Day 29

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope throught the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith-- the salvation of your souls. " I Peter 1:3-9

I know a lot of people who are being grieved by various trials right now. This past week has been especially difficult. Sometimes when you are caught up in a trial it is so hard to get perspective, and that is why I love this passage from I Peter. Yes, we are going to have trials in this life, but they are only for a little while. The more important thing is that we have hope in Jesus Christ, and these trials are used to test our faith in Him. The hope we have in Christ far outweighs the suffering in this life, for the end our faith is the salvation of our souls. I also love the phrase, "if need be." As much as we don't like them, we need trials in our life. Without them, we become out-of-shape Christians. Trials keep us close to God and spiritually fit. I don't know about you, but I grow the most as a Christian when life is the hardest. I have to in order to survive.

My prayers are with my struggling friends, that God will use these trials to draw them closer to Him. May their hope in Christ bring them joy.