Monthly Archive for January, 1997

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1 Peter 1:3d

Published on January 21, 1997 in 1 Peter. 0 Comments
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“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”

 

has begotten us again
“Begotten us again” means born again. The word means literally “beget again” or “cause to be born again.” The only other time the New Testament uses this term is in verse 23 — “Having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever.”
Peter may recall here Jesus’ story of Nicodemus (John 3:1-21). Jesus said that we “must” be born again.
Peter is blessing God because we are born again. We may be blind, but we are born again. We may be poor, but we are born again. We have troubles, but we know Christ as our Savior. Just think of the future of those who do not know Christ. God calls upon us to bless God because we are born again.
“Begotten again” means regeneration. “Re” is new and “generation” is life. Regeneration is new life. Regeneration is an act of God. He effects it by Christ’s resurrection and the Word of God (1:23). We are born again when we accept the death of Christ to forgive our sins. At that point we are born into the family of God. God changes our eternal future in one moment.
The born again experience results in a living hope. The living hope is based on the resurrection of Christ (I Peter 1:21). The assurance of our salvation is as sure as the resurrection of Christ.
Principle:
Our salvation is a reason to extol God.
Application:
We are to “bless” (extol) God because he caused us to become born again. This is reason enough to praise him for all eternity.
Jesus said to the disciples who were rejoicing in their new-found power. Jesus rebuked them by these words, “Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven,” (Luke 10:20). That took the wind out of their sails.
It is one thing to rejoice in our Christian work, it is another to rejoice in our salvation. We are on our way to glory. The time will come when our service on earth will finish. We will still have eternity ahead. There will be a time when we can no longer preach, sing or serve. If service is the basis of our personhood, then our joy will flee. We will die a bitter old man or woman. We rejoice in our work rather than our future.
There never will be a time when we will not have Christ. There never will be a time when our names are not written in the Lamb’s book of life.
We become so accustomed to our new birth that we take it for granted. Some of us have been born again so long that we have forgotten what it was like before we became a Christian. We assume that everyone is a Christian. When we get into this condition we are in bad shape spiritually. If a husband takes his wife for granted the relationship will begin to break down. All of us are guilty of this at varying degrees. If we take God for granted it is a reflection of our spiritual condition.
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1 Peter 1:3c

Published on January 20, 1997 in 1 Peter. 0 Comments
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“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”

 

who according to His abundant mercy
 
“Abundant” means that God’s mercy increases geometrically with our need.
II Samuel 24:14, “And David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Please let us fall into the hand of the Lord, for His mercies are great; but do not let me fall into the hand of man.”
Micah 7:18, “Who is a God like You,
Pardoning iniquity
And passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage?
He does not retain His anger forever,
Because He delights in mercy.
Ephesians 2:4, “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us.”
Lamentations 3:22, 23, “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
23 They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.”
Romans 12:1, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which isyour reasonable service.”
Titus 3:5, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.”
I Timothy 1:13, “Although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.”
I Timothy 1:16, “However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.”
Jude 21, “Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.”
God is rich in mercy. The multiplied mercy of God is great toward us. God’s mercy is “abundant.” His mercy has inexhaustible resources to extend to the needy.
The Father has the capital to invest in our lives. It takes money to make money. God is in the business of investing his capital daily into our lives. God’s plan for us demands that he relinquish his capital. Some of his people are risky ventures yet he gives his resources without any strings attached. He must risk his capital to gain profit in the lives of believers. Grace is his capital. Grace in action is his “abundant mercy.” He bestows mercy constantly to the Christian. He also bestows mercy to the non Christian in offering his Son as a substitute in exchange for sin.
No matter how far off the tack we get, God has the resources of mercy to bring us back. His operating capital of mercy is infinite. No matter what sin we commit or how many times we do it, he has mercy for us.
It is amazing how many Christians do not realize how much capital God has in his company. That capital is available with no strings attached. All we need to do is draw on the unlimited resources of the bank of heaven.
God gives his mercy not according to our merit, ability, morality, talent or human experience. His mercy does not depend on us. It depends on his character.
Principle:
God’s mercy is great enough to meet us no matter how guilty we may be.
Application:
Mercy implies guilt. Abundant mercy implies abundant guilt. God shows his abundant mercy in the death of Christ for our sins.
Any blessing we have from God is due to his mercy, not our merit. As sinful people we have reason to mourn. We also have reason to rejoice because of God’s mercy toward us in Christ. We owe every blessing to the mercy of God.
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1 Peter 1:3b

