Ezekiel 22-23 1 Peter 1

“Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” (1 Peter 1:8-9 NCV)

This chapter of First Peter is an amazing picture of the grace we have in Jesus Christ. The result of experiencing God’s grace is an undying love for God as we recognize the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross. This love endures in spite of all the trials we may face. It’s a love that’s based on faith in what God has done since we can’t see Him. Even though we can’t see Him, we love Him and experience a joy that can’t be described. That joy is based on the faith that the end result of all we do is the salvation of our souls; eternal life with God on earth and in heaven.

We live in a world steeped with sin. Many seek political solutions to gain a better life. The problem with all the political solutions is the nature of the people involved. Their sinfulness makes even the best systems flawed and, eventually, oppressive to others. Some seek financial solutions and hope that if they get enough money, things will be better. But they’re not. The problems change, but a sinful man with lots of money has just as many problems as a sinful man without any money. The only way to gain a better life is to walk with Jesus. That doesn’t mean that we won’t have problems. We will. Remember, we live in a world that’s steeped with sin. What that means is that in the midst of our difficulties, we’ll recognize God’s presence and we’ll seek to be part of God’s solution. Because of our relationship with God, not matter what the circumstances may be, we’ll experience a glorious joy knowing that we’re in God’s presence while we live on this earth and that we’ll continue to experience His presence for all eternity in Heaven. The joy we experience in our everyday life is nothing compared to the joy we’ll experience throughout our eternity with God and His people.

Lord, this life can be hard sometimes. Help me to experience Your presence and Your love no matter what’s happening around me. Let me share Your love with others so that they can experience this same joy on this earth and for all eternity.

Scripture taken from the New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.