elect exiles...

so i have been spending a lot of time in 1 peter. it is a great book that talks a lot about suffering. i decided to study it with some girls because i realized that i do not suffer much and when i do suffer i do not suffer well.

tonight we talked about 1 peter 1:1-2. there is a lot crammed into this introduction, but what stuck out to me tonight was the phrase "elect exiles." when reading this before, i just breezed over this without thinking much about it but tonight it hit me.

i am elect. i am loved. god chose me before the beginning of time. i am not perfect, i do not have it together and never will this side of heaven, but i am fully loved and accepted. i am chosen to be a part of a heavenly kingdom. i may be rejected by everyone else, but i am chosen and embraced by god. he loved me so much that while i was still a sinner, heck, before i was even conceived, he died for me! (rom 5:8)

i am an exile. this world is not my home. i forget that all the time and i live as though it is. i do not and should not belong here. if i try to make it my home, it will always disappoint. as an exile things will not be comfortable, and i should not expect them to be. as an exile, i will not be loved and embraced by everyone. as an exile, my life will often be contrary to this culture because the kingdom i belong to has a different set of values. yet i forget, a lot! and i try to make the things of this world work for, i get frustrated at my circumstances, i fear rejection by people. but why would i expect anything different. i am living in exile.

so if you hear me complaining, moping about, looking depressed, fearing people, etc please remind me that i am an elect exile. i am fully loved and embraced by god so stop looking for that from someone else and this world is not my home, so stop expecting it to feel like it.

i am excited to learn more from this book! if you are looking for more info about 1 peter, mark driscoll has a great sermon series on it. check it out here. http://www.8witnesses.com/