Who We Are In Christ
1 Peter 1:1-5 

Peter wrote the first of his two epistles to encourage people who were undergoing persecution. The disciple decided that the most natural way to open such a letter was to remind believers of who they are in the Lord.

Believers are chosen in Christ. It’s not that the Lord selects some people to enter heaven and others to go to hell. Rather, the good news of Jesus Christ is offered to everyone (John 3:16; Rom. 1:20). The “elect” are those who receive the Savior through an act of free will. The bottom line is that God wants you. He chose you.

Believers are recipients of mercy. No one can claim that his or her righteous works earned a place in heaven. We are saved through the mercy of Christ (Titus 3:5). God loved us so much that He made a way for us to be in relationship with Him now and forever.

Believers are protected. Psalm 34:7 says, “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him.” We are so well guarded that the only way that our lives can be touched by hardship is if God allows it. That doesn’t mean we won’t experience loss or upheaval. Sometimes God permits His children to walk through dark valleys, but always the protective shepherd, He remains at their side (Ps. 23:4).

The message of Peter’s letter is simple: Do not be afraid when you go through trying times. Focus upon who you are in Jesus Christ. You have reason to be bold, assured, and triumphant, because you are a chosen, beloved, and well-guarded child of God

Flourish Even in Drought  –  Can reeds flourish where there is no water?

Job 8:11

The reed is spongy and hollow, and so is a hypocrite; there is no substance or stability in him. It is shaken back and forth in every wind, just as the outwardly religious yield to every influence; for this reason the reed is not broken by the storm, neither are hypocrites called to face persecution. I would not willingly be a deceiver or be deceived; perhaps the text for today may help me to test myself to see whether I am a hypocrite or not.

The reed by nature lives in water and owes its very existence to the mire and moisture in which it has taken root; let the water drain away, and the reed withers very quickly. Its greenness is absolutely dependent upon circumstances; a continuous supply of water makes it flourish, and a drought destroys it at once.

Is this my case? Do I only serve God when I am in good company or when faith is profitable and respectable? Do I love the Lord only when I am enjoying comforts from His hands? If so I am just a hypocrite, and like the withering reed, I will perish when death deprives me of outward joys.

But can I honestly maintain that when there have been few bodily comforts, and my surroundings have been adverse to grace rather than at all helpful to it, I have still maintained my integrity? Then I have hope that there is genuine vital godliness in me.

The reed cannot grow without water, but the Lord’s plants can and do flourish even when there is a drought. A godly man often grows best when his worldly circumstances are daunting. He who follows Christ for money is a Judas; those who follow for loaves and fishes are children of the devil; but those who stay close out of love to Himself are His own beloved ones. Lord, let me find my life in You, and not in the shifting sands of this world’s favor or gain.

The family reading plan for December 27, 2011

2 Chronicles 32 | Revelation 18