1 Peter 1:6, 7 - Joy in Trials.
1 Peter 1:6, 7 - Joy in Trials.
1 Peter 1:6-7 (NLT) So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy
ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while.
These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested
as fire tests and purifies gold--though your faith is far more
precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many
trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day
when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.
COMMENTARY PEARL
Thank Me in the midst of the crucible. When things seem all
wrong, look for growth opportunities. Especially, look for areas where
you need to let go, leaving your cares in My able hands. Do you
trust Me to orchestrate your life events as I choose, or are you still
trying to make things go according to your will? If you keep trying to
carry out your intentions while I am leading you in another direction,
you deify your desires.
Be on the lookout for what I am doing in your life. Worship
Me by living close to Me, thanking Me in all circumstances. (1 Pet.
5:6, 7; 1 Th. 5:18) [Jesus Calling by Sarah Young]
COMMENTARY FOR DEEPER STUDY
As gold is heated, impurities float to the top and can be
skimmed off. Steel is tempered or strengthened by heating it in fire.
Likewise, our trials, struggles, and persecutions refine and strengthen
our faith, making us useful to God. [Life Application SB]
Peter views trials of faith as essentially productive. To
illustrate the point, the author refers to the common practice of
subjecting gold to such intense heat that the initial form of it is
destroyed. When the gold is ready to be remolded, however, the impurities
have also perished in the flame. Trials and difficulties may assail
the life of a believer, but they also have the ability to identify
and banish those impurities which might impair growth and service.
This is the first of several passages in the epistle which view
suffering as essentially fruitful and necessary. [Believer's SB]
The fact that we are called upon to endure trial shows that
the Lord Jesus sees in us something precious which He desires to
develop. If He saw in us nothing whereby He might glorify His name, He
would not spend time in refining us. He does not cast worthless stones
into His furnace. It is valuable ore that He refines. The blacksmith
puts the iron and steel into the fire that he may know what manner of
metal they are. The Lord allows His chosen ones to be placed in the
furnace of affliction to prove what temper they are of and whether they
can be fashioned for His work.
The potter takes the clay and molds it according to his will.
He kneads it and works it. He tears it apart and presses it
together. He wets it and then dries it. He lets it lie for a while without
touching it. When it is perfectly pliable, he continues the work of
making of it a vessel. He forms it into shape and on the wheel trims
and polishes it. He dries it in the sun and bakes it in the oven.
Thus it becomes a vessel fit for use. So the great Master Worker
desires to mold and fashion us. And as the clay is in the hands of the
potter, so are we to be in His hands. We are not to try to do the work
of the potter. Our part is to yield ourselves to be molded by the
Master Worker. MH471-472
Faith untried may be true faith, but it is sure to be little
faith, and it is likely to remain dwarfish so long as it is without
trials. Faith never prospers so well as when all things are against her:
tempests are her trainers, and lightnings are her illuminators. When a
calm reigns on the sea, spread the sails as you will, the ship moves
not to its harbour; for on a slumbering ocean the keel sleeps too.
Let the winds rush howling forth, and let the waters lift up
themselves, then, though the vessel may rock, and her deck may be washed
with waves, and her mast may creak under the pressure of the full and
swelling sail, it is then that she makes headway towards her desired
haven. No flowers wear so lovely a blue as those which grow at the foot
of the frozen glacier; no stars gleam so brightly as those which
glisten in the polar sky; no water tastes so sweet as that which springs
amid the desert sand; and no faith is so precious as that which lives
and triumphs in adversity. Tried faith brings experience. You could
not have believed your own weakness had you not been compelled to
pass through the rivers; and you would never have known God's
strength had you not been supported amid the water-floods. Faith
increases in solidity, assurance, and intensity, the more it is exercised
with tribulation. Faith is precious, and its trial is precious too.
Let not this, however, discourage those who are young in
faith. You will have trials enough without seeking them: the full
portion will be measured out to you in due season. Meanwhile, if you
cannot yet claim the result of long experience, thank God for what
grace you have; praise him for that degree of holy confidence
whereunto you have attained: walk according to that rule, and you shall
yet have more and more of the blessing of God, till your faith shall
remove mountains and conquer impossibilities. [Morning and Evening by
Charles H. Spurgeon]
God knows when we face horrendous situations. He hears our
cries. Even those who maintain the closest fellowship with Him are not
immune to feelings of hopelessness.