Published on January 19, 1997 in 1 Peter. 0 Comments
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“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”

 

who according to His abundant mercy
 
“According to” means according to the standard. Commensurate with God’s mercy, he has given us a living hope.
“Mercy” is the outward manifestation of pity. It assumes a need on the part of the person who receives mercy. It also assumes that the person who gives mercy has the resources to adequately meet the need.
Mercy is God’s action toward us while we are in a hopeless condition. It is grace in action. Grace depends on the character of God. Peter himself received the grace of God. He vacillated hot one day and cold another. His spiritual roof fell on him a number of times yet God demonstrated grace to him over and over.
The New Testament uses the mercy of God in the sense that He is rich in it (Ephesians 2:4) and has provided salvation for all men (Titus 3:5; for Jews–Luke 1:72, and Gentiles–Romans 15:9).
He is merciful to all who fear Him (Luke 1:50). We find mercy when we pray (Hebrews 4:16). When Christ comes back, Christians will receive mercy at that time (II Timothy 1:16; Jude 21).
There is a distinction between grace and mercy. Grace describes God’s attitude toward the law–breaker; mercy is His attitude toward those in distress.
Principle:
Mercy is God’s grace in action toward us.
Application:
Do you view yourself as unworthy of God’s mercy? Worth has nothing to do with receiving God’s mercy. We receive God’s mercy by his grace. Grace is what we receive without merit.
Maybe the reason it is so hard for you to accept God’s mercy is that it is hard for you to accept God’s grace. We have nothing to offer God. He has everything to offer us.
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1 Peter 1:3

Published on January 18, 1997 in 1 Peter. 2 Comments
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“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”

 

Verse three begins the body of I Peter.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ

The word “blessed” means praised and applies only to God in the New Testament (Mark 14:61; Luke 1:68; Rom. 1:25; 9:5; 2 Cor. 1:3; 11:31; Eph. 1:3; 1 Pet. 1:3). “Blessed” indicates that God is worthy of praise or commendation. Peter breaks out in a doxology of praise at the beginning of his book. 

“Blessed” here is not the same word we meet in the beatitudes (Mt. 5; Lk 6). This is the word from which we get our English word “eulogy.” We give a human eulogy when a person dies. We speak in their praise.   In this verse we eulogize God who is alive eternally. Do you have something good to say about God? Do you exalt and extol him? Both Ephesians 1:3 and II Corinthians 1:3 begin with an affirmation of God. 

Peter advances this exaltation of praise in the recognition of God’s mercy.

PRINCIPLE: God wants us to celebrate God’s resources. 

APPLICATION: It is wonderful for a parent to hear children speak well of us. We often hear of parents praising their children but we do not hear often of a child praising his parents. God deserves our praise.

God wants us to be more than a sponge that simply absorbs the benefits of Christianity. He wants to hear of our appreciation for his provisions. We speak well of God when we proclaim what he is and does in his attributes and works. There is too little praise of God today and too little speaking well of him to others. 

How easy is it for you to break forth in praise to God? If we understand what he has done for us our lives would explode with glory to God. 

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1 Peter 1:2g

Published on January 17, 1997 in 1 Peter. 0 Comments
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"Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied."

 

and peace be multiplied 
 
Peace is always the result of grace. There are two kinds of peace:
1) peace with God (Romans 5:1; Ephesians 2:14) and the
2) peace of God (Philippians 4:7; Isaiah 26:3,4).
Peace with God is our salvation. Peace of God is our personal peace with him day by day.
Peter intends all sorts of peace here: domestic, civil, ecclesiastical peace in the church, and personal, spiritual peace with God.
The Bible does not promise world peace for the present age. Jesus said that there will be wars and rumors of wars (Matthew 24:6,7). There will, however, be peace in the future millennium (Isaiah 2:4; Micah 4:3). That is when the swords will be beat into plowshares. The Bible says that there is no peace for the wicked (Isaiah 48:22).
Many carnal Christians out of fellowship know nothing about the peace of God. They are bitter, critical and cynical. They will always be miserable when they are out of fellowship with the Lord.
“Multiplied” – not added, subtracted or divided. The word “multiplied” implies that the Asia Minor believers already had some measure of grace and peace. Peter wants these blessings multiplied in their lives.
Principle:
Christians who experience of the grace of God in their lives experience personal peace.
Application:
We cannot enjoy peace in our lives if we have not appropriated the grace of God.
The peace of God always follows the grace of God in introductions to Bible books. We will not know the peace of God until we experience the grace of God.
This is God’s personal peace filling the heart of the Christian. It is an internal tranquillity that keeps us from pushing the panic button when something goes wrong. Instead of heading for panic palace, we draw upon the grace of God. There is no reason why we should fret and stew. Why shoul d we be disgruntled and dour about life? All the non Christian can do is go out and get drunk. All he can do is escape and get away from his problems.
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1 Peter 1:2f

