You love him, although you have not seen him, and you believe in him, although you do not now see him. So you rejoice with a great and glorious joy which words cannot express, because you are receiving the salvation of your souls, which is the purpose of your faith in him. 1 Peter 1:8-9 GNT
Peter, the man credited with writing this letter, had a good idea what it meant to love Jesus. He was one of the disciples of Jesus, but he did not always have it so good. At a point, when faced with death, he denied ever knowing Jesus. At some point too, when the uncertainties were too many, and it appears that their master was gone, Peter went back to what he was familiar with: fishing. Jesus had to come looking for him, to again remind him of the kingdom priorities, and then commission him for service. At no time did Jesus give up on Peter, even when he went off. That is love which does not let go. That is what Peter received, and that is what he is encouraging all who are called the elect and have been sanctified to hold on to. Do I love God because of who he is, what he gives or what I want? These distinctions are quite important in determining the basis of my faith in God and how far I will go in my journey of faith.
The extract above is laid on the foundations of trials and tribulations as being important in my development and depth as a child of God. I really cannot claim to know and follow God until my decision and depth have been tried, tested, and i have been found faithful. The verses before this extract confirm that the worth of gold is only appreciated when it has passed through fire. If gold, temporal and earthly aa it is, can be proved this way, how much more would my faith in God, which is more precious than gold, be tested? How then do you stand in the day of trouble?: You just love God for who he is. Too many times, our needs and wants have become so important that we have laid God aside in our pursuits of needs. Whatever our eyes see becomes more pressing than what we hope for, and so we focus on our immediate needs and pick God later, when things have gotten out of hand. However, the lesson is this: God is my one and only worthy pursuit.
When you love God, you do so out of a heart that recognises his power, his awesome nature and his eternal strength. Not everything is about what your physical eyes can see. Our walk is a walk of faith, our fight is a good fight of faith and our race is one of perseverance. I may not see too many things that make me happy down here, but I am also fully aware that my life is not tied to the physical, ephemeral things I see now. All will come to pass, and only that which God is and does will last forever. I do not base my faith on temporal, earthly things. My love and faith in God is not tied to my possessions or position, but to the Presence of God in my life. There is an end to my faith, and it is eternal life. I do not just exist; I live by faith in God, knowing fully well that he is all I need. My joy is not tied to what I see, but to who I have known and believed in. That is it for me. What will it be for you? God's time of favour is here.
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