Done With Sin

     Later in life, the apostle Peter wrote, "To suffer is an advantage...sin is no longer a power. Those who suffer in the body are done with sin." 

     He urged believers to live for the will of God, not human desires. How many of us do that? 

     "Love each other, deeply," Peter said. "Love covers many sins. Use whatever gift you have to serve others...with the strength God provides." 

     He challenges us to "speak the very word of God, that God may be praised through Jesus Christ." 

     Back to suffering, Peter wrote that we can rejoice while suffering, knowing that true joy comes when his glory is revealed. "Praise God that you have that name," he said.

     Finally, he wrote something we don't normally hear: "Judgment begins with the family of God. It is hard (even) for the righteous to be saved." 

     Nevertheless, ridicule and rejection strengthen us. Leading to joy. 

     When we focus more on our Savior than on ourselves, joy results. So we've heard.