Peace To You
1 Peter 5:12
12. With the help of Silas, whom I regard as a faithful brother, I have written to you briefly, encouraging you and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it.
13. She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you her greetings, and so does my son Mark.
14. Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ.
Jules Verne’s novel "The Mysterious Island, tells of five men who escaped a Civil War prison camp by hijacking a hot-air balloon. As they rise into the air they realize the wind is carrying them over the ocean. After hours passed the surface of the ocean draws closer, the men decide they must throw overboard some of the weight, for they had no way to heat the air in the balloon. Shoes overcoats, and weapons were reluctantly discarded. The balloon gradually rises, but only temporarily. Soon they were dangerously close to the waves so they tossed over their food. One man showed how they can tie the ropes that hold the basket and sit on those ropes, so they cut away the basket and it drops to the oceans, and once again the balloon rises.
Not a moment too soon, they spot land. Eager to stand on ground they jump into the water and swim to the island. They were spared because they were able to discern the difference between what really was needed and what was not. The necessities they once thought they couldn't live without were the very weights that almost cost them their lives.
Hebrews 12:1 "Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles."
At his conclusion in 1 Peter, Peter was giving the basics. What is it you really need in this world after all? What is important to cast aside and what might be a barrier between us and God? When word came to Peter about 65 AD, he was in Rome. Many Christians were suffering for their faith. They were rejected by their families and forced to leave their homes so Peter wrote a letter of encouragement.
What do you say to some people who were hiding for their lives? They were being sought by people wanting to kill Christians. Peter knew much about trials and suffering. He knew the height of success as well as the depth of failure. The lessons he learned were worth sharing.
He wanted them to take comfort in their salvation and to know the saving and sustaining grace of God. He confirmed the hope of glory, highlighting the perspective that suffering would only be temporary. He was also a firsthand illustration of the blessings that come from suffering for the gospel. He encouraged them to continue in the strength that God gives them for the day, for it will be worth it all when we see Jesus.
These verses highlight the importance of relationships that will sustain them and us during tough times.
Dale
