1 Peter Chapter 1 verses 3 – 7 (NIV)
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, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 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. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 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 honour when Jesus Christ is revealed.
The thing that spoke to me about this paragraph first of all, was that the Christians Peter was writing to had already had their share of trials, and yet Peter observed that they were still able to rejoice despite this. It seems perhaps that they had grasped the bigger picture, that they would receive an inheritance that would last for eternity, much longer than their time of trial.
Peter also explained to them the reason why we are sometimes tested. It can prove that our faith is genuine – that we are not just fair weather Christians. That’s why we need to ensure that new Christians don’t expect an easy life when they make the choice to follow Jesus. Peter also tells us that a truly steadfast faith is more precious than gold. It can help us through whatever we have to face. Peter was speaking from experience. He didn’t have it easy but could still look forward to his inheritance something that no one could take away from him.
Dear Lord,
Help me to nurture and grow even yet in my faith, so that in whatever I face in future, it may be seen that my trust in you is genuine and everlasting. I ask in Jesus’ Name. Amen.