Broken-Down House
us want these things in our lives! But Peter reminds us that they have come our way as tools of refinement in the hands of a loving Redeemer, intent on completing in us what he has begun. Then Peter begins to lay out how to live productively in the middle of the hardships of the here and now. Listen to his final directive, “Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart” (1 Peter 1: 22). Peter is saying something very powerful here. He is saying that God hasn’t simply called us to endure the refining fires of sanctification. He has ordained us to incarnate his love through the community of love he has placed around us. This community of love is meant not only to give us hope and strength, but to encourage us with a reminder that the One who is testing and training us is with us and loves us. This community of love is meant to comfort the person who is discouraged, to strengthen the person who is weak, to give hope to the person who has none, to be present with the person who is alone, to guide the person who has lost his way, to give wisdom to the person lost in foolishness, to warn the person who is beginning to wander, to correct the person turning the wrong way, to give eyes to the person who is blind to God’s presence, and to be a physical representation of God’s presence and love. So, as you are living in the broken-down house, what does God call you to do? There is one sure and reliable answer to the question: he calls you to be an instrument of his love. There is no lack in your life for opportunities to love. That teenager who is growingly attracted to the world needs God’s love. That single person who is facing the death of personal dreams needs God’s love. That immigrant brother or sister who feels so out of place and so misunderstood needs God’s love. That mom who is simply overwhelmed with her parenting responsibilities needs God’s love. That man who is tempted to walk out of his troubled marriage needs God’s love. That little boy who lost his father to divorce needs God’s love. That
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