1 Peter 2:1-25

The problems we are called to face in life must be met with biblical actions that will help us to be able to stand up under these difficulties.  God intends for these experiences to make us stronger and better prepared to serve Him with all of our hearts.  Unfortunately, there are many times when these trials cause us to become discouraged and even disobedient.  Peter gives us so great direction as to how we can avoid the latter and experience the former.

WE MUST SEEK THE SCRIPTURES: When the waves of worry begin to wash over our hearts and minds amidst the seas of suffering to which we have been called; we must anchor our souls in the Scriptures.  The longing desire of our hearts must be for the Word of God to guide, comfort and direct us.  Several times a day we all become very passionate about food.  Babies will fuss and cry until they are fed.  As adults we have learned to control these actions but we still manage to make sure that food finds its way into our mouths.  We should have these same desires when it comes to God’s Word.  Trials in our lives should send us seeking the Word of God with all of our hearts.  We must not allow difficulties to cause us to doubt God and His goodness and cause us to flee from the Word.  Scripture provides us with a divine perspective on our problems and we must seek to gain that perspective with all of our hearts.

WE MUST SEPARATE FROM SIN: Not all suffering is as a result of our own sin, but we are certainly more vulnerable to sin during times of weakness.  Pain is a blessing in disguise in the lives of believers.  Our trials and temptations should be a motivating factor for us to examine our personal walks with Christ and we should try to detect areas of sinfulness.  It is not necessarily that our trails are caused by sin; rather the trials are a reminder to probe our hearts for sins that may have taken root in our hearts.  God has called us to be a people who are separate from sin.  We live in a sin cursed world amongst people who are enslaved to sin without Christ.  It is vital that we, as believers, do all we can to remain holy as God is holy that we might live for His honor and glory.  This will serve to both diminish our suffering and cause our trials to bring about eternal good.

WE MUST SERVE IN SUBMISSION: Authority is a gift from God to us and a means through which God protects us.  He calls us to serve Him in all that we do and recognize that we are always under His authority and whomever our earthly authority might by that person is established by God.  Unbelieving and unreasonable authority figures in our lives are often difficult for us to handle or understand.  However, God has established these people in these positions for reasons that may far exceed our understanding.  It is not our job to understand why certain people are in authority over us.  It is our job to submit to these people as unto the Lord.  As believers we may be called to suffer unjustly at the hands of unbelieving authorities.  This is exactly what happened to Christ and we are called to follow in His footsteps.  One thing is for sure.  If we are insubordinate we will suffer as evil doers and will also lose our eternal rewards.  If we are submissive we will likely still suffer under the hand of sinful men but our eternal reward will remain intact.  Either path requires suffering but the choice should be very clear.

WE MUST SUFFER IN SILENCE: The pattern of Christ’s suffering was a silent one.  Christ did not complain against or revile others when He suffered.  He was silent and recognized that it was the Father’s plan for Him.  We will do well and honor God if we will follow this example.  We must not complain or become abrasive because of the suffering we are called to endure.  Rather, God calls us to rejoice in the face of suffering as we know that He is working out His will in and through us.  Moaning and groaning does little or nothing to relieve suffering, it usually ends up driving away the people who could help us endure these hardships.  We must gain a divine perspective on our suffering and follow Christ’s example of suffering in silence.