Observation: As Peter begins his letter to the "exiles", he speaks of their faith. It is a faith that gives them strength and understanding, even as they have hardships that result from being a person of faith living among those who ridicule such faith and such people. His audience rejoices in their faith, proving their character by enduring trials. And the expected outcome of such endurance is ... praise, glory, and honor to come at the revelation of Jesus as the Messiah.
In other words, they do not suffer and endure for status and recognition among each other, and not for some kind of respect from the general public. They do so because, when Jesus is finally revealed to others, then their faith will be understood, and they will then be honored as faithful and good.
Application: The Christian themes, ideas, instruction, and encouragement of 1 Peter are pretty well understood after some study. In just this introduction, he introduces ideas that permeate all scripture and now all Christianity ... Christians are now the exiles in the world needing to live a life of obedience and faith while within a secular and heathen culture, and Christians will be persecuted to varying degrees for having a faith that requires a different style of living. These were the same ideals given to the patriarchs, defined by Moses, and further explained by Jeremiah and Ezekiel. The Jews were set aside and different for a purpose, and now Christians - by faith in Jesus - both inherit the promises of the Lord, and live a unique life as outcasts scattered throughout a secular world.
However, today I am reminded of the "why". We do not live this way to impress ... anyone! We do not exercise faith, patience, and attempted piety because we want to seem good to each other, or to be considered superior by non-believers (when in fact quite the opposite is far more common). We do it because ... SOMEDAY Jesus will be revealed to the entire world, and at that time the world will see that our collective faith made a difference. Believers will be celebrated (by others, each other, or by heaven, it is not clear to me).
We do not endure for recognition today. We endure to make the future recognition of Jesus all the greater.
Prayer: Lord, as an exile, I praise you. I remember today my exile status, and that my endurance through the cultural and political chaos of our current age is not about me, but it is about you and your glory. May you be known to the world soon, Jesus. Amen.
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