Today’s Daily Light

I am aware of ‘so many’ people right now who are in pain and suffering due to circumstances going on in their life….so we turn to God’s word for help.

As believers in Christ Jesus…we have an eternal inheritance that is kept ‘alive’ for us in Christ Jesus.

1 Peter 1:3-9 NIV, Peter teaches us… “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!  In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade – kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.  In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.  These have come so that our faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may be proved genuine and may result in the praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.  Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”  

Wow…double wow!    Read that again slowly…let it permeate down into your spirit-man….ahhhhh.   So what is God telling us through what Peter wrote….   God is saying…  Give me praise….because in my great mercy..which is derived from my even greater love for you…I have given you an inheritance…a birth into eternal life…get that…not just life…but ‘eternal life’…which is a real and true and living reality that I refer to as a living hope..and this is provided for you through the death and resurrection of my Son, Jesus.  This inheritance I am giving you is not a hope that can fade or perish or spoil.  It is solid eternal substance that is unchangeable and is secured and insured by the signed and sealed contract that my son signed for you with His shed blood.  It is an irrevocable inheritance.   So in this fact…this reality…you should, must, and can rejoice.

Now…even in this rejoicing… we still live in this fallen world of sin where decay and pain and suffering and death occur all around us everyday….we will..over the course of living out our lives in this temporary body…we will suffer grief in all kinds of trials..but know that this present age of suffering issuch a little time for you to have to endure this time of trials and pain and suffering ‘as compared’ to the eternal realm that you will move into upon your release from this temporary limited realm.   So don’t be afraid of these trials and the times of pain and suffering…no.  Think of it like this…if something as valuable and precious as gold…has to be placed into fire in order to be refined…to endure a process which is to make it more pure…more lovely….and in the end…after being refined…gold still perishes…after being placed through the fire it ‘perishes….then realize that you are more precious than gold…and that all of your trials and pain and suffering serve to refine you and make you more pure and lovely…and the great news is that you…because you have this eternal inheritance ‘in’ Christ…you will NEVER…not ever perish.   And that is your forever reason to have joy…yes even during your time of trial.  Such joy is a God given reality…is born in the mystical realm of faith…and only believers who have new birth in Christ can experience such an experience…to go through pain, suffering, trials, yet to know a peace and joy that comes from our Father in heaven.  Wow!  Such is inexpressible!

Father…some of us are dealing with circumstances in our life today that take our breath away…that make us want to give up and crawl under a blanket and hide.  Some are exhausted and so weary. Some of us are in so much pain because of trials that we are enduring.     I pray that we can see that all of these temporary trials are processes that serve to refine us for your praise and glory.   And this reality brings us joy…that we are ‘in’ you…eternally safe ‘in’ you…and THAT fact..that reality…is the greatest joy that we can ever know or experience…so wonderful it is almost inexpressible.   We thank you.  Father your word says that because of the hope we have in you…that we can find inexpressible joy even while we are suffering.   By faith we receive your promise.   We ask you to make this real in our time of trials and suffering.  Help us, through faith in Your name, to reach out through the veil of pain and suffering and take hold of the eternal joy that is ‘in’ You.   In Jesus name..  Amen