Hard times are never fun.
I mean, who enjoys grief?
Especially when we’re doing the things God wants us to do?
The Bible tells us that when hassles come that are related to our demonstration of faith, we should be thankful.
Huh?
That’s right. The heaviness of our hearts when we “suffer grief in all kinds of trials” (I Peter 1:6) is to actually prompt us to rejoice.
Some of you face hard times at work or school because you won’t compromise your Bible-based values.
Some of you face hard times at home because you won’t stop giving the 10 percent offering taught in scripture.
Some of you face hard times at church because you insist on receiving or giving instruction based on what the Bible says, not what denominational doctrine says.
The fact is that heavy moments come into each of our lives because of our faith.
I share this topic today because of a fascinating passage in I Peter 1 found in Sunday’s portion of the One-Year Bible.
There’s a phrase in verse 7 that powerfully intrigued me and I couldn’t stop looking at it.
“These (trials) have come so that your faith — of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire — may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”
You’re aware, I’m sure, of the new gold rush being fueled by the worldwide lack of confidence in national currencies. Countless people are buying gold however they can from whomever they can. Why? Because there is the widespread perception that gold is the best way to protect one’s future.
Yes, we are in the worst economic times since the Great Depression. And, yes, Christians are to responsibly manage finances and prepare as best they can for economic ups and downs.
But thinking that gold is going to be one’s wall of protection and means of self-esteem is a recipe for eternal disaster.
Trusting gold to protect us from Satan’s targeted attacks in this life and the next is like a firefighter wearing only a paper bathrobe as he enters a building engulfed by flames.
A genuine faith is our only hope for dodging flames of despair in this life and flames of judgment in the next.
When Jesus returns and the world becomes a raging inferno of judgment for those who rejected the gospel, all of man’s golden suits of armor will vaporize along with the lies that tricked billions of people into believing the physical was more powerful than the spiritual.
When that day comes, faith’s supremacy over gold will be made clear to all.
For faith will become sight.
And gold will become charcoal.
We’ll see Jesus as He lifts us up to be with Him in heaven forever, walking on streets of what? Gold!
Hmmmm….. that’s an interesting thought, isn’t it? The choices of believers to stop chasing tiny bits of gold are replaced in glory with the gift of walking forever on streets completely paved with the stuff.
Dear friend, please lay aside any sense of emotional or spiritual confidence that is based on how much earthly wealth you have. Your gold, whether actual bullion or the U.S. currency backed by gold, can’t do a thing to qualify you for heaven.
Actually, it is more likely to become an anchor upon your soul.
Here’s the mission: the more that you and I imitate Christ’s life with our everyday actions and attitudes, even in the face of trials, the more that others will see our hope in what is awaiting us on “the other side.”
Pray that I demonstrate this to somebody today. I’ll do the same for you.
As always, I love you
Martin
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