When I go on vacation, I sometimes find myself dreading the end of it. I so wish I could just savor every day instead of thinking about how little time is left.
It seems to be true, as they say, that all good things must come to an end. This life is replete with profound blessings, but on this side of heaven, many of them are fleeting. In regard to any good thing in us, we remain keenly aware of our incompleteness, our inadequacies, our weaknesses, and our inconsistencies. Because we are fallen, in our natural state nothing is whole, nothing is purely good, and what good we do display, outside of Christ, cannot be sustained.
Peppered throughout the verses of 1 Peter 5 are glimpses into the unfathomable, magnificent, and abiding future for those who follow Christ. Peter calls himself, along with his fellow leaders, a “partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed.” He talks about “the Chief Shepherd” appearing, and Christ followers receiving the “unfading crown of glory.” He teaches that God “gives grace to the humble,” and that if we humble ourselves under “the mighty hand of God,” we will be exalted. He assures us that after a short period of suffering, we will be called to “eternal glory in Christ,” by whom we will be restored (no more incompleteness), confirmed (no more inadequacies), strengthened (no more weaknesses), and established (no more inconsistencies). The joy, the rest, the security, the bright goodness, the fellowship and communion with Christ and each other will never, ever, ever, end.
No wonder Peter exults, “To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen!”
Reflect
In 1 Peter 5:6-7, Peter connects humility with peace. “Humble yourselves…casting all your anxieties on him…” God gives grace to the humble, and he gives peace, as well. In order to cast our anxieties on him, we must demonstrate our complete dependence on him. The good news is that God cares for us, so we can trust him with our fears. Anxiety is a poison. God’s Word provides the antidote.
Read the following scriptures and write a summary of God’s remedy for anxiety. You may want to refer to your summary in times of fear and uncertainty.
It is good that God’s Word provides the antidote to anxiety. Because the reality is, there is much to be anxious about in this world— because Satan is real. Charles Spurgeon wrote of Satan,
(Satan) is not a myth, nor a dream, nor a superstitious imagination. He is as real a being as ourselves. Though a spirit, he has as much real power over our hearts as we have over the hearts of others, nay, in many cases far more. This is, I repeat, no vision of the night; no phantom of a disordered brain. That wicked one is as sternly real this day as when Christ met him in deadly conflict in the wilderness. He is so crafty and wily with all the experience of these many centuries, that man, who is but of yesterday, can scarcely be thought of as a match for him. Did he not drag down the wise man, even Solomon, whose wisdom was more excellent than that of any of the sons of man? Did he not cast down the strong man, Samson— who could slay a thousand Philistines, but who could not resist the dallyings of Delilah? Did he not bring down even the man after God’s own heart by a most sorrowful fault? Let us sorrowfully remember that we have hardly met with a perfect and an upright man against whom Satan has not vented his spleen, and over whom Satan has not in some degree triumphed.
It is interesting that 1 Peter 5:8 refers to Satan as a lion. Because elsewhere in the Bible, Jesus is described as a lion, as well (Revelation 5:5). But Christ is called a lion in the sense of kingliness and majesty and might. Satan is called a lion in the context of a devouring beast. Satan often embodies a perverse reflection of God’s beauty.
Although Satan is a formidable adversary, Spurgeon also reminds us that “he will soon give it up if he finds his attacks drive you to Christ. Often Satan has been a big black dog to drive Christ’s sheep nearer to the Master.”
Satan may be an impressive opponent, but in the end we have nothing to fear, if we are in Christ.
Read the following scriptures. In the first list, note the various names or characteristics given to Satan. In the second, write the method or weapon we have at our disposal to resist him.
Pray
Dear Father, thank you for providing your Word, which fills our mind with the knowledge of you, and provides the remedy for fear. You are so good to us. Compel us to remember the spirit you placed in us, which is one of courage and strength, and not of fear or anxiety. We look forward to the day when we will enjoy you forever, face to face. Amen.