For He who is mighty has done great things for me, And holy is His name.—Luke 1:49
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, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.—1 Peter 1:3-5
Our joy comes from our eternal relationship with our God. May we who believe gratefully give Him all of our praise and adoration! He has done great things for us and we are glad! He has forgiven our sins, redeemed our lives from destruction and crowned us with His loving kindness and tender mercies. We who have been born again are spiritually transformed, renewed and set apart for His purpose. His grace and peace are ours in increasing abundance as we draw nearer and nearer to Him daily. We have an ever-living hope and confident assurance through Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. He has given us an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, unfading, and reserved in Heaven for us! Not only that, but we are also being KEPT, PROTECTED AND SHIELDED by the POWER OF GOD through our faith! He hedges us behind and before and lays His hand on us. There is no where we can flee from Him. No matter where we go His hand leads us and holds us. Even the night, His word tells us, is light about us. True saving faith is permanent. No one can steal our treasure and no one can keep us from receiving it. God has qualified us...No one can disqualify us. (See Romans 8:31-39)
In all of this we can rejoice even though now for a “little while” we are distressed by various trials. Why? Because tried faith is precious faith. One of God’s purposes in allowing trouble is to test whether our faith is real. That testing is not for Him but for us. When we come through a trial still trusting the Lord, we are assured that our faith is genuine. Peter tells us in 1 Peter 1:7 that genuine faith is more precious than gold which is perishable. We will be tested. We will be purified by the fires of trouble, but the resulting genuineness of our faith will praise Him and bring Him glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. And THAT makes it all worth it.
2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,
3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2, ESV)
But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold. (Job 23:10, ESV)
Though we have not seen Him, we love Him. Though we do not see Him even now we believe Him and trust Him. We can look past our troubles because we have our eyes on the heavenly...on the glory of our God. The outcome...the consummation of our faith is the salvation of our souls. Beloved, rejoice and delight with inexpressible and glorious joy!
Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped. And he said:
“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
And naked shall I return there.
The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away;
Blessed be the name of the LORD.”
22 In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.—Job 1:20-22
Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”
2 Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”
3 So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.
4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off.
5 And Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the ladfn and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you.”
6 So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together.
7 But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” Then he said, “Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”
8 And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So the two of them went together.
9 Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood.
10 And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.
11 But the Angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” So he said, “Here I am.”
12 And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.”—Genesis 22:1-12
