| Yesterday's Bible Study |
In this verse from 1 Peter, we are reminded that the suffering we face each day will soon come to an end. At the time the verse was written people were often martyred for their faith, just as people in some parts of the world today are martyred for their faith. Even if your suffering does not take this form, the Christian's life is difficult, and it can be easy to become weary. Peter's words are a comfort to us today.
Peter calls God the God of all grace. This serves as a reminder that the Lord is full of grace, and our suffering does not change that. Clear evidence of this grace is the fact that He has called us unto his eternal glory. We will enjoy His presence forever a gift we could never have earned ourselves, but nevertheless are the beneficiaries of.
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After we have suffered, the verse says that God will make us perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle us. That's a lot of promises! Making us perfect means that God will continue to sanctify us; suffering evidently plays a part in helping us live holy lives. Establish means that we will be rooted and grounded in the Lord. Strengthen means that the Lord will make us strong in Him, giving us the ability to follow Him, even when it becomes difficult. Settle means that we will have peace. Even if our own suffering may seem unbearable, we can remember that it is pointing to something better if we endure it unto the Lord.
Remember that God does not look down on us when we suffer. He is not watching us with indifference or wishing that we would endure it more faithfully. Much to the contrary, He stepped into suffering for our sake. He did not sit and watch; rather, He came to Earth and died on a cross for us. He endured tremendous suffering so that one day we could experience eternal glory in Him.
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