Many times God allows us to face hopeless circumstances in
order to test and try our faith; it is the hopelessness that forces us
to seek God, and it is there that we find strength and
refreshment.
Does God care that your trials make you weary? Yes, and He
knows every emotion, need, and desire you have. He also knows exactly
what it will take to bring you into a more intimate relationship with
Him.
The apostle Peter addressed his two letters to "those who
reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia,
Asia, and Bithynia" (1 Pet. 1:1; 2 Pet. 3:1). If he were choosing a
modern title for his letters, he might consider "Encouragement For
Times of Hopelessness," or "Hope For The Hurting," because
encouragement and hope is exactly what Peter conveyed to these hurting
believers.
These believers faced all kinds of persecution. They were
beaten, slandered, assaulted, and in some cases would lose their lives
for their faith in Jesus Christ. Peter called them "aliens" because
they held a citizenship not of this world but of the kingdom of God.
Still, they faced times of discouragement and needed hope. Peter
explained that they could rejoice even in times of trial because of Jesus
Christ, the living hope within them - their risen Savior and Lord (1
Pet. 1:3). Jesus protected them by the power of God (v. 5).
So long as we have Jesus, no situation is hopeless.
Would you like to enjoy an eternal hope? Then focus your
heart on Jesus (1 Tim. 4:6). Remember, He is working to bring His will
and good pleasure to the forefront of your life.
Even if you find yourself in a seemingly hopeless situation,
know that God has an entirely different view of the details. If you
will let Him, He will take your life, no matter how bruised and
broken, and make something beautiful out of it.
Isn't this what hope is all about - beauty for ashes,
gladness instead of sorrow, and a coat of praise instead of fainting (Is.
61:1-3)? This is the ongoing ministry of Jesus Christ in your life.
Therefore bring to Him your afflictions and disappointments. Tell Him your
sorrows, and He will restore your hope. [Life Principles SB By Charles
Stanley re 1Pe. 1:6, 7]
Crushed, devastated, demoralized, beaten down--these and other
feelings of despondency wash over all who suffer, threatening to drown
all feelings of hope. Suffering has many sources: social, physical,
economic, even persecution for your spiritual beliefs. Sometimes the
suffering becomes so great that you are tempted to give in and give up
hope.
Peter had been threatened, beaten, jailed, had seen fellow
Christians killed for their faith, and eventually he would become a martyr
for Christ. But he knew Jesus Christ, and nothing would shake his
faith in the risen Lord.
Do you need courage? As a believer, you have the living hope
of eternal life. God has provided an everlasting inheritance for
you that will never change nor decay. Although trials are not
pleasant, they teach patience, strengthen your faith, and allow you to
grow to be the kind of person God wants. But no matter what pain or
suffering you face in this life, you know that this is not your final
experience. God will help you remain true to him, and you will live an
everlasting life free from trials. This is your promise for a living hope as
a child of God. [The One Year Bible for New Believers re 1Pe.
1:3-7]
Some years ago a sociologist accompanied a group of mountain
climbers on an expedition. Among other things, he observed a distinct
correlation between cloud cover and contentment. When there was no cloud
cover and the peak was in view, the climbers were energetic and
cooperative. When the gray clouds eclipsed the view of the mountaintop,
though, the climbers were sullen and selfish.
The same thing happens to us. As long as our eyes are on
God's majesty there is a bounce in our step. But let our eyes focus on
the dirt beneath us and we will grumble about every rock and crevice
we have to cross. For this reason Paul urged, "Since you were
raised from the dead with Christ, aim at what is in heaven, where
Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. Think only about the things
in heaven, not the things on earth." (Colossians 3:1-2). [Grace For
The Moment SB By Max Lucado re 1Pe. 1:8]
A Christian life devoid of joy is not only unbiblical, it's not
much worth having. How could we not have joy in our hearts when we
know that God loves us, is with us, promises to help us, and wants to
bless us forever. [Life Principles SB By Charles Stanley 1Pe. 1:8]
It's In The Valleys I Grow
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5dmvq0wj2a
Beauty for Ashes by Crystal Lewis & Ron Kenoly
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEDvSFGZt9I
Healing in the Rain by Jan Buckner
http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=0FBCB1NU
What The Lord Has Done by Hillsong
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4H6Uv7BI7I
We Have A Destination by Randy Roberts
http://lluc.org/site/1/podcast/911-14csermon_1-2.mp3
