I Peter 5:12

Let me tell you a story about a sixteen year old Jewish girl that lived almost two thousand year ago. Her name is Denisa. Her family had left the land of Palestine during her grandfathers time and were now living in a Roman province. The Roman empire was thriving. It was during this time, though, that she had heard the great and changing truth of Jesus Christ. Her entire family was flourishing with excitement because of this truth. He, Jesus, had only died a few years back during her grandfather’s time. Grandfather had even told her about this Messiah. But this Messiah wasn’t dead, He was alive. He was the only one to defeat death, and because of this she too could experience eternal life. This was a truth to cling to! A truth to fight and die for! She had just heard this from someone. Maybe it was in one of those evening meetings her family went to regularly.

Well, soon a commotion arose in the city Rome about a group of people setting fire to a large portion of their city of. Those accused were people like herself who believed in Jesus the Messiah. It was rumored that Nero, the emperor of the day, was taking those who believed in Christ and killing them in the cruelest ways. The search for these Christians spread throughout Galatia, Capadocia, and even more distant lands. Denisa didn’t believe it until the Praetorian Guard showed up at their home one evening. The Praetorian's question was piercing. “Are you a so called Christian?” The reply of her father was something she had heard before. “I stand firm in the grace of God! Christ is my Savior!” Immediately the whole family, including Denisa, were taken away. They were all placed in a darken cell within the Praetorian fortification. Fear gripped Denisa’s young heart, but her father’s words echoed through her mind. “I stand firm in the grace of God! Christ is my Savior!”

That evening Denisa’s father and brother were taken away…there was only one reason why they would be taken way. Morning came and her mother was hauled off too. Finally Denisa sat down by herself in the dark cell. She realized she would never see her family again. The only thing she had left on this earth was the grace of God. Again those words echoed through her mind. “Stand firm in the grace of God.” Then she remembered where she had heard them for the first time. It was from that letter from Peter. Oh, the truth that came to her mind from that letter! A smile broke out on her face, and she began to hum a tune. The guard soon heard it and walked by to see where this soothing sound came from. The sound was a starch contrasted from the screaming and yelling from above. Soon he found the source of it, and asked her. “Why do you smile? Why do you hum?” The reply came without blinking. “I stand firm in the grace of God!”

Denisa’s mind raced to those sentences written by Peter. Oh the truth of standing firm in the grace of God. As she thought about it she realized that only because she had trusted in His saving grace did it bring so much to her: the peace, the hope, the inheritance! The only thing she could think of doing was singing one of those songs about the Messiah.

The guard listened to Denisa for a long while as she explained to him how she wasn’t afraid. How she had hope from hell and death and hope in heaven. How she would see her Messiah. How she couldn’t wait till He returned. Soon Denisa was taken out of her cell. She was marched through dark hallway. Her eyes adjusted to the dim light. The noise grew louder and louder. Then the guard thrust her into a small opening, and only a small stream of light could be seen from ahead. The whole time Denisa’s mind raced to the passages regarding the grace of God. Her body stood upright as the words from Peter’s letter gave here comfort. “Stand firm in the grace of God.” Without warning the doors swung open and light poured in with the sounds of the crowd…

Will you stand firm in the grace of God, come what may?! If you read the letter of First Peter you will see what Denisa saw, you will take comfort in all that she took comfort. I Peter 5:12 "Stand firm in the grace of God."