Monday, April 20, 2026

Opening Scripture

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Colossians 3:1-4

Opening Prayer

Gracious Heavenly Father, you are holy and exalted! May your kingdom come and your will be done in my life, home, and community, just as it is in Heaven. Help me to trust you today to meet all of my needs. Help me to forgive others, just as you have forgiven me. Help me to resist temptation and overcome the evil one. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Daily Bible Reading

1 Peter 1:1-12

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.

Reflection  

This week, we will reflect on the amazing and mysterious reality that God is establishing a new “spiritual house” for Himself – a new “temple” – among His New Covenant people (you and me). The book of First Peter will guide us on our journey.

Peter, “The Rock,” wrote this circular letter from Rome to the churches in Asia Minor (northern Turkey) – part of the Roman Empire – some thirty years after the Church was birthed at Pentecost. It seems that Nero’s persecution of Christians had begun to spread from the Eternal City to other Roman provinces.

We learned a great deal about Peter the apostle in our Lenten study of John’s gospel. This is now a much older, wiser, and more mature Peter, who has spent the last three decades living out Jesus’ commission to “take care of my sheep.” Peter so embraced the Lord’s exhortation that he passed it along to the elders of the churches in this letter: “Be shepherds of God’s flock under your care” (1 Peter 5:2).

In today’s passage, Peter opens with a series of theologically rich statements. Though the recipients are God’s elect – both Jews and Gentiles – chosen by the Father, they are exiles scattered throughout the empire. Peter repurposed the word “diaspora” to refer, not just to Jews living outside Israel, but to Christians separated from their “homeland.”

In a very real sense, First Peter is a handbook for ambassadors of God’s kingdom living in a hostile foreign nation. Scot McKnight says, “One of the earliest Christian documents reflecting on the problem of the relation of the Christian to the state is the First Letter of Peter.” Our primary allegiance is to King Jesus!

The word “exiles” (parepidēmois) here – and “strangers in the world” (1 Peter 2:11) – emphasize “foreign nationality” and “temporary residence.” Christians, whose true citizenship is in Heaven, live in a pagan society as “aliens” and “sojourners.” As such, their “hearts and minds are set on things above,” and they often long for the comfort and security of their true “home.”

Believers have been “chosen” in accordance with the Father’s foreknowledge by the sanctifying work of the Spirit to be obedient to Jesus Christ. In one verse, Peter describes the role each Person of the Trinity plays in our salvation. In that context, we can enjoy divine grace and peace in abundance!

Peter’s statement, “In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” – using the word for “born again” (anagennēsas) in verses 3 and 23 – recalls Jesus’ comments to Nicodemus in John 3: “You must be born again!” God’s loving kindness has brought about our regeneration through Jesus’ death and resurrection.

While there is tremendous joy in this living hope of a divine inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade, for now, there is also “grief in all kinds of trials.” This likely refers to the growing persecution of Christians under Nero, not just the normal struggles of daily life. Peter wants them to see the purpose of their suffering: “so that your faith may be proved genuine and result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” Suffering can purify and strengthen our faith, it can “prove” the genuineness of our faith, and it can bring glory to God.

In verse 8, Peter offers a beautiful restatement of Jesus’ declaration to Thomas after the Resurrection: “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29).

Finally, Peter wants to make sure his listeners appreciate the incredible blessing of the revelation they’ve received. These believers have knowledge about God’s great redemption plan that the ancient prophets searched for “intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow.” Even angels are “stooping down” to appreciate and celebrate what God is doing through the Church!

Flourishing Habit

Flourishing Christians

Our theme for 2026 is Flourishing Together: Transformed on The Jesus Way! Our Eastertide focus is being “Shaped by the Spirit.” One of the ways the Spirit of God can shape and transform followers of Jesus is through suffering.

Peter encouraged his listeners by pointing out that their suffering is proof that they really are God’s chosen people. He remembered Jesus saying, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you” (John 15:18-19).

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught his disciples, “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:11-12).

Paul told his young friend, Pastor Timothy, “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Timothy 3:12-13).

And Paul said to the Christians in Rome, “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” (Romans 5:3-5).

The Bible portrays godly suffering as an opportunity for rejoicing, trusting, and growing. Tested faith is authenticated faith! Contextually, all suffering is temporary compared to the eternal glory that is the “protected inheritance” for followers of Jesus. This perspective is crucial for maintaining perseverance and hope amid pain and hardship.

Many Christians today are called to suffer for their faith. In our study of John’s gospel, we noted that followers of Jesus are the most persecuted religious group in the world. Some estimates put the number of Christians currently at risk of suffering violence for their faith at about 380 million worldwide. Open Doors reports that two in five Christians are persecuted in Asia, and one in five are persecuted in Africa.

Are you experiencing any persecution or suffering for your faith in Jesus?

Do you know someone who is?

How do you think you would respond to abuse or ill treatment for being a follower of Jesus?

Regardless of your experience, I hope this describes your conviction: “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”

Remember: Nothing changes until something changes!