If there is one thing we all desire, then it must be a major turn-around in our lives. I’m not talking about turning around from sin to Christ. I’m talking about a major turn-around in our circumstances. For to many years we, as God’s children, have been living a life of misery and suffering. The good news is that there is a turn-around on the way and I believe it can happen in this year for us.
Let me prophecy to you that for those who remains faithful, there is a major turn-around in Christ Jesus.
1 Peter 5:8 – 10
There are three very important statements in vers 10 that I want us to look at.
1. We are called unto His glory.
Ephesians 1:3-5
MSG: How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He’s the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him. Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!)
Long before we were even born God already decided what our destiny, our calling will be, namely to be conformed to the image of His Son.
God has called us to be in His glory. Most people see calling = performance. Calling is not something that I must do; it is somewhere I must be. We are not called to do but to be.
1 Thessalonica 2:12
GNB: We encouraged you, we comforted you, and we kept urging you to live the kind of life that pleases God, who calls you to share in his own Kingdom and glory.
YLT: for your walking worthily of God, who is calling you to His own reign and glory.
1 Peter 2:9
ASV: But ye are an elect race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that ye may show forth the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:
We are called to be in His glory.
2 Peter 1:3
GNB: God’s divine power has given us everything we need to live a truly religious life through our knowledge of the one who called us to share in his own glory and goodness.
RSV: His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,
My calling is to be in His glory and my ministry is to live out His glory.
2 Thessalonica 2:13 – 14
GNB: God called you to this through the Good News we preached to you; he called you to possess your share of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
GW: With this in mind he called you by the Good News which we told you so that you would obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2. After ye have suffered a while.
No one likes the sound of suffering. In fact, most of us just skip over that verse and wish that we had never read it. Must understand this suffering is not sickness.
Isaiah 53:5; Matthew 8:17; 1 Peter 2:24
Phillips Bible: “Resist him, standing firm in your faith and remember that the strain is the same for all your fellow Christians in other parts of the world”.
This suffering or strain is in resisting the devil. He wants you to give up and quit. He wants you to throw up your hands and declare that you can’t take any more. Resisting the temptation to give up can be a strain at times.
Dictionary defines strain:
A. To exert to the utmost.
Jesus is our example of One who was willing to “exert to the utmost” and not give up.
Luke 22:44
Hebrews 12:3 – 4
B. To stretch beyond what you formerly thought was your limit.
You have a reservoir of strength that you can tap into if you’re willing to strain for it.
1 John 4:4
C. To make violent effort.
In other words, do whatever it takes no matter how long it takes. Quitting is not an option.
Matthew 11:12
D. To embrace tightly.
What is it that we are to embrace?
Hebrews 10:23
We must embrace our faith tightly. We must embrace God’s Word tightly.
3. Christ will make us perfect.
Peter says that there will be suffering but he also say that it will be for a short while. For if we can hold on fast Christ will make us whole.
Message: The suffering won’t last forever. It won’t be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ--eternal and glorious plans they are!--will have you put together and on your feet for good.
BBE: And after you have undergone pain for a little time, the God of all grace who has given you a part in his eternal glory through Christ Jesus, will himself give you strength and support, and make you complete in every good thing;
GW: God, who shows you his kindness and who has called you through Christ Jesus to his eternal glory, will restore you, strengthen you, make you strong, and support you as you suffer for a little while.
Don’t give up, you are on a brink of a miracle. You might be suffering right now, but soon you’ll be rejoicing.
