1 Peter 1:1-5 It was a good mail day for the early Christians who received a letter from Peter. This letter can be written to all of us as Christians because we have all be exiled from earthly life... we are citizens of heaven and we are on our way home! 1 Peter reminds us of the hope we should have every day in our journey home.

1 Peter 1:6-7 Peter wants us to look at the tiny fraction of eternity that is our life here on Earth and remember that we will be rejoicing in heaven for much longer. Even though the challenges of this life may seem to drag on when we're in the middle of them, we must also remember that we go through these trials for a purpose and we can rejoice through our knowledge of Jesus.

1 Peter 1:13-21 There is power in hope. As Christians we know the living hope of Jesus, and if we are going to make it in this fallen world, we have to focus on that hope first, then share it with others.

1 Peter 1:22-2:12 Once we realize the hope we can carry through our lives because of Jesus, we can then share that with others through love. If we are not sharing our hope and love from Jesus with others, we need to clear out those obstacles, because we are made to love Jesus and love others.

1 Peter 2:13-25 Peter commands us in today's passage to "be subject" to various authorities in our lives. Those he mentions would have been particularly tough to accept in his day, and they continue to be tough today. Do we like to hear that God expects us to be subject to these others? Of course not. But we also have to remember that doing so will bring Him honor and glory.

1 Peter 3:1-7 One of the best ways to stand out as an alien in this world is by the way we submit to our spouse. In a world where everything is all about "me" we must make that daily decision to die to self and put others first, especially our spouse, just as Jesus did for us.

1 Peter 3:8-22 After a weekend of storms and power outages, is our mindset in preparing for the worst or preparing for the best? If we are preparing for the best as Peter calls us to in 1 Peter, we should be living for Jesus and eternal life, blessing others in love.

1 Peter 4:1-19 The thought of the end of life can be depressing. For those with no knowledge of Jesus, they might be tempted to think if this life is all there is, they should live it up with no consequences. Peter gives us a different view, reminding us that Jesus reigns now and forever, and he gives us ten things to focus on in this life in order to get the most out of it and be ready for the eternal life to come.

1 Peter 5 We often have a fear of not fitting in. As Christians, we live in a world that can be hostile to our beliefs, and Peter reminds us one last time that we don't necessarily have to fit in as much as we need to be humble and serve those around us in love.