Scripture: 1 Peter 1:5
who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Insights: Let me jump on my old soap box today. I guess the reason I get on this particular soap box so often is because I constantly run into people who are being tricked and manipulated by TV preachers. By no means I am saying every TV preacher is a con-artist, but most of them on the “Word of Faith” networks are manipulators who are self-serving. These preachers, if I can even call them by that title, teach their followers that God wants us to be healthy, wealthy and wise right here, right now. They further spew venomous words like God wants you to have your best life now. Today’s verse goes right along with this kind of foolish dogma of the “Word of Faith” movement. They take this verse, which is referencing God’s protective power of our very souls for eternity and down play it to some kind of earthly genie in the bottle kind of protection. Now, is it true that the Father often times does protect us while we are here on earth? Obviously, the answer is a resounding, yes! But to take the true power found in this verse and to water it down to just earthly protection makes a mockery of God’s true power. It is verses like todays that baptist hold to the doctrine called the perseverance of the saints which means in everyday vernacular, once saved, always saved. What kind of hope is there in a salvation that is not powerful enough to protect us to the day of our salvation? The answer is not a lot of hope; but if, on the other hand, we did know God was powerful enough to protect our soul for salvation in eternity, then what kind of hope would we have? The answer is an overwhelming kind of hope. We who have this kind of hope only have one true response we could give back to the Father for our salvation, and that is to worship Him. When we demean the power of God to just some kind of rabbits foot here on earth, we belittle His glorious might. We ought to be grateful for all of God’s protection He gives to us here on earth, but we must always keep this protection in the proper context of our eternal protection. Beloved, worship the Lord for His power to bring you into His glorious kingdom.
Questions:
1. Do you recall the last time you experienced God’s protective power?
2. Do you understand that the ultimate protective power the Lord offers is to bring you safely home to His kingdom?
Prayer: Father, You are most powerful and able to protect my soul to eternity. Thank You for this gracious gift of comfort You give to me so that I am content in You. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment