BIBLE STUDY - Don't Look Down
Date: Nov 5, 2010
Topic(s): Faith/Trust
Scripture: 1 Peter 1:3-7
"Don't look down!"
When was the last time you ignored that advice? You may have regretted it! Maybe heights don't scare you that much, but for many, looking down from a precarious perch can actually be dangerous.
In a sense, that's the same kind of advice Peter's giving in our passage for today. But first he begins in 1:3 by looking up.
WHAT DOES GOD SAY?
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (1 Peter 1:3, ESV). Read through that verse again, and read the next two as well. Notice how many times Peter tells us we have something to be grateful for.
We are born again; we have a living hope; we have an imperishable inheritance waiting for us; we are guarded through our faith in God and awaiting His future return. Notice also the source of these blessings--the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We are saved because of God's mercy, through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. We have a living hope because of His Resurrection. It's the power of God that backs His promises and preserves our inheritance. So, by the time we get to verse 6, it feels natural to read, "In this you rejoice"! It's almost impossible not to rejoice after all that.
Peter's been focusing our eyes upwards, but notice in verses 6-7 the brief downward focus, "though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith...may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ."
This is genuine faith. It's the faith that saves our soul, the faith that seals us in God's protective power, the faith that refuses to look away from God regardless of circumstances. It's the faith that reminds us to look up, not down.
MY THOUGHTS
As you read the verses for today, think about the following questions:
1. What blessings does Peter mention?
2. Who gives us these blessings?
3. How long-lasting are the blessings?
4. What's one reason we have to endure trials?
5. What will our faith result in when Jesus comes again?
MY PART
Are you finding it hard to look up these days? Take some time and remind yourself of what God's done for you. Pray to Him, and ask Him to show you the ways He's blessed your life that you may not have seen. Make it a point in the coming week to spend some time reading the Word and praying to God first thing in the morning. Before life has a chance to get you down, spend some time looking up.
NOTICE: This Bible Study or Devotional is solely penned and/or owned by the person(s) or ministry who's website(s) are included with each. I merely copy and paste them for the sole purpose of spreading God's Word to the world. May the Holy Spirit give you understanding as you read this Devotional/Study. GBU, JEL!
Bible Minute with Woodrow Kroll ... Back to the Bible, Bible Studies
http://www.bibleminute.org/biblestudy.htm
