“May grace and peace be multiplied in you.” – 1 Peter 1:2b
Scripture reading: Romans 1:1-7
After Peter announces who he is and to whom he is writing, he declares something very important. Many pastors also declare a blessing to God’s people at the beginning of a worship service. They give a special blessing to those who have come to worship the Lord in spirit and truth. This sets the tone of our worship services. God gathers and welcomes us to bless us as we come to worship Him under the reading and preaching of His Word.
In declaring a blessing to the Christians, Peter is also summarizing what the letter is about: God extending grace and peace to His people in abundance. The first Christians to read this letter faced persecution and displacement and were often struggling with why God was allowing this in their lives.
Today, we may not deal with the struggles early Christians faced, but we still face various situations that challenge our faith. We are blessed when we believe these words are not just from the man Peter, but from our Lord. God wants us to believe His grace has been abundantly supplied to us in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Out of a great love that we did not deserve, God the Father sent His only Son to take the punishment for our sins, so that we can become God’s beloved children, adopted into the eternal family of God. He did this so that we can have eternal peace with God, a peace that no one and nothing can take away, not even death.
Suggestions for prayer
That we would trust God’s grace and peace are ours because of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour.
Pastor Richard Bultje is a missionary and pastor of the River of Life church plant in Niagara Falls Ontario. It is a church plant under the oversight of the Wellandport United Reformed Church. Pastor Richard and his wife, Yukyung moved to Niagara Falls in November 2012 with their three children, Calvin, Isaiah and Gloria. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. It is also available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com.
