In This You Rejoice
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1 Peter 1:3-9
3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4. and to an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5. who by God's power are guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while you may have to suffer various trials, 7. so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold which though perishable is tested by fire, may redound to praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8. Without having seen him you love him; though you do not now see him you believe in him and rejoice with unutterable and exalted joy. 9. As the outcome of your faith you obtain the salvation of your souls.
We’ve been saved! We’ve been re-born! We are the heirs of perfection; of eternity! No matter what we do, God will not write us out of the will! Oh, there is one thing we must do: repent! God holds the treasure of eternal life in heaven for us. It’s being kept safe and protected and perfect for us. God wants us to want our inheritance. Not earn it – that’s already been done by our big brother! He paid the price for us! He already earned the prize! Now that’s what I call a good big brother! And so, no matter what we have endured in life, no matter what stumbling blocks may be put before us, no matter how far off track we roam, no matter how many times we fall short, it just doesn’t change the outcome! Rejoice indeed! Have you really thought about this? Have you really pondered all the implications? Has it really sunk in, deep within you? Have you ever in your life felt that worthy?
So, what about our suffering? Why does it happen? If God loves us so much, and wants us to love him back, why does he allow hurtful experiences into our lives? Michael Card, on one of his live cd’s, recalls for the audience a painful experience from his childhood, and about how it shaped him and influenced him to become the man he is today. He tells the audience that God uses every experience—good, bad, sad, painful—to make us more like Him. That really hit me! And it kind of put things in perspective! I once read part of an interview with Arthur Ashe – the famous tennis player who died of AIDS, which he contracted from a blood transfusion. I paraphrase the conversation between Ashe and an interviewer. He asked Ashe if he ever asked God, “Why me?” And Ashe replied, “No. But I never asked him ‘why me?’ when I was winning at Wimbledon, either.”
That’s a pretty profound statement. And an amazing perspective on life. God gave us a big brother who never asked our father, “Why me?” He knew why and he knew his purpose. And in obedience, he fulfilled that purpose on earth. Arthur Ashe clearly grasped this! He was “made” to play tennis! And he did so brilliantly! But God used his life, his fame, and his afflictions, in powerful ways to minister to the world. “. . . though now for a little while you may have to suffer various trials, 7. so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold which though perishable is tested by fire, may redound to praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
So today I pray you’ll rejoice in the rich inheritance won for us by our big brother, Jesus. And that you’ll thank God for the both the bitter and the sweet things in your life today.
Mary
