Good morning. Continuing
where we left off yesterday: we were chosen to be born again to a living hope
to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade
away, reserved in heaven for you. Rust and moths are not going to corrupt our
inheritance. It is also undefiled. It will not fade away – that is, it is going
to last forever. The words translated will not fade away are actually the
negative of to quench a fire. That is an interesting choice of words because of
what will be said later - that our faith will be tested by fire. This
inheritance is reserved in heaven for you Rani. It's got your name on it - and
no one can take it away. I think you could agree with the next verse which
says: in this you greatly rejoice. But there could be a catch – even though now
for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials.
Nobody wants to go through trials. And what is the result? That the proof of
your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though
tested by fire (there's that fire I was talking about), may be found to result
in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. I think I'll
skip that part how about my faith being tested by fire, you may say. It's like
you've heard before: you can't have a testimony without going through a test.
Father thank You that the reader's faith holds even though he/she is tested by
fire. He/she will come forth greater than gold.
Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me
Good morning. Paul then gives a list of a lot of things that he has gone through as an apostle. I do not write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For if you were to have countless tutors in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. There could be many people that you listen to either in church or through the Internet or other means; but there was only one person (as a general rule it was a person) that lead you to Christ. Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me. He was saying that just like a child imitates his or her father, they were to imitate him. He says that again seven chapters later. Since it is easy to forget some things about people we have not seen in a while, Paul says that he sent Timothy to them to remind them of his ways which are in Christ, just as he taught everywhere in every church. Some have become arrogant, as though I were not coming to you. I shall find ou...
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