I Peter 1:10-12 The center of the spokes

Are you like me, and when you were younger, you watched some television shows that were called "westerns"? Sometimes these shows featured cow punchers and cattle, and others featured wagon trains ponderously moving across the plains and through mountain passes.  On the shows with wagon trains, often there would be some time spent focused on the wheels of the wagon. Sometimes that meant that the wheel was about to come off!

If that wheel came off, the wagon couldn't go anywhere. Usually it was because of what is called the hub, or center of the wheel. The place where all the spokes fit in. Couldn't have a wagon wheel without it! Often the show would then have a character come and repair the wooden wheel, pack grease into the hub where the axle fit in, etc.

This week we are going to talk about what should be the center of our lives..... and how it is so important to the spokes of the wheel - the other parts of our lives.
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Take a moment and be thoughtful, here. Let's all be brutally honest, OK?
If you sit back and look at your daily life, what would you say brings you the most joy.....day in and day out? What makes you smile each day?
Some folks may say, "My family."
Some may say, "My spouse."
I guess some may say, "My job, the career I've chosen."
Others may say, "My hobby," "my new boat," or maybe "my vacation plans."
And yes, some folks may say, "Joy? Seriously? Not much joy in my life."

For believers, the answer really should be, "The most joy in my life is my relationship with the Lord, and the salvation He has given me."
That should be the hub of the wheel.
The others are the spokes of the wheel, fitting into the hub and spreading outward. And if we take away the hub, all the rest would be ruined; we wouldn't be going anywhere, just like that wagon with a broken wheel.
What scares me is the number of Christians who have allowed their lives to revolve around other things. Salvation is not essential; it's not the hub that is essential to them. I don't get the feeling that they think life would fall apart without it. It's nice; it's not mandatory.

So what is so very special about our salvation? Maybe that is another reason why God allows us to endure trials.....when we are in the midst of trials, we really buckle down and focus on what is truly important. What are we living for? What gives life meaning?
The believers that Peter wrote to were enduring affliction. Peter knew this, and that is why in the first few verses he has reminded them (and us) of our inheritance. In the next verses, he told us about having joy in the midst of trials. Now, in our next verses, he goes back to the prophecies about salvation, and shows how "unsearchable" it is (neither prophets nor angels fully understood) and just how privileged we are to receive it.
I believe he was trying to encourage them, and we can be encouraged, too:

Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care,11 trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow. 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things. (I Peter 1:10-12)

This week we will study what makes this the "hub" of a believer's life. In the history of our language, there have been words that have become over-used, don'tcha think?  Words like terrific, and cool, and.....awesome. Awesome used to mean a great deal more than it does today: today a good cup of coffee or a soccer score can be awesome. A new hairstyle can look awesome. What did it used to mean?
Awesome meant awe-inspiring.....listen to this definition of "awe:"

          An emotion variously combining dread, honor, and wonder that is inspired by
          authority or by the sacred.

Likewise, the word "great." It used to mean a lot more than it does today, and look how Paul used it:

how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. (Hebrews 2:3)

I think that Paul mean "great" as in hugely important, significant, and yes, awe-inspiring. This week we will focus on the three verses above, from I Peter, and learn more!