Peter shared great promises
with the Christians who were “scattered” throughout Asia.
These promises would come without “trials” of their faith
which would lead to “praise, honor and glory at the appearing of
Jesus Christ”. In chapter one and verse eight of his letter,
Peter shares how these Christians' love for Jesus, even though they
had not seen him, had them rejoicing “with joy unspeakable and
full of glory”. We read:
yet believing, you
rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
The verse begins, “Whom
having not seen, you love; in whom, though now you see him
not,...” Peter began with the
phrase, “Whom having not seen”
which is the Greek phrase “eidō ou eidō eidō” and
means “have seen,
perceived, noticed, discerned and discovered” “you
love” which means “to be
welcome, entertained, fond of, pleased, and contented with”; “in
whom” which refers to “Jesus”,
“though now” or
“just now, at this moment or very time” “you see him
not” which means “do not
perceive, know, care for, pay heed to or experience Him”. The
Christians to whom Peter was writing had never seen Jesus with their
eyes, and yet they “loved”
Him.
The
verse goes on to say, “...yet believing, you rejoice with
joy unspeakable and full of glory:” Peter continued, “yet
believing” or “think to be true, are persuaded of, credited,
and place confidence in”, “you rejoice” which means
“exult and are exceeding glad” “with joy” or
“gladness, cheerfulness and calm delight” “unspeakable”
which means “not spoken out and unutterable” “and full of
glory” which means “praise, extol, magnification,
celebration, honor, adorned with luster and clothed with splendor”.
The Christians' love for Jesus drove them to “believe” in
Him, and this resulted in them being filled with “joy which was
unutterable” and “praise with celebration and honor”.
When we
meditate upon Peter's words, we think about the fact that we, like
these Christian believers at Peter's time, have not seen the face of
Jesus. Peter saw Jesus, but they had not, and neither have we. Yet
they believed in Jesus, and we do too. This belief, according to
Peter, has them and us “rejoicing” with a joy “without words
to describe it”, and it is indeed, “praiseworthy and filled with
luster and splendor”. May the Lord Jesus help us to realize the
benefits of “joy” that are available simply by believing
and trusting in Him.
Next
time Peter shares about “receiving
the end of your faith”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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