You will find something in the verses below that to me is utterly astonishing. JOY! What’s so amazing about JOY? The Lord shows us in these verses that we can REJOICE and find JOY right when we’re going through great trials. He lets us know He tests our faith during trials so the ultimate fruit borne through the trials is that we PRAISE, HONOR, and GLORIFY the Lord. But this isn’t all we can bear through trials. We can produce JOY! How can this be possible? Here is how as you will see in the verses below.
IN CHRIST. And THROUGH CHRIST. Thanks to the fact we who have received Him as Lord have the promise of heaven with Him forever! And not only do we who follow Jesus get to look forward to heaven with Him, but WE HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS NOW AND FOREVER. This means right on this earth, no matter what we are going through, we can ENJOY (note the word JOY in enjoy) and REJOICE in His love and fellowship, in a wonderfully intimate and personal relationship with Christ as Lord. Oh, the wonder of it all!
For years, I threw pity-parties and felt horrible through my trials. Don’t get me wrong. Trials can be very, very hard. Even seemingly impossible to get through. But when we’re yielded to the Lord and living in obedience to Him, He will lead us through. And right in the midst of the trials of this life, we can REJOICE IN CHRIST, hallelujah, AMEN!
Oh, thank you Lord, for this beautiful, wonderful, beautifully wonderful truth, oh God! Help us when we’re going through the trials to remember this. To find LOVE and JOY and HOPE and PEACE and AWESOME PROMISES in you most importantly the promise through faith in you of a forever and ever relationship with you, dear Lord, Amen!
“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 through 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,” 1 Peter 1:3-8
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