In college, a close friend and I would meet once a week to discuss life and check in spiritually.

She started asking me, “How have you seen God this week?”

At first, I struggled with this question, but later grew to love it. To this day, she and I frequently check-in with each other to see how each is doing in her relationship with God.

I think this is the purpose of Peter’s greeting in today’s verse. Like many of the other opening statements in the Epistles, it immediately directs the attention away from the writer onto Christ. It sounds like a check-up, in the affirmative rather than as a question. Peter is saying, “Remember Who we are privileged to know. We can have a knowledge of God and of Jesus through relationship!”

Focusing on the messages of popular culture will leave you stressed and unsatisfied. However, when you focus on knowing God, grace and peace can be multiplied in your life.

Sometimes we get busy and push aside the importance of a relationship with God, but that’s the reason we were meant to live in a community. As the early church did, we need to help remind each other to pursue knowing God.

How have you seen God lately?