6
In all this you greatly rejoice, though
now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of
trials.7
These have come so that the proven
genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes
even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when
Jesus Christ is revealed. 1 Peter 1:6-7 NIV
God is always at work in our lives. Even during seasons of adversity,
He wants to accomplish something powerful and good. How should this
knowledge affect our response? Today's passage teaches us to choose to
rejoice during difficult times. This doesn't mean we have to be happy
about the hardship itself. Instead, joy comes from drawing close to the
Lord and believing steadfastly that through His redemptive power, He is
growing and preparing us. If your usual response to trials is anxiety,
anger, or depression, the idea of having joy in the midst of a negative
situation might not seem logical. However, if you look beneath the
surface, you will discover that this biblical directive makes sense for
several reasons.
Often, our natural reaction to pain is to run in the opposite
direction, and as fast as possible. However, God wants to teach us
endurance--much like a long-distance runner builds up strength in
training--so that we can fully benefit from what He is doing in our
hearts. He uses trials as a refining fire to purify us like gold and
bring us to greater spiritual maturity. As we realize that we are
actually being made more complete through our adversities, we'll begin
to face challenging times with confidence that He always has our best
interest in mind.
While a worldly viewpoint sees hope and joy in the midst of dark times
as naïve, a spiritual perspective discerns that we're really progressing
on a journey toward life at its fullest. We can be filled with
supernatural joy, knowing that the Lord is making us into world-changing
spiritual warriors.
From Dr. Charles Stanley & www.intouch.org.
Today's Bible Verse...
It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.
Thoughts on Today's Verse...
It
is so easy to think of ourselves as average people who are not rich.
But bottom line, if we have access to a computer to read e-mail, we're
richer than most of the world. Let's not let our "stuff" get in the way
of our faith and compassion. God wants to help our camels get through
the eye of the needle. He will, if we remember that what we have is a
gift from him, and that he intends for us to use it to bless others and
honor him.
My Prayer...
Tender Father, it is sometimes very hard for me not to
worry some about money issues. I know that I am richly blessed and have
so many advantages. But Father, I don't want to be owned by the things I
possess and I don't want to be sidetracked by trying to acquire what I
don't have. Please help me as I seek to be rich in kindness, generosity,
and thankfulness with whatever you choose to bless me. In Jesus' name I
pray. Amen.
The Thoughts and Prayer on Today's Verse are written by Phil Ware.
Today's Verse Illustrated...
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