1 Peter 1:5

Through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.

I wonder how you or I would cope with persecution from the civic authorities. Just imagine what it would be like to live with the knowledge that the police are after you, simply because you are a Christian. This is precisely the experience of thousands of Christians today in many parts of the world, and it was also a reality in many periods of the early Church. Peter wanted to equip the Christians to face up to the fires of persecution with courage and confidence, and so he reminded them that God would protect them. The verb that he used for “protecting” was a military term and the tense made it clear that God was continually protecting them. Whatever happened they could be confident that God would be with them and give them courage to stand for him.

Peter encouraged his readers to look forward to the day when they would see the full reality of salvation. They were living through a time of struggle and difficulty, but could look with confidence to the day when they would be totally set free from the suffering and sin of their present life. They already had an experience of salvation, but the best was yet to be. That is always the case for us as Christians. If you have committed your life to Christ and are living in his way, then your sins are forgiven, and you are experiencing the wonder of salvation. But as you grow in your Christian life and experience more of the Spirit’s power and presence, the wonder of your salvation will grow. As you look to the future you can be sure that the experience will continue to deepen and become even more wonderful until the day when everything becomes clear, and we will all experience the full wonder of salvation.

I hope you have a great day today, but remember, the best is yet to come!

Question

How do you think you would cope with the police arresting you because of your Christian faith?

Prayer

Lord God, I pray for those who are threatened by the authorities because of their love for you. Please give them your grace, courage and strength. Amen