Devotion for Saturday 14 MAY 2011 Anno Domini

Devotion for Saturday 14 MAY 2011 Anno Domini
“8Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.11 To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.12 By Silvanus, a faithful brother unto you, as I suppose, I have written briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God wherein ye stand.13 The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you; and so doth Marcus my son.14 Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity. Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus. Amen. (1 Peter 5:8-14)
This is the most earnest and firm counsel that Peter provides to those who read his Epistle and follow Christ. He gives it from the perspective of one who has suffered a lapse of faith at a moment of mortal terror, but never again succumbed to it. Appropriately to the occasion, Peter ends the Epistle with an intercessory prayer and a benediction on our behalf.
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” The jungle is a dangerous place for the innocent. Those creatures that eat no blood, but only vegetation, are in constant danger and threat from the King of the Jungle – the Lion. A opportune time of hunting for the Lion is at night when he has advantage of vision in darkness which the grass-eating animals do not possess. So the Lion is a constant threat in the jungle. The world, to the Christian, is the jungle – its cities and hidden enclaves. It behooves the Christian to avoid places of temptation and danger, and remove from any place of temptation and presence of the Arch Enemy of their souls – the devil. Satan never sleeps, but is always seeking a breach in the wall of your conscience.
“Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.” Our old and learned Friend, Matthew Henry, describes this verse best: “A man cannot fight upon a quagmire, there is no standing without firm ground to tread upon; this faith alone furnishes. It lifts the soul to the firm advanced ground of the promises, and fixes it there.” Now, it is certain that Peter had a full appreciation for this principle when he was bade by the Master to walk upon the waters of the sea. With his eyes of faith fixed upon the object of that Faith, the Lord Jesus Christ, Peter did, indeed, walk upon the face of the deep. But when he was distracted by the swirling waters and gloom of the billows about him, he lost faith by looking into the eye of danger and not into the Eye of Christ. When we look to the strong Leader for help, He shall provide it. There is an incident involving the military operations in the environs of Atlanta during the War Between the States worth repeating here: Gen. Corse of the Union Army was tasked with safeguarding a supply outpost at Altoona Pass, north of Atlanta, with a Brigade force of 1500 men, when Confederate General Hood dispatched General French with a force of 6,000 men to wreck the logistics lines and take the supply outpost. There was severe battle until the small Union force was driven into a fortress enclave atop the Kennesaw Mountains. At the moment of greatest peril and near surrender, they observed a message in semaphore from an adjoining mountain. It read, “Hold the Fort! I’m coming. – W.T. Sherman” The fortress took heart and held out for the while for the relieving force to arrive. So with us today. Christ is coming. Hold the Fort! Occupy until He comes! (Luke 19:13)
“But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” What a beautiful benediction Peter expresses for us! There is NO Grace apart from that provided in Christ. We did not petition for inclusion ‘unto His eternal Glory’ before He had first called us. Though we shall surely suffer the contempt of the world and all that Satan can deliver of pain and confusion, it will be turned to our improvement by the Lord and will make us even stronger in that Faith once delivered to the saints. When we are settled, we are on a strong foundation. We are not furtive about our faith or fickle in our testimony. We are settled on a foundation that cannot sink – the Solid Rock which is Christ.
“By Silvanus, a faithful brother unto you, as I suppose, I have written briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God wherein ye stand.” Sylvanus could not write as Peter could write, but he was faithful as a courier in delivering the message entrusted to him. Communications on the battlefield are every whit as important as the Commander’s maneuver plans. The men of echelon support provide the means whereby the infantryman on the firing line may address the enemy head-on. Every single precious stone of varying size and shape in the Temple shares equal importance with the larger stones for the building without them I incomplete.
“The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you; and so doth Marcus my son.” There are those, particularly of Roman inclination, who claim that this Babylon is Rome, but I do not believe it is. I believe it is actually the city of Babylon which would also be a part of the Empire of the time. The Church there, elect as we today, salutes its brothers and sisters in Christ. It does so in community for we are One in Christ if we be in Him at all. “Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity. Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus. Amen.” A counsel and a simple statement of truth. We should love one another as our very family. Being in Christ, Peter can certainly declare that peace shall be unto us. Is that peace in your heart today despite the outward sorrows?