"In this you greatly rejoice" (1 Pet. 1:6).

Contemplating your eternal inheritance should give you joy that transcends any temporal circumstance.

Joy is a major theme in Scripture. The psalmist said, "Sing for joy in the Lord, O you righteous ones; praise is becoming to the upright" (Ps. 33:1); "My lips will shout for joy when I sing praises to Thee; and my soul, which Thou hast redeemed" (Ps. 71:23).

Even creation itself is said to rejoice in the Lord: "Thou dost make the dawn and the sunset shout for joy. . . . Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all it contains; let the field exalt, and all that is in it. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy before the Lord. . . . Let the mountains sing together for joy before the Lord; for He is coming to judge the earth" (Ps. 65:8; 96:11-13; 98:8-9).

Joy is the special privilege of every believer, regardless of his or her circumstances. You might suffer untold heartache and persecution for your faith in Christ, but amid the severest trials, God wants you to know profound joy. That's why Peter said, "To the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing; so that also at the revelation of His glory, you may rejoice with exultation" (1 Pet. 4:13).

First Peter 1:6-9 identifies five elements of your Christian life that should bring you joy amid trials. The first is your protected inheritance. That's what Peter referred to when he said, "In this you greatly rejoice" (v. 6, emphasis added). Other elements include a proven faith, a promised honor, a personal fellowship, and a present deliverance (vv. 6-9), which we will explore in coming days.

The Greek word translated "greatly rejoice" in 1 Peter 1:6 is not the usual Greek word for "rejoice." Peter used a more expressive and intense word, which speaks of one who is happy in a profound spiritual sense rather than a temporal or circumstantial sense. That's the quality of joy God grants to those who trust in Him and look beyond their temporal trials to the glory of their eternal inheritance. Let that be your focus as well.

Suggestions for Prayer

Thank God for the joy that transcends circumstances.

For Further Study

Read John 16:16-22.

• According to Jesus, why would the disciples lament?
• What would bring them joy?
• What does their experience teach you about the basis for your joy as a Christian?

“. . . And in your brotherly kindness, Christian love” (2 Peter 1:7).

Sacrificial love proves genuine faith.

Classical Greek had three common terms for love. As we saw yesterday, phileo (philadelphia) is the love of give and take, best expressed in friendship. Eros is the love that takes—one loves another strictly for what he or she can get out of that person. It is typical of the world’s sexual and lustful desires, which are always bent toward self-gratification. Agape is the love that gives. It is completely unselfish, with no taking involved. This is the highest form of love, which all the other virtues in 2 Peter 1 ultimately lead to. It seeks another’s supreme good, no matter what the cost. Agape was exemplified perfectly by Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf.

But what does this highest type of love look like? A brief survey of the one anothers in the New Testament gives an excellent picture. We are commanded to:

Edify one another (Rom. 14:19).
“Serve one another” (Gal. 5:13).
“Bear one another’s burdens” (Gal. 6:2).
Submit to one another (Eph. 5:21).
Forgive one another (Col. 3:13).
Instruct one another (Col. 3:16).
“Comfort one another” (1 Thess. 4:18).
Rebuke one another (Titus 1:13).
Encourage one another to do good (Heb. 10:24-25).
Confess our sins to one another (James 5:16).
“Pray for one another” (James 5:16).
“Be hospitable to one another” (1 Peter 4:9-10).

The Lord Jesus Christ was involved with individuals. He was a true friend who caringly, lovingly, and sensitively interacted with feeble, needy, and unimportant people and made them eternally important.

Nevertheless we still find people spiritualizing love into a meaningless term. “I love so-and-so in the Lord” really means, “He irks me, but I guess I have to love him if he’s a believer.” Don’t let yourself say that. Instead, display genuine love.

Suggestions for Prayer

Thank God that Christ showed agape love toward you on the cross.

For Further Study

Memorize one of the verses in the list of one anothers, and apply it at every appropriate opportunity.

Reading for Today:

• Nehemiah 6:1–7:73
• Proverbs 21:28
• Psalm 89:5-10
• Acts 27:1-26

Notes:

Nehemiah 6:5 open letter. Official letters were typically rolled up and sealed with an official signet by the letter’s sender or one of his assisting officials. An open or unsealed letter was not only a sign of disrespect and open criticism, but also suggested the information therein was public knowledge. The goal of this document was to intimidate Nehemiah into stopping the work.

