Wednesday Devo
Scripture:
1 Peter 1
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.
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.
Commentary:
1:6–7 Peter realizes that joy is mingled with grief as Christians in Asia Minor suffer various trials. Little while denotes the whole of their earthly life before they inherit future salvation. if necessary. These sufferings are God’s will for his people, so that their faith might be purified and shown to be genuine. Such faith has a great reward, for at the revelation (that is, the return) of Jesus Christ, honor and praise will belong both to Christians and to Christ.
Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 2405–2406.
Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 2405–2406.
Questions:
- We are born into a new PERSPECTIVE. Verse 6 talks about the wonderful joy that is ahead for us. Peter goes on to tell us that since we trust Him fully, we should rejoice and live a life that is full of inexpressible joy. This is telling us that our perspective on PAIN needs to shift. Pain lets us know whether or not our faith is genuine. It helps us develop perseverance. It humbles us and softens our hearts, making us more compassionate towards others. It can reveal idols in our lives. And it redirects our love, energy, focus and hope towards heavenly things. When we consider the eternality and glory of heaven, we are able to suffer in this life with hope and joy because we know it's only for a little while. Is there pain in your life right now that is robbing your joy and hope? Is there a place where you need God to help you shift your perspective?
- One way we can know we are maturing as believers is when pain and hardships in our lives lead us to MORE trust in God not less. Somehow being able to bring God worship and glory in the midst of a storm is a powerful thing. Can you still worship Him in the midst of your storms? How do we let the testing of our faith bring us closer to Him?
Pray:
- That your perspective on pain would begin to shift.
- That you would learn to trust God even when you don't understand.
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