1 Peter 5:8-14

Rachel Workman: 8 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 9 Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.  In the Old Testament, the Hebrew term is "Satan," which can be translated both as “accuser” and “adversary.” The New Testament uses both the term “Satan” and the more generic term “devil,” which can be translated “accuser” and “slanderer.” Both terms speak of who Satan is and what his character is like. Satan’s goal is turn us from God. He is always working tempting us to sin. He encourages us to embrace our human lusts and desires instead of reflecting the character of God. He is the accuser and when Satan accuses us he causes us to feel guilty about our sin, which has already been forgiven. He causes us to doubt God's grace. He is prowling around "like a roaring lion looking for some to devour." But if we resist Satan, he will flee from us. If by our resistance he finds we will not be taken in by his influence, he continues prowling, seeking to find those he can influence. And how do we resist? We resist by standing firm in our faith, by remaining true to our faith in Christ and our commitment to live as He instructs us.

10 In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation. 11 All power to him forever! Amen.

12 I have written and sent this short letter to you with the help of Silas, whom I commend to you as a faithful brother. My purpose in writing is to encourage you and assure you that what you are experiencing is truly part of God’s grace for you. Stand firm in this grace. I love this letter. Basically what Peter is saying is, so you've suffered and you've experienced some hardships? Sounds about right to me. It's during those hardships that God's grace is most pronounced. Thank God, that his grace is renewed every day. Thank you Jesus, for taking my sins upon yourself. Without Christ there is nothing righteous in me.

13 Your sister church here in Babylon sends you greetings, and so does my son Mark. 14 Greet each other with Christian love.

Peace be with all of you who are in Christ. I love this closing. To be "in Christ" means we have accepted His sacrifice as payment for our sins. Our rap sheets contain every sinful thought, attitude or action we have ever committed.  It's because of that sacrifice that we are able to stand before God with a clean slate. Knowing we are in Christ should allow us to have peace beyond measure.

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John Burnett:  ⁸ Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.  Satan is very sneaky and he knows the best bait to keep us living like the world and damage our testimony.   ^9 [a]But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your ^[b]brethren who are in the world. ¹⁰ After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.  You have to be undergoing the process of sanctification in order to get His eternal glory in Christ.  This is lifelong process that molds us into a person who resembles Jesus.  It does not mean we will be perfect but it allows us to see how far we have come and how far we still need to go.¹¹ To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen.

¹² Through Silvanus, our faithful brother ^[c](for so I regard him), I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it! ¹³ She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you greetings, and so does my son, Mark. ¹⁴ Greet one another with a kiss of love.

Peace be to you all who are in Christ.

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Krista Cook:  ⁸ Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. ⁹ Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters^[b] all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.

- I have always loved this comparison of the devil.  Really puts a clear picture in our head of what we are up against.

¹⁰ In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation. ¹¹ All power to him forever! Amen.

- our suffering here is but small compared to the rewards that await us!

¹² I have written and sent this short letter to you with the help of Silas,^[c] whom I commend to you as a faithful brother. My purpose in writing is to encourage you and assure you that what you are experiencing is truly part of God’s grace for you. Stand firm in this grace.

- and one of our purposes is to encourage one another.  Thanks, Rachel, for doing this!!

¹³ Your sister church here in Babylon^[d] sends you greetings, and so does my son Mark. ¹⁴ Greet each other with Christian love.^[e]

Peace be with all of you who are in Christ.

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Mike Grimm:  ⁸ Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. ⁹ Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.

Committing one’s concerns and cares to God does not mean becoming complacent or indifferent, but involves active cooperation with the guidance he provides through his spirit. This is essential because the adversary, the devil, is prowling about like a roaring lion, seeking victims. So there continues to be a need for one to be “sober” or alert and “vigilant” or watchful, not permitting the adversary to find an opening for leading one into a path contrary to God’s will.

Believers need to resist the devil, remaining firm in the faith. This requires that they not give in to any doubts about God’s love and concern for them and his desire to sustain and strengthen them by means of his spirit. All the other believers faced affliction on account of being disciples of Jesus Christ. They suffered for the right reasons.

¹⁰ In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation. ¹¹ All power to him forever! Amen.

When we are suffering, we often feel as though our pain will never end. Peter gave these faithful Christians the wider perspective. In comparison with eternity, their suffering would last only “a little while.” Some would go on to be delivered and strengthened, while others would be released from their suffering through death. All of God’s faithful followers are assured of an eternal life with Christ where there will be no suffering (Revelation 21:4).

¹² I have written and sent this short letter to you with the help of Silas, whom I commend to you as a faithful brother. My purpose in writing is to encourage you and assure you that what you are experiencing is truly part of God’s grace for you. Stand firm in this grace. It is in the true favor of God that believers needed to stand firmly, not wavering in their confidence in His love and concern for them.

¹³ Your sister church here in Babylon sends you greetings, and so does my son Mark. ¹⁴ Greet each other with Christian love.

Peace be with all of you who are in Christ. “Peace” is the sense of calmness and tranquility that comes from knowing that one can rest assured of divine compassionate care, concern, and aid. The letter concludes with the prayerful wish that “all” who are “in Christ,” or at one with him as members of his body, have this peace.