Do you believe in things you have not seen? Do you believe in people you have not seen? Do you rejoice over them? That can be difficult to do, can’t it? How can we believe in and rejoice over someone we do not know? Are we willing to take what we hear on faith?
Perhaps the closest we can get to believing in someone we have not seen is by supporting a child through a child support organization. Over the years, I have supported a variety of children and currently support one in Brazil. But I have seen the child in a picture.
In today’s world, it is hard for there to be someone we have not seen. We can research them on the internet and find all sorts of information. We can find pictures of them on social media, in news articles, or even obituary listings. If we cannot find something on the internet about them, we should be suspicious, even if they do not use a computer or smart phone.
But in the first century, the internet did not exist. People had to believe and put their faith in people they had never seen. Such is the case for the people Peter is writing to. He commends them for their love for Jesus and their belief in Him, though they had not seen Him. Not only did they believe but they rejoiced in Him and received salvation. Their faith was not completely blind. After all, they had been told about Him. They believed what the apostles and other traveling preachers told them about Him.
We have a great opportunity today to learn about Jesus. We have numerous translations of the Bible. There are commentaries available to us that are written by Greek scholars that tell us what the original Greek meaning was. We can read about Jesus by numerous reputable authors. We have no excuse for not believing and rejoicing in Him.
I pray we all seek to know more about Jesus. I pray we put our faith in Him. I pray each one of us rejoice in the salvation we have and experience the joy that only comes from Jesus. Seek to know more about Jesus. Put your faith in Jesus. Rejoice in Jesus. Experience the joy of Jesus.
1 Peter 1:8-9 Although you have not seen him, you love him, and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Marty Pressey 