Strangers in Our Native Land

1 Peter 1:1a “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God’s elect, strangers in the world,”

            Sweet Lord!  Today I satrt my wlak through the book of 1 Peter.  Guide me, Lord, into Your Truth as I examine this book and yield the the Holy Spirit's teaching.

         Just the fact that Peter wrote this letter to the people is a miracle of Your mercy and grace.  Impetuous prideful Peter, who tried to lead You and then denied You in Your hour of greatest need, is now a pillar of the church, an apostle, wholly dedicated to You and the spreading of Your kingdom.  He is the one You had to convince to go to the Gentiles and who, even then, worried about what others might think, ignored the very ones You had sent him to when the Jerusalem leaders came for a visit.  Lord, I think more of us are like Peter than we are willing to admit.  But for Your grace and mercy…

            “To God’s elect” has been a stumbling block for me as well as some other Christians from time to time.  Dealing with that topic would take pages and hours.  Suffice it to say, Lord, that I believe that all who, by their free will, choose to trust You and Your gift of salvation are the elect.  I believe Your death was sufficient for all since You died for all men, but it is only efficient for those who believe.

            “strangers in the world”, is something we Christians deal with daily, and praise to You, Lord, that we do!  Our citizenship is with You in Heaven.  We were born citizens of earth, but because of Your great salvation, we have become naturalized citizens of Heaven.  We are now aliens in our native land.  What a paradox!  Because of that, the first century Christians Peter was writing to and we, all these years later, are persecuted.  Thank You for having Peter write this short letter to help us know how to deal with, and live through it.