Do you feel hard-pressed? Discouraged? Are you really facing tough times right now?
So many of us are. As disciples of Jesus Christ, we have to choose to look at the circumstances of our lives differently than the world says we should. 1 Peter 1:3-9 gives us the right perspective:
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 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. 8 Though you have not seen 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 end result of your faith, the salvation of your soul. (NiV)
Jesus is a game-changer for us! Do you see it in these verses?
Here are the words that jump out at me:
great mercy
living hope
inheritance that can NEVER perish, spoil, or fade
shielded by God’s power
greatly rejoice
little while…suffer grief
genuineness of your faith
greater worth than gold
you love him (Jesus Christ)
inexpressible and glorious joy
These words bring me comfort and a sense of excitement…that everything will be OK, even if I am in the midst of something difficult. {You see, I’m just going to suffer for a little while and it’s for a good reason!}
Maybe your hardship is in your marriage.
Just remember this: God, through Jesus Christ, has given you eternal life if you have put your trust in Him. Compared to that, marriage difficulties are no biggie.
God’s got this…whatever it is.
I’m praying for all of us…to be able to look through the trial to the inexpressible and glorious joy that is there for us.
Love,
Rebecca
image via pinterest
