Ep 357 – 1 Peter 5:8-14

As Peter wraps up his first letter, he will stress our need to stand firm as we await the coming of the Lord. We must live on this earth, eagerly anticipating the return of Christ, but fully aware that the days will be difficult because we live in a world that hates us and face an enemy who is determined to destroy us. But we are not alone. And we have no reason to worry about the final outcome of our lives or that of the world. God is in control. He holds our future and that of the world securely in His powerful hands. So, in the meantime, Peter calls us to resist the enemy. Not in our own strength, but in the strength of the Lord. We are to remember who we are and who has called us to be His children. We belong to God. We are citizens of His Kingdom and heirs of all that belongs to Him as God. We know how the story ends, so there is no reason for us to worry or fret over the outcome. We know our eternity is secure, so we have no cause to panic in the face of opposition in this life. As Paul so aptly put it: "No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord." So, we should resist like it, because we have nothing to fear.