Written ~ 10-27-2023
1 Peter 1:6-9
6 So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while.
7 These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.
8 You love Him even though you have never seen Him. Though you do not see Him now, you trust Him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy.
9 The reward for trusting Him will be the salvation of your souls.
I would say that none of us like the idea of going through trials, having troublesome circumstances or faith testing situations, but we will, it’s inevitable while we live here on this earth. But for the believer we have a very different way of viewing trials. We are to be glad, the reason is because we have a wonderful joy waiting for us in Heaven! Our study from yesterday (1 Peter 1:3-5) was about the inheritance we will receive as the completion to our Salvation, and it is going to be the most awe inspiring, unimaginable moment we get to look forward to with great joy!
Look at verse 1:7 in the NLT,
7 “These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.”
Now in the MSG,
7 “Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine. When Jesus wraps this all up, it’s your faith, not your gold, that God will have on display as evidence of His victory.”
So, as we go through trials today, we must stand firm on the faith and trust we have in our Lord Jesus Christ. If we can endure and go through difficult situations with praise and honor on our lips, in our minds and in our hearts, never doubting the plan of God, our faith can only strengthen and become pure and genuine. Jesus doesn’t want monetary “things” to show Him honor, no, He wants our lives, and our faith in Him to be full of praise, glory and honor. That way when we get to Heaven…
“God will have our faith on display as evidence of Christ’s victory.” (paraphrase is mine)
What does that statement mean to you? That your faith will be on display?
Let’s think of it this way… Imagine you have been studying for the highest degree possible, in a field that means the world to you, it’s something you have dreamed about your entire life. You have visualized that very moment of having the diploma handed to you after years and years of very hard work. You have your family gathered around for that special moment, they have been cheering you on every step of the way. Now the time has come, your goal has been achieved! Everyone is elated! Reaching this goal has been difficult, many obstacles may have stood in your way, feelings of doubt and fear that this aspiration was too much, that it was more than you bargained for. But you persevered, you jumped over the hurdles and now you stand center stage with great joy as you receive your reward for all of your hard work. Imagine, will you? That Jesus, your Lord and Savior, is the one who is handing you that treasured diploma. You have trusted Him, you have put all your faith in His instruction and guidance and there you are, face to face with His hand stretched out to yours…
That… right there… “…is the wonderful joy ahead…” Kinda brings tears to my eyes when I think about the moment Jesus stands before me and hands me my reward.
1 Peter 1:8-9,
8 “You love Him even though you have never seen Him. Though you do not see Him now, you trust Him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy.
9 The reward for trusting Him will be the salvation of your souls.” (NLT)
8-9 “You never saw Him, yet you love Him. You still don’t see Him, yet you trust Him—with laughter and singing. Because you kept on believing, you’ll get what you’re looking forward to: total Salvation.” (MSG)
Imagine, if you will, as we go back to the analogy about studying for your degree, what if you did all of your many years of studying only by distant learning, all of your classes and tests were done online. You never saw your instructors or heard their voices, you knew they were there to give you guidance and grade your tests, but you never saw them or spoke to them face to face. Would you give up, throw in the towel because you couldn’t see the one teaching you? I should say not. If anything it may cause you to work harder, to find your answers with more digging and resoluteness. You may feel all alone throughout the entire journey, but you know someone is always there to help you through the difficult moments. So now it’s graduation day, you’re walking towards the stage, and look! All of your instructors standing there applauding your efforts and cheering with glorious, inexpressible joy for your endurance and success, and right in the middle of the crowd… the greatest Teacher of them all.
We may go through trials, we may have situations come up in our lives that we don’t think we can possibly get through… But we will, and we can. We must keep our eyes, our faith on the one who gives us complete Salvation. Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Father God, my prayer today is that I would keep my faith and trust in You steady. If I am going through a trial that leads me through the fire of purification, I pray that I will Honor You, Praise You and Glorify You every step of the way. The deepest prayer of my heart would be that I remain strong, that my focus would always be on You and my Savior. Thank You Father for the promise of an inheritance and reward in Heaven, something for me to look forward to with great joy. Be with me now Lord as I go about my day…
~AMEN~
- If you find yourself not having this inexpressible joy in your life, it may be time for you to give your heart and your life over to the Lord. Praying this simple prayer with sincerity in your heart will begin a beautiful journey with the greatest potential for a priceless inheritance as your endgame. (1 Peter 1:3-6).
Dear Jesus, You know my heart, all the things I have done and said. Please forgive me for my unbelief. Please forgive me for all of my sins. I believe You are the Son of God. I believe You came to earth to die on the cross for my sins. I believe You rose from the dead to give me freedom from sin and death. By faith through believing in Who You Are, I accept You as my Lord and Savior. Come into my life, cleanse this heart of mine, white as snow. Help me not to doubt any longer and breathe life into me, fill me with Your light. Thank You Jesus! Amen.
If you solemnly prayed this prayer, tell at least one person, so they can share in your joy!! I rejoice with you! All the angels in Heaven rejoice with you! “God will have your faith on display as evidence of Christ’s victory.”
It is very important to me that those who might be reading these journal pages of mine and don’t yet know the Lord Jesus Christ, that you make that decision. Today. Your heart and mind may not understand everything you have been reading, but if you open your heart to the truth of who Jesus is, you will be saved from sin and death. By the Power of the Holy Spirit you will be amazed at how quickly after giving your heart to the Lord your eyes and ears will be opened to the truth.