Christians today often feel like outsiders in a world that increasingly rejects their values, but this feeling is actually evidence of their true identity as citizens of heaven. Peter addressed believers as strangers and elect, explaining that we are born again into a living hope through Jesus' resurrection. While we face various trials in this temporary world, these challenges serve to refine our faith like gold tested by fire. Jesus himself experienced every type of suffering we encounter, learning obedience through his trials and enduring the cross for the joy set before him. Rather than seeking worldly acceptance, believers should find their identity in being chosen by God and allow trials to draw them closer to him, not push them away.
