I’m fresh from an eye exam (I’ve been wearing glasses since college so this is nothing new). The doctor showed me blurry marks on the wall that magically transformed into letters of the alphabet when the correct lens was placed in front of my eyes. Astounding clarity emerged with the proper equipment to help my eyes focus.

Peter helped young believers scattered through parts of the Middle East find the focal points of their faith. Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.

Those who follow Jesus experience clarity as we move towards a hope that neither rots or fades. The ability to love one another emerges, not merely in surface ways, but with depth of empathy and care.

This renewal comes through the unleashed word of God. Living and active, his words take root and bring change. Indeed, Peter continues with a quote from Isaiah: All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.

Any turn to the Lord involves a change in lenses. A believer appeals to the Lord for salvation. Love for others grows and commitment to truth blossoms. God, His word, and the people around us. These things last forever, and form the focal points of our faith.

1 Peter 1 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Quincy Follweiler