I Peter 5:10 “But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you.”
When we think of the grace of God, we usually think of the death on the cross. God’s perfect Son giving us what we do not deserve: forgiveness of sin and eternal life. But grace is so much more. Grace is God imparting any helps and comforts to us that we do not deserve. In I Peter 5:10, he is the God of all grace. Grace manifests its self in many ways. Here it is the grace to perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle us. But first, before we gain that eternal glory, we will suffer “a little while.” Commentaries say this may refer to either the length of time we suffer or the degree to which we suffer. However, in view of eternity, any suffering here will be short and lite when compared to what our Savior went through.
II Corinthians 4:16-18 “For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
These trials will perfect us. They will allow us to draw closer to God, to see and feel our need for Him in every aspect of our lives. Trials, though not sought after, are good for us. They help to make us complete. He knows what is missing in us, and he knows how to equip us for His service.
Hebrews 13:21 “Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.”
Not only does he seek to perfect us, but He also wants to establish us. When you establish something, you set it firm on a permanent basis. He wants to stabilize us. He does not want us to be “tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine.” He is seeking to grow us up and give us a firm foundation. Until the day we die, we are to continue to walk in His direction.
Ephesians 4:14 “That we henceforth are no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;”
Next, He seeks to strengthen us. If we are to continue the right path, it will take great strength. This world has many pitfalls that can easily throw us off course if we are not strong enough to persevere. This is a strength that we do not have within our own selves. However, God has plenty and he wants us to draw upon His strength.
Ephesians 3:16 “That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; “
There will be many things in life that we face and do not feel we have the strength to endure, but God will grant that strength if we will call upon Him for it. When faced with trials, so much of the time we want to crumble. When we see others going through trials we may comment, “I don’t know how they can get through … I know I couldn’t.” We fail to realize God has graces of different kinds and proportions that he only gives as needed.
Now the writer takes us one step further on this pathway of grace. God wants to “settle” us.
Ephesians 3:17 “That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,”
He wants us to be “rooted and grounded.” When I read this, I think of a mighty oak tree. The root system of a mature oak tree can total miles if each root is laid end to end. An oak’s chief support, the taproot, grows vertically for some distance into the earth before branching out. We need to be just like the oak with roots running deep and long. The roots are the anchor of the tree and our roots anchor us. Therefore, we must make sure we are anchored in Christ. His grace will do all it is supposed to for us if we are determined to be rooted and settled in Him and His grace
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