1 Peter 1:5, “Who
are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed
in the last time.”
There
is a marked difference between being kept and being spared. Though many today
hope against hope that there was a misprint in the Bible, or that the
translation from the original Greek got a little wonky along the way, nowhere
in the Book does it say we will be spared trials, afflictions or tribulations,
but rather that we will be kept through them by the power of God, through faith
for salvation.
I
realize full well that many believers today feel as though they are entitled to
be spared trials and tribulations. They feel as though they are deserving to
not be called upon to endure hardships or afflictions, but oddly enough this
sort of believer is mostly clustered in western nations, who have, as yet, not
had to endure for the cause of Christ, or suffer what so many throughout the
world are currently suffering today.
There
seems to be a total disconnect between what other Christians are going through
in many other nations on the globe, and what we feel we are entitled to or
believe salvation, reconciliation, and redemption to be.
We
have redefined salvation over and over again until all it means for many people
today is God giving us stuff, making us rich, improving our self-esteem and
giving us our dream spouse. Never mind the fact that none of these things were
either implied or inferred in the Bible, nor were they promised by Jesus in any
way. Never mind the fact that all our expectations seem to be geared toward the
earthly, the banal, the temporal and the meaningless; it’s all good as long as
we can find a way to spiritualize greed and covetousness.
It
is because of the false view and understanding many have concerning salvation
and the promises of God that I believe the soon coming falling away will be
shattering even to those now considered pessimists and doomsayers.
When
we look at what much of the church is expecting of God – because the leaders
are teaching them over and over again that these are the things they ought to
expect – we can see a perfect storm brewing, wherein a great majority of today’s
professing Christians will feel as though God failed them, abandoned them, and
left them to suffer needlessly. They will not blame the men they followed, and they
will not look to the Word to see that what they believed was a lie. They will
simply shake their fists at God as Israel of old, deranged by their anger and
bitterness toward Him.
Understanding
the difference between being kept and being spared is necessary in order to be
in the right frame of mind so that one might endure to the end. If I perceive
my trials and tribulations as God’s means of refining me and proving the genuineness
of my faith, then I will suffer joyfully towards this end. If, however, I
perceive my trials and tribulations as something I ought to have been spared
from, as something I was promised I would be spared from, then I will
inevitably grow bitter and disillusioned while going through them, doing my
utmost to spare myself and avoid said trials altogether.
Peter
was not a novice when it came to trials, or the notion of being kept through
them rather than being spared from them. It was to Peter that Jesus said, ‘Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you
as wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith should not fail.’
Why
not pray for him that he might be spared the sifting? Why not pray for him that
he might be able to avoid the trial altogether? Why just pray that his faith
should not fail? Because the genuineness of our faith must be tested, that it
may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
What
keeps us is not ourselves, it is not our own strength, it is not our own
tolerance for hardship or pain, but rather the power of God, through faith, for
salvation.
We
are kept by the power of God, and knowing that the power of God is supreme
above all powers, we rest in the knowledge that He will carry us through, being
ever faithful and true.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
7 comments:
So true! I read recently 2 Cor. 12:9-11 where Paul is saying, "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
We can be used so much more by God when we, our flesh and our attitudes and sense of entitlement, do not get in the way, and many times that means we need to face hardship so that we rely solely on Him and have a proper attitude towards our place in this world. God did not promise luxury and no trials...Scripture tells us the exact opposite!
Wow, the truth of kept or spared. It's like what I read of Oswald Chambers of godly sorrow versus worldly sorrow. Clearly you are anointed to express the truth. I'm going to have to read this more than once. In another way, I've actually prayed not to be spared because of what I read in Hebrews 11:35, "...Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection." Surely there will be those who are supernaturally delivered in specific times for specific reasons, but oh how I want to be in the center of God's will and pleasure in His wonderful plans with eternal view in this day and age right now!
Michael, you mentioned the soon coming falling away. Are we not in the midst of that end-years prophecy? I can't imagine what else would have to happen or what other signs there could be than what we can witness today.
Outstanding!
If we experience only ease and comfort, our faith ends up merely being empty words. Deep inside, even we don't believe that God will keep and sustain us. But when we endure hardships, when we come through them and out the other side, we can look at what God has done in our life and KNOW deep within our being that He is there and can be trusted with our lives...both physical and eternal. We also see our own inadequacy for dealing with what we just came through, and understand that indeed it is God's strength that has won the battle and not our own. We simply cannot be truly faithful believers without trial.
We also begin to fear trial less because we now know and trust in God's faithfulness to see us through anything. It is not that we enjoy it, but we accept the challenge, knowing that we do not face it alone.
Oh to walk with The God of the Universe, as your guide! As you walk through the dark and you are at your weakest point, he gives you direction for every step, every action, what to take, what to leave, where to go... and when you feel pressed in from every side, he prepares a table for you in the presence of your enemies! "I will never leave you nor forsake you" Amen
Thank you Lord God, strengthen your servants, make us "flaming arrows" for you. Selah
Thank you, this was needed.
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