In 1 Peter the subject of suffering is very large. The Christians to whom Peter wrote were facing suffering for the sake of Christ and for Christian testimony. And worse was yet to come. Peter had been in Rome along with other Christian workers and he had been watching the way the wind of politics was ushering in trouble and persecution for the Christian community at large. With a shepherd heart Peter writes his letter to Christians in these faraway provinces and warns them kindly as he breaks the news to them, ‘Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you’ (4:12). Peter, through the trials of his own life, had learned that suffering need not hinder our service for God. He invites us to remember the impact that Christ’s suffering has upon our suffering, and to consider the glory that the Lord promises to those who suffer on his behalf.

I want to…