There it was at the end of chapter 4. Something nipped at the edges of my brain. Those words about a "faithful creator" brought back memories to me. Somewhere there was something very similar.
A quick check in the concordance in the back of the Bible I was using did not turn up the thought that was just on the edge of my mind.
After all that Peter had to say here in verses 12-19, this was stuck in my craw.
Forget the "don't be ashamed if you suffer because you are a Christian."[more] I am thankful that that is not something I have to do right now in America, but what about Christians in Iran or China? Maybe some more prayers for them whould be in order. That's their life! Then, there was the "eye of the needle" in verse 18 (check it out!)
Did a search in my phone Bible for "deny Himself" and found the verse that just hung there. It was a perfect fit with what Peter was saying about a "faithful Creator." and people trusting their lives to Him – because He will do what is right. The words of Paul came ringing clear "He will remain faithful even when we are not, because He cannot deny Himself." (2 Tim. 2:13)
Peter was saying in a different way what Paul had said. God loves us in spite of how bad or difficult or just plain ornery we are. He loves you and me because He said he would! No strings attached! Sure makes it hard for us to talk about loving people. We expect something in return – actually, it's more like we expect them to do something first, so we know that we can love them.
I'm glad He is not like us.