Published on January 16, 1997 in 1 Peter. 0 Comments
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"Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied."

 

Grace to you and peace be multiplied.
 
The salutation desires two blessings for the Christians in Asia Minor:
1) grace and
2) peace.
Grace always precedes peace where they appear together. We cannot know the peace of God without first knowing the grace of God.
Peter wants more than addition of grace and peace; he wants multiplication. He wants both grace and peace multiplied in our lives. We never graduate from the grace or peace of God. We never outgrow our need for grace and peace. The Christian needs the grace of God for his financial and domestic problems. Grace is available for those who know God personally. We cannot orient to suffering unless we first orient to the grace of God. Grace correlates peace in the midst of suffering.
Grace is more than unmerited favor. It is something we receive from God that we did not earn or deserve. It is the favor of God with all the effects that come with it: forgiveness, assisting, and providential care. Grace is all that God is free to do for us because of the death of Christ for us.
Grace implies that God’s plan is perfect because God is perfect. The perfect essence of God produces a perfect plan of grace. If man does anything in God’s plan it is no longer perfect. Man cannot participate in providing grace. If he does, he preempts grace.
Grace always excludes human merit, human responsibility and human good. Grace means that God does all of the providing. It is impossible for any believer to get out of the sphere of grace. Once we accept Christ we are never free from grace. No matter how contrary we may act to grace, we cannot get away from it.
In our “do-it-yourself” generation, this is hard for some people to grasp. Someone says, “How can a person do such a thing and still be a Christian?” This shocks some Christians but the believer who did it is still alive! God still has a plan for him. We forget the extent of our sin and sin capacity. We live every moment under God’s grace.
Grace is all that God can and will do for the believer in Christ. This is apart from his merit, works or cooperation. It is a matter of believing God has made this provision in Christ. Belief is a non-meritorious system of action. The greatest thing God can do for any member of the human race is to make him like his Son Jesus Christ.
There is a catch to receiving the grace of God – we must humbly accept it by faith (James 4:6; Hebrews 4:16). When things are going well we do not need the grace of God. However when things go wrong, that is a different matter. We can get along on our own wit, on our own ingenuity, on our own schemes and plans. When we come to the end of ourselves, then that is the opportunity for God to help.
God operates with four spheres of grace toward the believer:
1. Salvation (Ephesians 2:8,9)
2. Restoration (I John 1:9)
3. Spirituality (Ephesians 5:18)
4. Maturity (Hebrews 5:6)
God gives grace in prayer (Hebrews 4:16), fruit (I Corinthians 15:10; II Corinthians 6:11; 9:8), suffering (II Corinthians 12:9), power (II Timothy 2:1), growth (II Peter 3:18), stability (I Peter 5:12) and restoration (Hebrews 12:15).
Principle:
God is free to bestow his grace on us because Christ satisfied his absolute demands.
Application:
Grace always precedes peace in our lives.
It is not true that God helps those who help themselves. People think that that concept is in the Bible. That is like the phrase “cleanliness is next to godliness.” Neither phrase is in the Bible. The Biblical principle is God helps the helpless. When we come to the end of our rope and cry, “I cannot solve this problem. I do not have any solutions” then God will help us. Then we are a candidate for God’s help. Then God’s grace will gird us. We must come to a place of surrender – “I give up, I am going to stop trying to wiggle out of this thing. I am going to stop resolving this myself by virtue of my brain or brawn.” God waits until we view ourselves as bankrupt then he comes to our aid (I Peter 5:10).
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1 Peter 1:2e

Published on January 15, 1997 in 1 Peter. 0 Comments
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"Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied."

