently throughout the day and night.

Then came the flood. While most people in town were afraid of deep water and could not swim, John was an expert swimmer who had grown up beside a large river. James and his family had led the persecution against John and Victoria when many others would have stopped. Now James stood helpless on one side of a swollen stream while his wife and children were stranded on a small island calling for help. “Tie a rope around my waist and anchor it to that big tree,” John ordered James. Wearing the safety rope, John managed to ford the stream and bring everyone to safety.

“Why have you helped us?” James begged with tears streaming down his face. “We have done nothing but hurt you ever since you came. We have managed to destroy everything you owned, including your only son.”

“It’s simple,” John replied. “Our hope is not in this world; our hope is in the Lord Jesus Christ, and it is Him whom we worship and follow. We have a living Hope. You continue to serve idols that can do nothing.”

“I want what you have,” responded James. “How can I have that kind of hope?” And that day, James and his family began to follow Jesus.

Today, many people around the world are without hope. One year ago, they had flourishing businesses; today the COVID – 19 pandemic has destroyed those businesses. Others have been caught up in the maelstrom of social change, unwilling participants in demonstrations by outsiders who have demolished their neighborhoods. Still others have conquered COVID, only to realize that rehabilitation may take months or years. What hope do these people have?

The Apostle Peter was no stranger to suffering. By the time Peter was writing this epistle, he had been in prison and had likely been beaten and had been forced to move from place to place. Eventually, Peter would be crucified for his faith. What is Peter telling us?

“By His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…” When we accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord of our lives, we are born again spiritually and now have real hope. Many hope in possessions or fame or businesses or political connections, but all of those can fall apart in an instant.

”…and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, reserved in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power for the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.” At one time, inheriting houses or lands could be a great blessing. Now inheritance taxes can eat up so much money that the inheritance becomes a burden. But God gives us an eternal inheritance that will never pass away.

We always have a choice: will we serve the one true living God, or will we serve something or someone else and less? Only God the Father can give us true hope and a living inheritance as we trust in what Jesus Christ has done for us. Today we must choose carefully, for we are choosing for eternity.

PRAYER: Father God, thank you for your precious promises. Lord, help us to truly believe in you and in your Son Jesus Christ. Thank you that when we do believe, you guarantee us that we will have a heavenly inheritance that can never be taken away from us. Thank you for giving us hope. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.