1 Peter 5:10 But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.
Peter wrote about suffering. I know it is not a popular or even an accepted doctrine in some sectors of the Church today. However I had rather listen to the Apostle Peter and the Holy Spirit inspired words of God from the Bible than to any other source in this world.
How can we be prepared for the troubles of this world if we refuse to acknowledge this world is filled with troubles. Jesus left us with the words, “In this world you will have tribulation”, but that’s not where He stopped His admonition. He continued by saying, “But be of good cheer because I have overcome the world.”(John 16:33)
Jesus overcame the world and all of the trouble caused by the devil by turning to and fully trusting in the Word of God … and so can we. It is not that we do not have disappointment and pain, rather it is that we have been given a hope that surpasses this world’s woes and the wiles of the devil. Jesus was tempted in all manner like as we, yet without sin. He shows us How to Hold Onto Hope in an Evil World.
Luke 4 NKJV
1 ¶ Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
2 being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.
3 And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”
4 But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’ ”
The devil continued to tempt Jesus like he must have continued tempting Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. We see a brief snapshot of Eve falling prey to one of her encounters with the devil’s temptations in Genesis chapter 3. Eve stopped trusting in and holding to the Word of God and instead placed her hope in the things of this world.
1 John 2:16 For all that is in the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life — is not of the Father but is of the world.
After Jesus defeated the devil’s temptations concerning the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, the passage concludes this account by revealing a truth of which we need to be aware:
Luke 4:13 Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.
It wasn’t a one time attempt to trick, tempt, and deceive Jesus.
The devil just decided that he would wait for a more opportune time.
The devil wants to separate you from God and from the blessings of God which can be summed up in three abiding gifts:
If the hope of Christ would have been in this world or even in good governments or caring human beings, Jesus would have died in despair. However, the Bible says Jesus endured the cross for the joy that was set before Him. He did not look to the world for His hope but rather He looked beyond this world to find the joy He needed to keep loving and working in this world.
There are some things that cannot and be undone. Suddenly life changes. The peace we imagined is forever shattered when atrocities are perpetrated against the young, the elderly, the innocent, and the poor. Sometimes the peace we once knew simplycannot be regained in this life.
The sad news is that if Jesus were walking in this world today, the world would crucify Him again. Yet Jesus would still be showing us His hope, faith, and love. Even in these moments, God still so loves the world …
This world is filled with both good and evil. Don’t allow the good you see in this world to lull you into a false sense of security; and do not let your Hope, Faith, and Love be shattered by the evil that is in this world.
1 Corinthians 15:19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most miserable.
There is only one hope for this world, and it is not the government or good people … It is Jesus Christ, the Word of God made flesh.
What can we do to hold onto hope in these trying times? How do we maintain our hope, faith, and love?Let’s continue reading from 1 Peter 5.
1 Peter 5 NKJV
6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,
7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.
Be sober and be vigilant. Cast all your care upon Jesus. Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God. Resist the devil steadfast in faith.
Colossians 1:27b It is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
We must look beyond this world to have hope in this world.
Having hope while we are in this world means we must have hope that is out of this world.
Our hope is in Christ.
May the peace of God and the hope of Christ be with us all in Jesus’ name.
