Have you ever had it rough? I mean, things at the end of the day were just not going your way. I was a small guy in junior high and high school so I got bullied a lot. More days than not it was a difficult day in school. Maybe you’ve had difficult days in your marriage, on your job or just physically worn out due to sickness.
The Apostle Peter knows about difficult days. His letter in the New Testament that we call 1 Peter is a reminder that as a Christian, you will have difficult days. But different than the tough days I already described, Peter reminds us that we’ll have tough days simply because we follow Jesus. Peter is writing followers of Jesus in modern day Northern Turkey. Rome is in power and those that follow Jesus are experiencing very difficult times because of that very thing. Peter’s letter is showing us how to live out our faith despite difficult days.
Peter reminds us that Jesus is the source of our hope. People will let us down. Careers have an ending point. Friends will betray us. But Jesus will walk with us no matter what is going on around us. We may place our hope in athletics, family, friends, the bank, retirement or our intellect but our living hope is found in Jesus Christ.
Peter also reminds us that we have true joy in Jesus Christ. It’s more than tolerating the temporary problems to get to the eternal life promised. It’s about how we live in the face of true adversity and chaos with a smile on our face. Hope isn’t just about the future. It’s about the present as well. As tough as our current culture is, this is a movement for faith to shine brightly and hope to float. Peter reminds us to keep our current situation in perspective against the backdrop of the glory of our risen Savior.
And Peter reminds us that our faith is actually strengthened through adversity and suffering. While we experience difficult moments in our life, remember that Peter is writing to Christians who could be arrested, unemployed, offered no housing or even killed because of their belief in Jesus Christ. While our difficulties exist every day, I doubt any of us are having to experience what those first century Christians experienced for their faith in Jesus.
Just remember, the tough days of this life will not even compare to the brilliant and wonderful years we’ll experience when Jesus comes back for us. When Satan turns up the heat on your life, know that it is building character and a refining faith in you. Smile with joy in knowing that nothing can ever remove you from the hand of God. We are only passing through this life. Our goal is to live eternally with the Living Hope whose name is Jesus. Blessings on your journey.