Religion & Spirituality
As Christian, we should expect trials, rejoice in suffering, examine ourselves in suffering, and finally entrust ourselves to God in suffering, knowing that they are in accordance with His will. In these verses, Peter was specifically speaking about persecution trials and granted most people in America know very little about being persecuted. Maybe we have suffered a small amount of rejection or have has someone slander us or ridicule us for our testimony. However, I am certain very few Christians have lost their job, have had property confiscated, or have been thrown in jail and tortures, or have seen loved ones executed because of our faith like many brothers and sisters in China see. However, that does not mean that Peter's words do not apply to us. Peter's lessons apply to other forms of suffering as well, and if we should ever suffer for our faith, the lessons are good to know in advance.