I was behind a car at a stoplight the other day that had this license plate:
1PETER4
Having not memorized every chapter of the Bible, I was curious about the significance of this scripture reference. I was tempted to pull out my smart phone while I was driving and check out the passage. But I was smarter than that!
As soon as I got home, I pulled out a Bible and flipped to the fourth chapter of 1 Peter. The heading was Good Stewards of God’s Grace.
That was enlightening, but I had another a-ha moment. The Bible I picked up happened to be the one used by Rob’s dad in the final years of his life. This model of Christian virtue had underlined verse 8: Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins.
Wow! God does work in mysterious ways – He grabs my attention on an ordinary day via extraordinary messages from a vehicle in a line of traffic and from a beloved father-in-law who passed away eight months ago.
I continued my way through the chapter. Here, in a nutshell, is what it said: We must glorify God in all things through Jesus Christ. Do not allow ourselves to be dismayed by our ordeals, but rejoice always in the knowledge we are sharing Christ’s sufferings. That way, we can “be glad and shout for joy” when His glory is revealed to us.
I have no idea what part of this magnificent and multi-faceted biblical passage spoke most poignantly to the owner of the car in front of me. But all of it spoke to me at a time when I most needed to hear it.
I rejoice in the knowledge that I could share – quite unexpectedly – in something meaningful to a stranger and to a loved one.
To God belong the glory and power forever and ever. Amen. (1 Peter 4:11)