Nehemiah 6:10 secret informer. When the open letter failed to intimidate Nehemiah into stopping the work and coming to a meeting, his enemies decided to try intimidation from within. They hired a false prophet (v. 12), Shemaiah, to lure Nehemiah into the Holy Place in the temple for refuge from a murder plot. To enter and shut himself in the Holy Place would have been a desecration of the house of God and would have caused people to question his reverence for God. Shemaiah was the son of a priest who was an intimate friend of Nehemiah. This plan would give them grounds to raise an evil report against Nehemiah, who was not a priest and had no right to go into the Holy Place (6:13). It could also make the people question his courage (v. 11).

Nehemiah 6:16 this work was done by our God. While modern readers might be tempted to exalt the leadership qualities which brought the work to completion, Nehemiah’s conclusion was seen through the eyes of his enemies, i.e., God works through faithful people, but it is God who works.

Acts 27:1 we. The use of the pronoun “we” marks the return of Paul’s close friend Luke, who has been absent since 21:18. He had likely been living near Caesarea so he could care for Paul during his imprisonment. Now he rejoined the apostle for the journey to Rome. centurion of the Augustan Regiment. A cohort (regiment) of that name was stationed in Palestine during the reign of Agrippa II. Julius may have been on detached duty, performing such tasks as escorting important prisoners.

Acts 27:10 end with disaster. Because of the lateness of the season and the difficulties they had already experienced, Paul wisely counseled them to spend the winter at Fair Havens.

Acts 27:17 used cables to undergird the ship. A procedure known as frapping. The cables, wrapped around the hull and winched tight, helped the ship endure the battering of the wind and waves. Syrtis. A region of sandbars and shoals off the coast of Africa, much feared as a graveyard of ships. struck sail. This phrase could best be translated “let down the sea anchor.” The sailors undoubtedly did both, since putting out an anchor with the sails up would be self-defeating.

DAY 27: What parts of the Old Testament and what people were active in the events surrounding the return of the Jews from exile?

Five historical books (1 and 2 Chr., Ezra, Neh., and Esth.) come from or cover events after the exile. Three prophetic books (Hag., Zech., and Mal.) come from the same period. The term “postexilic” is often used to describe these books and people.

First and Second Chronicles provide a summary of history viewed from the final days of the exile. Ezra and Nehemiah journal the thrilling and trying days of the return to Judah and the rebuilding of the nation. Haggai and Zechariah were prophets active during the time recorded in Ezra 4–6 when the temple was under reconstruction. Malachi wrote and prophesied during Nehemiah’s revisit to Persia (Neh. 13:6).

Although part of the purpose of these books confirms God’s continued covenant with the house of David and the unbroken kingly line, the emphasis shifts from royalty to other servants of God. A scribe, a cupbearer, and prophets become God’s central agents. Even Esther, although a queen, had to rely on God rather than her position and power to accomplish God’s role for her in preserving the Jews in Persia.

All of this sets the stage for the mixed expectations that surrounded the birth of Jesus, the fulfillment of God’s covenant with David, God’s personal involvement in the history of salvation.

“Another of the disciples said to Him, ‘Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.’ But Jesus said to him, ‘Follow Me, and allow the dead to bury their own dead’” (Matthew 8:21–22).

This man, perhaps a hanger-on who had followed Jesus around the countryside for a while, makes what seems at first to be a reasonable statement. His seeking permission to go and bury his father, however, did not mean his parent was already dead. It was and is a common Middle Eastern figure of speech referring to a child’s (mainly a son’s) responsibility to help with the family business until the father dies and the inheritance is available. Such a commitment can conceivably take a long time to fulfill. It’s the same as saying, “I need to wait until I receive my inheritance.”

This superficial disciple did not want devotion to Jesus to get in the way of receiving what was coming to him. He was okay with associating with the Lord by name, but his personal prosperity and well-being came ahead of serving Christ.

Jesus’ reply was right on the mark with another proverbial saying, “Follow Me, and allow the dead to bury their own dead.” In other words, “Let the world take care of the things of the world.” We should let the spiritually dead manage their own affairs.

Believers must not pattern their thinking after the world’s ways, but be disciples of Christ and bring the good news of eternal life to the world, relying on His grace and enabling.

Ask Yourself

Are there any plans and hopes and dreams you are still holding on to that may not square with the will of God for your life? If you had to surrender any of these for the cause of Christ, how do you think you’d react?