School supply lists and new teacher meetings announce the return of the orderly routines of another school year. The children groan and the parents cheer this day every year, unless the parents homeschool, which is a post for another day! 😊 With the new school year comes the teaching and the testing meant to prepare and grow the students for what comes ahead. Precept upon precept, line upon line; growth requires knowledge and experience. Tests cement what the student already knows into long-term memory to draw from in future learning.
A few Facebook friends and I are launching into a weekly chapter by chapter study of 1 Peter, and my first impression of the book reminds me of reading the syllabus the first day of class and feeling instant panic. “I am going to have to do what?!? And all of this has to be done to pass this class?!?” Clearly, the teacher has bigger plans than I walked into class with and I am not going to find learning the easy experience I anticipated.
In the background study of the book, I was reminded that the teacher, Peter, once failed this course too. By the end of his life, however, he passed with flying colors. In Matthew 16:22-23, Peter was rebuked for encouraging Jesus to avoid the suffering He came to accomplish. By the writing of 1 Peter, Peter was now living under the terrible reign of Nero, who was burning Christians in his garden as living torches. Soon he would die the death Jesus had described he would by Nero’s hand. Peter, the under shepherd of Jesus’s flock of believers, took pen in hand to help them see God’s syllabus for the Christian life. The Master Teacher had growth in store for His students, and tests would be part of the learning experience. Every test had a purpose, and those who learned the lessons well would receive riches beyond anything the world could offer. Just a few of the rewards of these trials are listed below, but I am sure you could study to find more.
- Tests lead us to look to eternal gain.
- Tests reveal the unlimited power of God at work.
- Tests, when passed, bring Jesus glory and us rewards.
- Tests refine our knowledge and love for Jesus.
- Tests mold us to become more like Jesus.
- Tests grow our spiritual maturity.
- Tests help others to see the truth of the Gospel on display.
- Tests give us the ability to teach others.
The Master Teacher has spiritual growth in mind for His students, and suffering does far more in the teaching curriculum than the easy life ever would. God’s perspective of suffering is so much different than our own. If we look at it from His eyes, though, we will see that its season will go as fast as the last school year flew, and soon, His rewards will far outweigh the temporary struggles. If you would like to print this week’s study for yourself, I will attach it below. I hope you find it as much a blessing as I have so far!
Have a blessed weekend!
His Song in the Night 