“…elect exiles…” 1 Peter 1:1 to whom 1 Peter is written to. Elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia (vs. 1).
          Elect exiles sounds like an oxymoron doesn’t it? The elect are God’s chosen people, hand-picked by Him personally to receive His saving grace. The elect of God, chosen by His love, mercy and grace and nothing in and of the person themselves. In fact, further along in 1 Peter (vs. 3) Peter writes “…According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,”
           The elect – Jew and Gentile – are of the elect by God’s choosing not their own, set apart for His kingdom.  Yet exiles.  Elect exiles. A poignant reminder that this is not our home. We are not exiles of heaven, our true home, but we are sojourners in a foreign country.  
          “For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked.  For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened-not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.” 1 Corinthians 5:1-5
          “These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return.” Hebrews 11:13-15
          Someday we will be home.  
Blessings, Diane

Diane Hunt is part of the Development and Addiction Recovery teams at America’s Keswick.  In addition to being a Biblical Counselor, she is a Women’s speaker for retreats, conferences and events.  She is a regular writer for Victory Call and one of the authors of Crossing the Jordan Bible Study. She has been married to her husband John over 28 years.  She has 2 adult children and 3 grandchildren and 3 adult step-children with 7 grandchildren making 10 in all.  She delights reading and teaching, but mostly laughing at the funny things her grandchildren say and do.