Open your Bibles to 1 Peter 1:1-2...Here we go!

 

Stephanie is at it again...Another 2 ladies down the Ute Trail from the Alpine Visitor's Center and up the trail a bit toward Mt. Ida before coming down to Milner Pass.  About 6 miles on a very windy day across the alpine tundra.  No wildlife today because they were probably smartly hiding amongst the trees.  I am amazed at Stephanie's commitment to love God and love others even above 11,000 ft.

While they did this hike, I was down at Milner Pass with the pick up vehicle so I wandered down a trail not on the map.  I made my way to the top of Sheep Rock and found the Old Ute Trail.  I have walked by it many times but it was hidden from me because I was looking the other direction.  The trail makes a turn to the left and this little hidden trail is to the right.

Maybe this is a good illustration of looking at the book of 1st Peter.  The stones to the left of the above picture are where you go to continue onto Mt. Ida.  Your focus is in that direction.  You might see the sloping hillside right in front of you but do you see the little trail veering to the right in the lower right corner?  If I turn the camera you will see it clearly what I had missed.

There it is!  You can identify that little broken off stump in the previous picture.  The stones might be a little deterrent to venturing this way but the trail is very obvious once you make the first bend to the left.  Something hidden in plain sight.  You just have to look at the surroundings a different way.  I think that is why I love 1st Peter so much.

The surroundings are the sufferings of persecuted Christians.  They have dispersed from Rome but Peter wants them to look at their surroundings very differently.  All they can see is where this is headed by being hated by the society they are in or they see a potential landslide ahead of them.  But Peter is telling them that God has provided a little side trail to take when facing all this suffering and persecution.  To take that trail they will need to see their suffering in a different light.

Instead of digging a hole or picking up a sword (like he did in the past), Peter tells them to grab ahold of their salvation created and given to them by God.  Know that they are elect exiles of this land and citizens of another.  What was planned according to the foreknowledge of God and purchased with the blood of Jesus Christ and polished with the act of sanctification by the Holy Spirit was to be the little trail taken by them.  The way of escape of the temptation to flee or recant and say that Caesar is lord was to know more about this salvation planned, purchased and polished by the Holy Trinity.

Peter will give us words to dive into.  We need the definitions of these words in their original language and also how these words are used by Peter and others in the Bible.  We will have to set aside maybe some made up definitions or man fashioned ones to fit our agenda to be the one in control.  If I make myself in control then I have made myself equal with God and therefore we have lost the sovereignty of God.  He is a little less than sovereign.  If I conclude that I have no responsibility to respond because a sovereign God is in control then I limit the rest of the ways I am to respond to all the commands of this sovereign God.  I again make Him a little less than sovereign.  

The ground to stand upon or the trail to take is that God is sovereign in all things and we respond to all of His words with obedience.  We receive the salvation He created at the time He opens our eyes to see Jesus as our Savior, His provided Son.  We respond with His requirements of repentance and un-recanting belief.  We follow that with our daily submission to follow Him lead by the given by Him Holy Spirit.  He is the One who is in control and we, never taking His place, submit with obedience to all that He has provided.  And all of this is suppose to help and comfort those suffering persecuted Christians of Peter's day.  

The same is true today.  Our suffering and persecutions should be faced with our ever increasing knowledge and love of the One who opened our eyes at the right time, the day of our visitation.  He called our name to be on His team and we responded with the humility of repentance and belief to wear His jersey for the remainder of our days.

Adam