📊 1 Peter 4:9-10 | Living In The End

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

The end is near…so how will you live?

If you missed yesterday’s email, you can read it here.

In today’s email…

• 📖 Looking at Peter’s main point

• 🫱 Generously living when the world is “not a fan”

• 📊 Trivia about themes in 1 Peter

• 👀 A challenge to give..

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MEMORIZE 🧠 

Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.

As each has received a gift, ___ __ __ _____ ___ ______, as good stewards of God's varied grace.

1 Peter 4:9-10

CONTEXT 📕 

Yesterday we learned the big picture context about Peter’s first letter.

He was writing to Christians who were scattered throughout Asia Minor who were experiencing hardship and persecution for their faith.

Now, let’s take a closer look at chapter 4.

Peter starts chapter 4 by urging Christians to live for the will of God and leave behind the passions of the flesh that the surrounding culture embraces:

He then points out in verse 7 that the end is near and judgment is coming.

Peter is giving a sober reminder that life is short and that how you live now affects your eternity.

He’s urging the early church (and us in the 21st century) to live in light of eternity.

In light of this eternal perspective, Peter gives us two powerful commands that show what it looks like to live with eternity in mind.

First:

When we grasp that our time is limited and judgment is coming, our priorities shift. Petty grievances and minor offenses fade in importance.

Instead, we're called to love our fellow believers with the kind of deep, sacrificial love that overlooks faults and builds unity in the body of Christ.

Second, our memory verses:

Living in light of eternity means using our resources — our time, our homes, our abilities — not for our own comfort, but to serve the family of God.

Notice that both commands focus on how we treat one another — fellow believers.

This is picking up on what Jesus said in John 13:

When we truly understand that this life is temporary and eternity is forever, it transforms how we love each other and how we use what God has given us.

We stop grumbling about the cost of generosity and start seeing every act of love and service as an investment in what matters eternally — the people of God.

APPLY AND RESPOND 🏃‍♂️ 

Time is short. Even though Jesus has been “coming soon” for 2,000 years, we are to be on guard because our earthly existence could end at any moment.

But in a world that is obsessed with the self, 1 Peter 4 calls us to something radically different: living generously.

Instead of giving in to fear or isolation, we’re to live lives of love, hospitality, and service.

Even when we suffer or feel out of place in the culture around us, we are still responsible for using what God has given us for the good of others.

This isn’t just about doing good things. It’s about embodying the grace we’ve received.

Every act of service becomes a testimony to the hope we have in Christ.

📖 Read 1 Peter 4:1-19. Notice the frank reality Peter speaks of, but also his clear instructions to love one another. Underline our memory verse.

🫱 Challenge: Who needs your encouragement? This week, commit to using your time, talent, or money to help a brother or sister in Christ in need.

🙏 Pray

Father, in times where the surrounding culture is about self-indulgence, help me live self-sacrificially. Make me generous with my time, my gifts, and my heart. Show me one way I can serve the body of Christ today, and give me the boldness to step in and serve. Amen.

TRIVIA 📊 

Click one of the options below to choose your answer. Let’s see how you do…

ANSWER KEY ✅ 

Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace.

1 Peter 4:9-10