Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith–the salvation of your souls.
1 Peter 1:8-9 (NKJV)
Have you ever seen Jesus; even in a vision? Some have seen visions of the Lord. My wife and I have, but the detail of His appearance was obscured. Let me tell you that the vision we had of Him did have a profound effect on us. But even if we had not had a vision of the Lord our faith is still strong in Him, even after many years later.
Your faith (and mine) in Christ Jesus should have a profound effect on us and because the end result of our faith is the salvation of our souls. It is through your faith in the finished work of Christ and the confession of your faith that have resulted in your name being penned in the Lamb’s Book of Life. It is through your faith that you have been adopted into the family of the redeemed. It is through faith that you can stand firm in your relationship with Christ when the world is against you and pushes you aside as meaningless trash.
Paul wrote of the character of this age. He wrote in 2 Timothy 3:1-5 (NKJV),
“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!”
He also wrote in Romans 8:36 (NKJV),
As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”
As it was with the early believers, so let it be with us. We may not mean much to this world but we are special in God’s sight so let’s stand firm in the faith and let the chips fall where they may. Amen and amen.
