1 Peter 1:1, “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia…“

Peter writes to believers spread across regions of the Roman Empire—exiles of the Dispersion. They are scattered, isolated, living as strangers in a hostile world. But Peter doesn’t begin with their suffering—he begins with their identity. Elect exiles, he calls them. This is more than a greeting. It’s a declaration: you may be rejected by the world, but you are chosen by God.

The term “elect” reminds us that our standing before God is not based on our performance, our pedigree, or our perseverance. It’s based on His sovereign grace. Long before we ever trusted in Him, He set His love upon us. At the same time, Peter calls them “exiles.” Their faith makes them foreigners. They don’t belong to the world around them. They’re resident aliens—citizens of heaven, passing through a land that is not their home.

That tension—being chosen by God and yet rejected by the world—is at the heart of what it means to follow Christ. You are secure in Him, but you will be unsettled here. And that’s normal. You don’t fit because you’re not supposed to. Your life is shaped by a different hope.

So if you feel displaced, weary, or overlooked—remember who you are. You are elect. You are loved. You are not forgotten. And even in the scattering, you are held by the hand of Christ. Wherever you are, whatever you face—you are not alone. You belong to God.