Dear Friends,
We hope this week's devotional will encourage you in your spiritual walk.
You are welcome to share this and include it in your church newsletters if you wish; we just ask that you please give credit to NTC and the author. Thank you!
1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11
4:12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice insofar as you are sharing Christ’s sufferings, so that you may also be glad and shout for joy when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory, which is the Spirit of God, is resting on you.
5:6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you. 8 Discipline yourselves; keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering. 10 And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To him be the power forever and ever. Amen.
Devotional Thought:
Suffering was a natural part of being a Christian in the first few centuries of the Church. There were various types of suffering, not all physical, but all types came with a level of shame within the various cultures in which believers lived. As you can imagine, for most, the idea of rejoicing in suffering was a hard pill to swallow. That is why Peter, as well as many of the other NT writers, sought to help reframe this suffering in order to reframe believers’ identity and strengthen their faith. While this didn’t necessarily change the outward circumstances, it did help remove the stain of shame that many were struggling with. Peter reminded his audience that Christ also suffered to bring about their salvation and that their suffering was a sharing in Christ’s suffering. In other words, they shouldn’t be ashamed to suffer as their Lord suffered but should be encouraged by the union that this was creating between them and God and between them and other believers. Likewise, just as Christ was exalted, they too would be called to God’s eternal glory in Christ, who would restore, support, strengthen, and establish them forever and ever. Even now, in the midst of their suffering, Christ was blessing them and providing the Holy Spirit enabling them to resist the schemes of the devil.
While most of us do not experience the same types or levels of persecution and suffering as the early Christians did, we may still hold on to a degree of shame in terms of our faith for a variety of reasons. We too must remember that in Christ, we are new creation people and are being restored into the image of God. Likewise, God’s Spirit is at work in us to move us beyond our current circumstances and shame and to strengthen us and embolden us to live out our faith well in the present.
Prayer:
Gracious God, grant us a deeper trust in you, the work of Christ in our world, and the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Help us to identify ourselves, first and foremost, by who we are in Christ. Help us to set aside any shame or embarrassment we may experience because of our faith. Enable us to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit each day. Amen.
Rev. Dr. Rob A. Fringer
NTC Principal