 

for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ:
The end in view is obedience. This obedience is not the effect of our obedience but for (unto) obedience.
Three prepositions carry the three roles of the trinity in our salvation: “according to,” “through” and “unto.” “According to” gives the fact of our salvation; “Through” gives the means of our salvation; “Unto” gives the purpose of our salvation. The purpose of our salvation is that we might be conformed into the same image of Christ (Romans 8:29).
The meaning of “obedience” here is the exercise of faith for our salvation. The Bible refers to obedience in the context of salvation a number of times (Acts 6:7; II Th 1:7-9; Ro 1:5; 6:17; Ga 3:1; I Pe 4:17; II Th 1:7,9).
“Obedience” refers to a standardized way in which a person enters into the plan of God. God has a standard operating procedure for entering into His plan (Acts 16:31; John 20:31).
Obedience here then is the obedience of faith. God calls us to obey the gospel. The Holy Spirit is the initiator of our salvation. He causes us to obey by setting us apart unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Christ.
The “sprinkling” in Peter’s mind is that of the Old Testament offerings (Exodus 24:3-8). This is the blood sprinkled on the altar. The blood of the Old Testament sacrifice pointed to the blood of Christ. The entire basis of our salvation rests on Christ. It is not enough that the blood be shed; it must be sprinkled. The sprinkling shows that God imputes Jesus’ blood to the believer.
Sprinkling then has to do with blood, not water (Hebrews 9:21). The blood of Christ speaks of the reconciling work of Christ on the cross. God knows of no other way of forgiving than through the blood of Christ. Only the blood can wash away our sin. It is the basis by which God forgives us (John 10:11; Colossians 1:20; I Corinthians 11:27; Hebrews 9:11,14; 10:17,19; 13:20; I John 1:7; Revelation 1:5; 5:9,10; 7:14; 12:20).
“Sprinkling” emphasizes propitiation. Propitiation means to satisfy. God is satisfied with the death of Christ for our sin. God is satisfied with the work of God the Son on the cross.
The animal in the Old Testament died by losing his blood. This is what we call a representative analogy. There is an analogy between priest cutting the throat of the bull upon the altar and the death of Christ. Christ bore our sins upon the cross.
Principle:
God has one standard way of delivering us from our sin – the death of Christ.
Application:
Many people today are immune to the gospel message. They acknowledge it from the Adam’s apple up. It is not a matter of the heart to them. They have heard about the blood of Christ all their lives but the gospel has never personally impressed them. They have never obeyed the gospel.
Have you personally received from God the sacrifice of his Son on the cross? Do you believe that God is satisfied with the death of Christ for your sin? Do you believe that you can do nothing for your salvation? If the answer to these questions is “no” then you are not a Christian.
A Christian is one who accepts from God the gift of the death of his Son upon the cross for our sin (Romans 4:5). Will you do that now? If you do, you will become a Christian.
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1 Peter 1:2d

Published on January 14, 1997 in 1 Peter. 0 Comments
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"Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied."

 

in sanctification of the Spirit
 
Before salvation can occur, every person who receives eternal life must be 1) sanctified by the Spirit and 2) cleansed by the blood of Christ.
 
Note that we find the concept of the trinity in this verse. There are groups on the fringe of Christendom who deny the deity of Christ. We call them cults or sects. This verse plainly teaches the trinity. If you reject the trinity, you are caught in a cult.
The sanctification of the Spirit makes us fit for our calling. This is the means whereby God brings us into the family of God. Only those to whom the Holy Spirit ministers will become a child of God.
The word “sanctification” means to “set apart.” It is like a person who shops for a suit and finds one he likes. He asks the clerk to set it aside. The Holy Spirit sets us aside for God. He sets aside every person God elects (Romans 15:16; I Corinthians 6:11; II Thessalonians 2:13). The Holy Spirit convicts them while they do not know Christ (John 16:7-11).
Calvary sets the child of God apart from a sinful life. His new position is in Christ and no longer in the world. The Christian is unable to achieve sanctification in his own strength. God has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness (1:3).
God places us into union with Christ. We fall heir to all that he is before God. God accomplishes this through sanctification which is a grace means of operation. Sanctification is a system of grace. God is the one who sets us apart. It is his act. So sanctification is a grace word.
Principle:
The Holy Spirit sets us apart forensically or judicially before God.
Application:
Sanctification here is positional sanctification. This is our status in God’s eyes. It is not personal conduct. In the Christian life the divine always precedes the human. God imputes that he might impart. A man is first accounted righteous that he might eventually be made righteous.
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1 Peter 1:2c

Published on January 13, 1997 in 1 Peter. 0 Comments
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"Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied."

