Key Verse:
"Prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed."
(I Peter 1:13)
Central Truth:
Faithful Christians are assured of an everlasting eternal reward.
OUR WORLDS
Most of us inhabit several "worlds." We live in one world at home, another at work, yet another socially, etc. Even in the first century Peter understood this concept. He makes frequent references to "worlds" and "the eternal," explaining that the way we respond to events in our earthly worlds produces lasting effects for us in the eternal world.
In Peter's letter to Christians, he commends those who love Christ without ever having seen him, for such faith leads to a life filled with glorious joy. He assures believers who endure the demands and disappointments of our earthly lives that they will cultivate invaluable faith as a result of our pain. To Christians suffering persecution and other troubles, Peter promises a magnificent eternal inheritance.
That eternal spiritual world often seems very distant to us. At times, the extreme difficulties of today's world make it almost impossible to live a faith-filled life. Living a life pleasing to God hardly seems worth it. The Bible, though, assures us of two very important things. A life within God is infinitely better than a life without God, and the rewards awaiting those who remain faithful are indescribably grand. These are promises; not things that "might" or "could" happen. Our eternal inheritance is assured.
"Prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed."
(I Peter 1:13)
Central Truth:
Faithful Christians are assured of an everlasting eternal reward.
OUR WORLDS
Most of us inhabit several "worlds." We live in one world at home, another at work, yet another socially, etc. Even in the first century Peter understood this concept. He makes frequent references to "worlds" and "the eternal," explaining that the way we respond to events in our earthly worlds produces lasting effects for us in the eternal world.
In Peter's letter to Christians, he commends those who love Christ without ever having seen him, for such faith leads to a life filled with glorious joy. He assures believers who endure the demands and disappointments of our earthly lives that they will cultivate invaluable faith as a result of our pain. To Christians suffering persecution and other troubles, Peter promises a magnificent eternal inheritance.
That eternal spiritual world often seems very distant to us. At times, the extreme difficulties of today's world make it almost impossible to live a faith-filled life. Living a life pleasing to God hardly seems worth it. The Bible, though, assures us of two very important things. A life within God is infinitely better than a life without God, and the rewards awaiting those who remain faithful are indescribably grand. These are promises; not things that "might" or "could" happen. Our eternal inheritance is assured.
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