Established

Today’s Passage – 1 Peter 1 – 5 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)

(Second Milers also read – Psalms 111 – 115; Proverbs 23)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Matthew 6:33

Read the “1223 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Read a previous post from this morning’s reading passage – “Suffering“

“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, stablish, strengthen, settle you.” (1 Peter 5:10)

“For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established;” (Romans 1:11)

“Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.” (2 Peter 1:12)

“Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be 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; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:” (Ephesians 4:13-15)

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 15:58)

The word “stablish” or establish has been coming up a lot lately in my studies. Recently, I was closely examining Paul’s Letter to the Romans, and I observed in chapter one that Paul wanted to see the saints at Rome established in their faith. The word “stablish” (στηρίζω – stērizō) means to be to to be settled, fixed, not easily moved. I learned from Romans that God wanted to use Paul to establish the saints in Rome in order to make sure that they were grounded in the faith. Ephesians 4 also tells us that God has given us pastors and teachers so that we can learn sound doctrine, which will help us to mature in the faith and cause us not be easily swayed into doctrinal error.

Here in 1 Peter 5, we learn that God also uses suffering to stablish us. Notice in verse 10, God chooses 4 words, which have a very similar meaning: perfect, stablish, strengthen, and settle. These words all support the same conclusion that God wants us to grow up, to mature, and to be able to stand up to the harsh winds of adversity. It seems that the Christianity of this present day that we live in are very weak and unsettled. People fall away from the faith very easily, and are also lured just as easily into false teaching. There are probably many reasons for this, at the top of the list being the fact that our churches have removed Bible preaching and teaching from the place of preeminence that it once held. But, I also believe that it is because there is very little suffering in this day that we live in. We live in a pleasure soaked society. The Christians of the first century suffered, and had to stand boldly against incredible and cruel persecution, but it caused them to be tough, settled, and stablished.

I am not sure exactly where this thought is leading. I am not asking that God allow us to go through the persecution that are brothers and sisters went through in years past, but I do know that we need to grow up, to be established in the faith. I guess my prayer is that God will do whatever He has to in order to achieve that end in our lives for His glory.