1 Peter 4:7-19 What We Are To Do While We Wait

Peter left us ten commandments to keep us in balance as we wait for Christ’s return, my commentary said:

 

1)      Keep your mind steady and clear

2)      Be alert and controlled in your praying

3)      Have love for your Christian brothers and sisters – love that you work at like an athlete does

4)      Share your homes with other Christians in hospitality

5)      Minister with your spiritual gifts – you have been given at least one

6)      Don’t think it strange that you are persecuted

7)      Rejoice

8)      Don’t be ashamed of being a Christian or of the way the world treats Christians

9)      Glorify God

10)   Commit yourself to God

 

He also told us to expect suffering.  “The world does not persecute religious people, but it does persecute righteous people,” my commentary said.  “Persecution and trials do not just happen.  They are a part of God’s plans and He is in control.”

 

“It is important to examine our lives to ensure that we aren’t suffering because of our own sin.  The fact that we are Christians is not a guarantee that we escape the normal consequences of our misdeeds.”

 

In our sufferings, we also need to ask, “Am I ashamed or glorifying Christ?” and also, “Am I seeking to win the lost?”, for if we keep our focus on these areas while we are suffering, the lost will be able to see Jesus more clearly through us.

 

Father, it’s so very easy to become self-centered in the midst of suffering, yet Your Word clearly tells us to be God-centered, for You use our suffering to glorify Yourself to a sinful, lost world.  That should help us to stay the course, knowing that You are in control of our tough times, using them not just to glorify Yourself, but also to purify us and to ready us for what You have been preparing for us in Heaven.

 

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford