We Know that our Trials are Building Christian Character PT-1 (1 Pet. 5:10-14)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 8/1/2017 12:15 AM

My Worship Time             Focus:  We know that our trials are building Christian Character PT-1

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  1 Peter 5:10-14

            Message of the verses:  10 After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. 11 To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen. 12 Through Silvanus, our faithful brother (for so I regard him),I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it! 13 She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you greetings, and so does my son, Mark. 14 Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace be to you all who are in Christ.”

            In the KJV verse 10 reads “10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.”  Dr. Wiersbe states that the Greek word translated “make you perfect” means “to equip, to adjust, to fit together.”  “It is translated ‘mending nets’ in Matthew 4:21.  God has several tools which He uses to equip His people for life and service, and suffering is one of them.  The Word of God is another tool (2 Tim. 3:16-17, where thoroughly furnished means ‘fully equipped).  Our Saviour in heaven is perfecting His children so that they will do His will and His work (Heb. 13:20-21).”

            Next we will look at three words that Peter uses to describe the kind of character God wants us to have.

            Establish is the first word and it means to fix firmly, to set fast.  I suppose the word glue would fit in here.  Believers are not to be unsteady in their stand for Christ, something that both Paul and James points out.  “so that He may establish your hearts without blame in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints (1 Thess. 3:13).  “You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near (James 5:8).  All of this is accomplished by God’s truth as Peter points out in 2 Peter 1:12 “12 Therefore, I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them, and have been established in the truth which is present with you.”  If we are established in the Word of God then we will not move from the truths found in it.

            Strengthen  is our second to help us understand the kind of character God wants us to have, and the word means just what is says.  Dr. Wiersbe writes “What good is it to stand on a firm foundation if we do not have power to act.”  God is the One who gives us that power.

            Settle is our last word we will look at this evening as it completes these three kinds of character God wants us to have, and this is a translation of a word that means to lay a foundation.  Let us look at Hebrews 1:10 “And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands (KJV).”  Dr. Wiersbe writes “A believer who is equipped by God will ‘continue in the faith grounded and settled’ (Col. 1:23).  He will not be ‘tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine (Eph. 1:14).”

8/1/2017 12:38 AM