June 3, 2020
You are being protected by God’s power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. You rejoice in this, though now for a short time you have had to struggle in various trials so that the genuineness of your faith—more valuable than gold, which perishes though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:5-7
When protection is offered, there is usually a means or source by which or through which it is or will be provided or offered. Attached is a reason or purpose. There is usually an intended outcome. There is always a person or property on which the protection is placed. Almost always, there is a length of time involved.
Peter reminds that protection is offered by God’s power by means of faith with the end result being a salvation which will be administered by revelation at the end. But at the end of what? The end of the various trials and struggles of this life. No one is immune to them. On some level we will all have them, Christ follower or not. So, what is our response to be? To rejoice, knowing that this current situation is not the end, but not just for the sake of being happy but to keep us moving forward in the midst of it all. This rejoicing also has the result of a genuineness of our faith so that publically and privately, praise, honor and glory will be in place when the plan of Jesus is finally known by all.
As of this writing, the country has been in protest for seven days over an act of injustice enacted by persons of authority. Most major cities have seen rioting and destruction of property as a result of marches and mass gatherings of diverse people of all ages. What strikes me, however, is how our city – Memphis – has been different than most. On a scale of one to ten, I’d say the amount of destruction is a one maybe two. I credit that to the dozens and dozens of in the crowd who are there for another reason and the control of the march leaders who are there for the correct reasons.
Our city being a civil rights city, I think, has tempered the leadership of our marches so that the gatherings end up being important expressions of our heart. Many of the organizers and leaders have been persons of faith. That’s important to note because it results in processionals that stop along the route to take a knee in prayer, singing of hymns throughout, and the adherence, for the most part, to the emergency curfew enacted by our mayor.
Here’s the tie in to today’s verses – when these days are recalled in the future, I believe that our response to the struggles and trials of the current age will result in honor and glory and praise to the Lord because the genuineness of our faith was revealed to the watching world.
- Pray for the change that honors the Lord to come – soon.
- Pray for the chance to speak grace, mercy and peace into someone’s life – maybe even today.
- Pray for the elected officials and judicial officials/personnel handling the day to day aspects of all of this.