 

according to the foreknowledge of God the Father
 
Each person of the trinity has a part in our election. The Father is the source, the Spirit is the sphere and the Son is the sign.
 
The words “according to” mean norm or standard. What is the norm or standard of God’s provision for us? It is the foreknowledge of God the Father. God has the good sense to know of any problem we might face in life. He knew this billions of years before we were born. This comes out of his omniscience.
People often confuse predestination with foreknowledge. Foreknowledge is simply the knowledge that something will take place. God sees all things at once from the beginning to the end. However, this pre-knowledge does not mean that he is the cause of all things he foresees will come to pass.
The word “foreknowledge” comes from two Greek words: “before” and “know.” So, God knows beforehand that the elect will come to him (Acts 2:23; Romans 8:29, 11:2; I Peter 1:20).
Foreknowledge can mean counsel or appointment as in Acts 2: 23 — “Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death.” Jesus’ death was not only foreseen, it was foreordained (I Peter 1:20). This is the meaning here. We are elect according to ordination of God.
The word “foreknowledge” only occurs seven times in the Bible. Two of those seven times occur in this chapter (cf. v. 20, Jesus as the lamb of God was foreordained before the foundation of the world).
“God the Father” is the first person of the trinity. The Father is the one who plans in the trinity. The Bible attributes the plan of our redemption to the Father. The Word ascribes reconciliation to the Son. Scripture ascribes sanctification to the Holy Spirit. Each person of the trinity has their own role. God chose us on the substructure of his omniscience. Election is in his eternal will and purpose.
God does not call upon us to understand everything in the Bible. When we get to heaven we will have greater capacity to understand these things. Our times are in God’s hands at the present time (Psalm. 31:15).
Principle:                                              
God knows everything beforehand that will happen to us.
Application:
It is awesome to know that our Father knows everything beforehand. We can leave everything secure in his hands.
Election looks at the place from which God took us – sin and the world. Predestination looks at our future – sanctification and heaven.
Some people are dumb enough to think that God is caught short or flatfooted by something we do or others might do to us. God knew everything that has happened or will happen to us. That may mean millions of things over our lifetime. Yet he knew every one of them before they ever occurred. There never was a time when he did not know. He knew all adversity we would ever face. He made provisions for them in eternity. He makes provision for everything in life.
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1 Peter 1:2b

Published on January 12, 1997 in 1 Peter. 0 Comments
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"Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied."

 

Elect
 
“Elect” simply says we are in the plan of God. It anticipates the suffering the believer is to face. I Peter deals with how the Christian relates to suffering from God’s viewpoint.
 
Scripture observes election from a number of viewpoints. God elects us out of the world (John 15:19). He elects us to salvation (I Thes. 1:4, 5). He chooses us to special service (Acts 9:15; I Peter 2:9). He elects us to conform to the image of his Son (Romans 8:29). He does all of this according to his own will (Ephesians 1:11).
Matthew 22:14 “For many are called, but few are chosen.”
John 15: 16 ,19 “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. 19 “If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” God chose us to bear fruit.
Romans 8:33 “Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.”
Ephesians 1: 3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will.”
I Thessalonians 1: 4 “Knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God. 5 For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake.”
II Thessalonians 2: 13,14 “But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, 14 to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Here we have eternity dipping into time and stretching forward unto eternity. Of course there is no such thing as past or future eternity. We use that language to understand it from a finite viewpoint. We use this language to differentiate eternity from time, calendars and clocks.
Colossians 3: 12 “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering.”
Titus 1:1 “Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect and the acknowledgment of the truth which accords with godliness.”
II Peter 1:10 “Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble.”
Revelation 17: 14 “These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.”
Principle:
The plan of God fully anticipates all our suffering.
Application:
Nothing will ever touch us that is not in the plan of God. Nothing is too great for the plan of God. God’s plan is greater than any suffering, any heartache, disappointment, difficulty or loss that we might sustain. Nothing is too great for his plan. God has made provision for any disaster that we will ever face. Whether we experience blessing in these disasters or not depends on your appropriation of his provisions. In other words, we understand his promises and lay hold of them.
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