• The Bible Studies for Life lesson for Aug. 3 focuses on 1 Peter 3:13-16; 4:1-2.
What comes from a grape when you squeeze it? What kind of juice comes from lemons? When life squeezes you, what comes out? We never know what a day will bring. I heard someone say recently every church has either just come out of a rough season, is in the middle of one or is heading into one. The same could be said about our individual lives.
Faith in God gives us something the rest of the world doesn’t have. It strengthens us as we face life circumstances. It is a faith that rewrites our life story. The new storyline rolls off the tongue because it wells up from the depths of our souls. We are ready to tell others the reason for the hope we have, which is found in Christ Jesus.
Do not be afraid
No one I know signs up for suffering. If anything, we try to avoid pain at all costs. How many pain remedies are in your medicine chest? Instead of teaching the first-century believer to avoid suffering, Peter gives insight into the place of suffering in the lives of believers.
Those who choose to do good usually have nothing to fear. In Peter’s world, however, people who did right sometimes suffered. Notice in 1 Peter 3:14 he says, “even if you should suffer.” It is possible suffering will come even if you do the right thing. How should we view suffering? Peter calls it a blessing.
A common theme throughout Scripture is the command to “fear not” or “do not be afraid.” What do we fear? The unknown? Physical harm? Loneliness? Death? In the midst of suffering, the last part of verse 14 tells us not to fear what the world fears.
Isaiah 8:12-13 says: “Do not call conspiracy everything that these people call conspiracy; do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it. The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread.”
Set your heart on Christ
Sign up for our weekly edition and get all our headlines in your inbox on Thursdays
With these verses in mind, Peter’s instruction is to set in your heart Christ as Lord. It makes a difference when we submit our lives to Christ. People wonder how we handle suffering and difficulty. We are to be ready to tell them.
With gentle words and respectful actions, we speak about the strength God gives when life is almost more than we can bear. In times of great need, we share about our God who provides all we require. A senseless act takes a family member’s life. There is no good answer to the question, “Why?” But we know Christ weeps with the family in their grief. The Father knows the pain of losing a child. He gave his Son for us.
Followers of Jesus are to live in such a way that we stick out from the world around us. We’re not to be weird or obnoxious. Peter says we are to live clean lives inside and out so if anyone speaks slanderous words about us, they will be put to shame.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gave clear examples: “If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you” (Matthew 6:39-42).
Live to do God’s will
Why would anyone choose to embrace suffering? First Peter 4:1 reminds us the one we have set in our hearts as Lord suffered for our sakes. He bore our sin and took our punishment. Through him, we are redeemed. He accomplished the Father’s will through his suffering. We are to live with the same attitude.
Those who wrote the New Testament said it in different ways, but each was clear that those who are alive in Christ are now dead to sin. No longer do we live to satisfy our evil human desires. We put off the old self and now are new creatures who live to accomplish the will of God. Those who wrote down the words we read today suffered because they did God’s will.
The words of a young mother spoke deeply to me about being willing to suffer if it accomplishes God’s purposes. Her daughter was born with a rare condition that likely will take the baby’s life. Every day is filled with great uncertainty.
Pray first to do God’s will
What parent wouldn’t cry out: “Why my child? Isn’t there another way?” This young mother is learning to embrace suffering because she believes it is part of God’s plan. Would her words be your attitude? “I’ve been praying for healing, which is important; but I think I need to pray first to do God’s will and accomplish what he wants through this hard time, because this is part of his plan. … God is perfect, therefore, this plan is perfection because it is his.”
Every person who reads these words will experience suffering. Help others not fear suffering but learn to see the blessing it can be as it accomplishes God’s will.
We seek to connect God’s story and God’s people around the world. To learn more about God’s story, click here.
Send comments and feedback to Eric Black, our editor. For comments to be published, please specify “letter to the editor.” Maximum length for publication is 300 words.