In these times, hardship seems to overtake us at every turn; the world economy is crumbling, people are losing jobs, and there is warfare all over the world. On top of what is going on in the world around us, everyone has their own unique personal issues. No matter how burdensome, all of these problems cause stress in people.
Christians all over the world are facing the same trials as everyone else, yet we are called to handle stress in a different way than the rest of the world. 1 Peter 1:3-12 (NJKV) illustrates this point:
3 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.
6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 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, 8 whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.
10 Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, 11 searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. 12 To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels desire to look into.
Since we have hope of eternal life with God, we are promised an inheritance that is kept for us in heaven. God will provide for us through our entire lives because we remain faithful to Him.
Therefore, because of what we have to look forward to in heaven as Christians, we are to be joyful, even through times of hardship. One thing to keep in mind is that joy is an attitude of reverence for God—we do not necessarilly have to be happy and joyful at the same time.
The trials we face are meant to strengthen our faith, the same way fire tempers gold. And as the above passage says, our faith is far more valuble to God than gold! If our faith proves to be strong, we will be glorified and honored when Jesus returns to set up His kingdom on earth!
So, now what? On our own, we cannot hope to be joyful and allow ourselves to be tested by hardship; it simply goes against human nature. But with God on our side, it is possible for us to prepare ourselves the way 1 Peter 1:13-21 (NKJV) commands us to:
13 Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 14 as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; 15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”
17 And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; 18 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. 20 He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, 21 who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
Think clearly, excercise self-control, and be hopeful of the day the grace of God — our inheritance — is bestowed upon us. Since we are God's children, we are not to give in to our old sin nature. God has ordained us as holy — specially distinguished from the world — and wants us to act as such, since He, our Heavenly Father, is holy.
God will judge us Christians based on the good we do in His name. He doesn't play "favorites;" we are all judged by the same scale, His scale.
As such, we are to live in reverence of Him while we are foreigners on earth—for our true home is in heaven, with God.
Application
Everyone has something go wrong in their lives at some point. Usually, we are disappointed or fearful (perhaps both) when this happens because, in addition to the event itself, we have lost our trust in something we thought was reliable (like a lost job, an angry friend, or cheating spouse). If we lose perspective and cannot maintain self control, we will naturally follow this process:
disappointment/fear — anger — self-pity — depression — despair
In the end, we wind up making a mountain out of a molehill, no matter how catastrophic the catalyst event was.
It doesn't have to be this way, however. Since we have faith in God, we can avoid the self-inflicted pain and come out of the situation with a tempered faith. We will follow this process instead of the above one:
disappointment/fear — joyfulness — peace
Peace doesn't mean that the bad situation is gone. The peace God offers is a renewed focus on what really matters in life: Him.
Related Lessons
Posted 1241588787|%B %d, %Y|agohover
This is very elegant. Good job!
— Blog ~ Life's Handbook
Well written, good lesson.
Chase Hamilton
