A few Sundays ago I began preaching through the book of
First Peter. The text for this morning was
1
Peter 1:6-9. Verses 6 and 7 say
this:
"In
this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been
grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of
your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may
be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of
Jesus Christ."
As heat is applied to gold to remove its impurities and
bring out its brilliance so too do various kinds of things come into our lives
that refine our faith.
The range of trials can be very wide, from things that may
be no more than annoyances, to things that make wounds in our hearts that are
deep and very painful. Peter is helping
us to see that in God's plan these things can be used for our good and His glory. They refine our faith. They remove the impurities and imperfections
of our hearts so that we can more fully see, and show to the world around us,
the glory of God.
We don't seek out trials in our lives, and we would avoid
them entirely if we possibly could. But they
happen. And as they happen there is a
place for God to be at work in us.
The next time you become aware that you are in some sort of
trial or testing, may you also seek to see and understand how that situation
may be used by God to refine your faith, a faith that is more precious than
gold. A faith will never perish. A faith that will one day bring you into the
eternal and glorious presence of God.
Scripture quotations
are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by
Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All
rights reserved.
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