Suffering....just for a little while

Biblical Hermeneutics...

In all reality, I'm a nerd. But NOT to the point where I love being about to take a passage from the bible...and disect it...in the library...with TONS of commentaries and concordances surrounding me. Apparently though, times have changed my friends. Last week I spent hours upon hours in the library doing research over 1 Peter. Now, part of the reason I was in there so long was because I didn't get the homework done ahead of time, but I also enjoyed it so much! There was so much amazingly encouraging things that came out of the study.

As I researched Peter and his personality in the text, I learned so much about how God uses people, even after they make just about the WORST choices. Here we have a man that wishes to please Jesus and do everything right. But then at the opportunity of actually taking that step to stand up for Him, he cowards down and basically says he has never even seen him.

The amazing thing that comes from this is the fact that he takes this experience and turns around completely! He goes from being a coward of a man, to one of the most influentual leaders in the book of Acts.

PRAISE GOD FOR FORGIVENESS!

No only was Peter renewed from forgiveness, but he was filled with the Holy Spirit as Jesus had promise the disciples. He promised that as he left them and went to prepare a place for them in heaven, he would leave his spirit with them so they would have Him with the at all times. So beautiful!

I'm not sure if this makes sense at all because it's a jumble of thoughts from the intense study I did. I'm just trying to sort all these thoughts out:-)

But I was reminded of this verse in 1 Peter.
"And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast." 1 Peter 5:10

As I read over this verse many many times, I was taken back by this, "after you have suffered a little while..." Often I think, oh God will heal me if I ask him too, or he will take me out of this hard time right now. But really, just as it says right there in 1 Peter, he just might let me suffer for a bit. But he WILL come and restore me and make me even stronger than I was in the first place. I will leave you with these thoughts:-)
There's a group of people that just came to distract me in the caf. So I shall continue later:-)

Britt

Let me know if you have any thoughts!