Daily
I Peter 1:6-9 (NIV)
6 In 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 your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may be proved genuine and may result in Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Good morning!
I love this passage of Scripture. The Apostle Peter must have been praying just for me when he wrote it! Isn’t it amazing how God’s Word burns like fire in our hearts, 2,000 years later? That is evidence of the power and presence of the Holy Spirit working in our lives.
The older I grow, the more I long to have my faith refined in the fire. It sounds crazy, doesn’t it? Who willingly wants to suffer for God? Okay, lets not have everyone raise their hands all at once. If you are anything at all like me, you would probably try to avoid suffering at any cost. I’ve been known to walk way around the block, to keep from having to jump into the briar thicket and push my way through. Suffering is not fun. It hurts, a lot. Yet, I have a longing to know that my faith is not just some trivial word rolling off my tongue; that it is genuine and will stand up to the test of time. I want to know that the love I hold for Jesus Christ, which is greater than gold to me, will be the only assurance that completes my transformation as I move from my earthly life into His eternal presence.
There is no joy in meeting your goals if a little suffering is not included somewhere in the mix. I was reminded of this very thing today by a dear pastor who has been praying for me as I’ve been finishing the Bible class I began in August. This has been such a crazy time in my life. Our family members have walked through the fire on several occasions this year. We’ve been blessed with restoration of good health. We have a new grandson to celebrate! I’m learning new and exciting things at work each day; learning must always cost us something – our time, our talent, our determination to succeed. My house needs a good cleaning, and I’ve been so busy, I’m finding it hard to make time to scrub the floor. Oh, but does it ever need to be scrubbed! Since I’m having my entire family in for Christmas dinner, the floor will be a high priority this week. Faith is borne out of the adversities in life. We learn to trust the Lord even more in seasons of suffering. It is only when we know that we have absolutely no control that we can relinquish the tether and hand it over completely to the Lord. The blessings we receive far outweigh the challenges we face.
My troubles seem trivial compared with the persecution of the early church. People were dying in their passion to reach lost souls for Jesus Christ. Many of these converts were taken into custody. Considered lawbreakers, their entire families were tortured and martyred for their faith. Has my faith been refined by the fire, and is it genuine, pure gold, something of worth and value to the Lord who loves me?
Purification takes time. We learn to be patient, when we would much rather run up ahead. Trials and tribulations are not easy things to endure. For those who believe that Jesus Christ is Lord of all, we are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, and we are receiving the goal of our faith – the salvation of our souls.
In just one week, we will celebrate the holy mystery of new birth as we share the Christmas story together. I pray that your faith will be proved genuine through the trials of daily living. The birthing process can be painful, but the joy of a brand new life makes the pain worthwhile. May you find a genuine faith, refined by the trials in your life, as you journey toward
Grace and peace,
Deb Spaulding
Faith UMC -
Pray for: genuine faith! When we ask the Lord Jesus Christ to live in our hearts, He begins to refine who we are through trials and pain. There is an inexpressible joy that emerges from the ashes. It is a purified, holy faith, transformed in our hearts by the hand of God. Do not be afraid to face the struggles in your life, for through them, you are receiving the goal of your faith; the salvation of your soul.
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© Copyright 2007, Deb Spaulding
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