Great and Glorious Joy

Great and Glorious Joy

1 Peter 1: ⁶ Be glad about this, even though it may now be necessary for you to be sad for a while because of the many kinds of trials you suffer. ⁷ Their purpose is to prove that your faith is genuine. Even gold, which can be destroyed, is tested by fire; and so your faith, which is much more precious than gold, must also be tested, so that it may endure. Then you will receive praise and glory and honor on the Day when Jesus Christ is revealed. ⁸ You love him, although you have not seen him, and you believe in him, although you do not now see him. So you rejoice with a great and glorious joy which words cannot express, ⁹ because you are receiving the salvation of your souls, which is the purpose of your faith in him.

 

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“Why me?” was my cry. It seemed like “everything” was going wrong in my life at the time. I began to explain to GOD what I was doing for HIM as I tried to get my life back on track with HIM. My explanations were met with more pain.

 

• I was tired of facing more problems.
• I was tired of being in pain.
• I was tired of the situation I was in at the time.

 

Peter gave some hard to hear advice. He told those who were chosen by GOD to be glad, even though they were facing some difficult times. He then explained the purpose of the difficulty. Each person’s faith would be tested with the fires of trials to make it genuine.

 

My Observations:

• Life is far more than what I can see when I am in the middle of a trial.
• Looking back on the trials in my life, I understand more than I would, had I not gone through the trial.
• GOD gives me the ability to praise HIM now instead of waiting on the day when JESUS returns.

 

Let’s be honest, trials are not fun. I mean, when I am in a trial, I want it to be over as quickly as possible. BUT GOD allows me to stay in the trial long enough to strengthen my faith in HIM. I cry out early in the trial, but later I see that HE is in the fire with me. HE protects me and guides me.

 

I can rejoice during the trial versus waiting for it to be over. This is a sign of “joy” over “happiness.” I can see GOD at work even though the results have not come to fruition. I praise GOD for what HE has done, is doing and will do!

 

Challenge

• What purpose is the writer talking about?
• Have you ever gone through something difficult and came out stronger?
• Will you praise GOD with “joy”, knowing JESUS has won the victory over all your trials and your salvation is more precious to HIM than you could ever imagine?

Fresh

Fresh

Acts 13: ³⁴ God raised him from the dead so that he will never be subject to decay. As God has said,

“‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings promised to David.’

³⁵ So it is also stated elsewhere:

“‘You will not let your holy one see decay.’

³⁶ “Now when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his ancestors and his body decayed. ³⁷ But the one whom God raised from the dead did not see decay.

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Opening the refrigerator was sometimes an adventure. Once, the stench was so strong, I wanted to move rather than deal with it. I opened the vegetable bin and saw the decaying remains of an unidentifiable substance that was either cheese or a tomato or green beans at one time. Now it had hair and a terrible smell.

• I have held onto some items too long and they rotted.
• I have held onto some items too long and they decayed.
• I have held onto some items too long and they got old, ripped up, dented, broken, or decomposed.

Paul quotes David when speaking about JESUS. He spoke to the people in the synagogue, telling them that JESUS saw no decay. HIS body was raised from the dead and will never see rot or decay or corruption.

• GOD wants me to believe in the One who was raised.
• GOD wants me to put my trust in the Being who lives forever.
• GOD wants me to hold onto the everlasting.

Instead of looking for something fresh and new, JESUS wants me to seek the everlasting. All of my gadgets will be obsolete next week. The food I grow or purchase will rot. The clothes I cherish today will be eaten by moths tomorrow. BUT GOD’s love is everlasting. JESUS is where I put my trust.

• What are you seeking?
• Are you constantly looking for something new to make you happy?
• Will you look to JESUS as your everlasting source of power today?

Three Step Plan

Mark 12:²⁸ Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?”

²⁹ Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. ³⁰ And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. ³¹ And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

³² So the scribe said to Him, “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He. ³³ And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

³⁴ Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”

But after that no one dared question Him.

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One day I woke up with a lot on my mind. As I adjusted the scattered thoughts into one cohesive list, I felt a slight bit of relief but the day would indeed be busy.

• Sometimes I get really busy.
• Sometimes I have so many thoughts running through my head that I can’t get them all nailed down.
• Sometimes I am so busy that every thought is dedicated to what I am working on.

“What is our purpose?” the church leader may as well have asked. This one church leader was truly seeking GOD and not trying to protect his status or his building. JESUS gave him a great answer that I can apply to my life.

• JESUS says to me “Believe that the HEAVENLY FATHER, JESUS and the HOLY SPIRIT are one GOD.”
• JESUS says to me “Love GOD with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your soul and with all your strength.”
• JESUS says to me “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.”

GOD’s purpose for me is very simple, but sometimes I complicate it with the busy times of the day. I focus on the world and not on HIM or my neighbor. JESUS gives me an easy plan to follow; all I need to do is yield to HIS plan daily.

• Are you confused at what GOD wants from you?
• Do you think GOD wants you to do something extremely complex and elaborate?
• Will you yield to HIS three step plan and believe in HIM, love HIM and love your neighbor today?

Be carried on HIS wings

Deuteronomy 32: ¹⁰ In a desert land he found him,

    in a barren and howling waste.
He shielded him and cared for him;
    he guarded him as the apple of his eye,
¹¹ like an eagle that stirs up its nest
    and hovers over its young,
that spreads its wings to catch them
    and carries them aloft.
¹² The Lord alone led him;
    no foreign god was with him.

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Sitting on the edge of my couch I wondered how I was going to succeed. I mean the letter from the university said I was no longer in the university and I had no backup plan. I went in and plead my case. Years later I graduated.

Sitting on another couch I wondered if I would ever leave the small town I worked in. I didn’t even know how to search for a job. Years later I moved to a large city with a wonderful job.

Sitting on yet another couch… (Apparently I do a lot of thinking on the couch) I pondered my future as I was out of work for the first time since I was 15. My entire identity was wrapped up in the corporate culture. Years later GOD directs my steps!

• Being in the desert doesn’t feel comfortable to me.
• Being in the desert doesn’t feel enjoyable to me.
• Being in the desert doesn’t feel wonderful to me.

Each time I have been in the “desert” I couldn’t see what GOD was doing. I felt abandoned and alone. BUT GOD always had something different in mind.

• GOD shields me from dangers I don’t even know about.
• GOD watches out for me in the middle of the desert as the apple of HIS eye.
• GOD catches me when I stumble and fall and carries me to new heights I would have never dreamt of.

GOD provides amazing rides. What seems like a desert is merely a training ground for bigger and better responsibility. My response to HIS training can grow me if I accept it.

• Are you in the middle of the desert?
• Do you feel a bit lost?
• Can you recognize that GOD is protecting you?
• Won’t you get rid of any anger and bitterness toward GOD and recognize HE is with you?