And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 1 Peter 5:10 ESV

 

     The book of 1 Peter is all about the Christian suffering and the sustaining faith in God / Jesus. When reading this book, you can imagine the intense suffering in the church as Nero, the leader of Rome, blamed the burning of Rome upon the Christians. Persecution intensified upon the Christian, and to be a Christian meant you were going to suffer. Peter challenged the Christian to live and follow the example of Christ. This challenge involves suffering that is done not with a fight but with a submissive spirit causing people to look past you as a Christian and see Jesus. The Christian in Nero’s day could not control the lies that were being spread about them, but they could live in order to give testimony that the lies were false. I heard a statement years ago that I have repeated multiple times. It goes like this, “Confidence is how little you react when you are falsely accused.” Being a Christian is not an easy lifestyle to live because “Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5: 8 ESV  It is important for the Christian to live his life in submission to God. Not to do so would be furnishing the Devil the seasoning he enjoys while devouring you. Seasoning like hate, ungodly anger, bitterness, unforgiving lifestyles, and on and on this list of seasonings could go. One important note to remember about the verse written above is suffering is limited to, a little while. It goes on from there and states, “The God of all grace, who called you to his ETERNAL glory in Christ will….”

RESTORE:
     To restore something means there is someone who is doing the restoring. In the life of the individual Christian, the person doing the restoring would be God. When life becomes difficult or painful, a person can become frustrated and want to withdraw or quit, but one must have faith that, “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:6 ESV

CONFIRM:
     I have heard the statement, “If I just knew good would come from this, it would be easier to live with.” Never quit living or doing right for Galatians 6:9 says, “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we WILL REAP, if we do not give up.” ESV  Remember from the verse above, “He who began a good work in you WILL.”

STRENGTHEN:
     Strength generally comes from exercising muscles, and spiritual strength comes from exercising faith in God. Faith grows when a person looks to God for answers knowing and understanding that He is in control. It is acknowledging, I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13 ESV  It is learning to live right before him when it seems every ounce of your fiber tells you to run. It is putting on the whole armor of God and standing. (Ephesians 6:10-20) If you read this passage, you will notice it tells you to stand not charge into battle…. the reason? The battle is already won; we are commissioned to tell how it was won.

ESTABLISH:
     What was true in 2 Thessalonians 3:3 when written, is true for you today…. But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one. Acts 17: 28  should be our model to live by today…. In him we live and move and have our being.

Let me close with a challenge…… LIVE STRONG in the Lord! And after you have suffered a little while, the God of grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 1 Peter 5:10 ESV

Because of His Grace ~ Pastor David