1 PETER 1:6

In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.

TO PONDER

Have you heard the term, ‘a nice hurt’? or ‘a good hurt’? Sometime when I’ve physically overexerted myself at something, I feel weary. In fact, it’s more than weary. Some of my muscles are hurting. Some of the parts of my body that haven’t been used much, are in pain. After a game of football, it is hard to get up the next day. But I don’t mind, because you know you’ve worked hard, probably enjoyed it, and the ‘reward’ (if one can use that phrase), is the pain. That’s what I call a ‘good hurt’. Often, it’s referred to as ‘no pain, no gain’. I get it. Some people don’t. My wife doesn’t understand that thinking. 

I wonder if that’s what Peter means in today’s text. He is of course referring to the life of a disciple. To living an obedient and faithful life. He knows full well, that being a person of faith will have its trials. He knows that there will be problems to overcome, anxiety to deal with, persecution to handle, and grief to manage. Yet he reminds us to rejoice. We can rejoice because we have life everlasting and are forgiven. But get ready for the tough stuff. It will find us if we are obedient to God. We don’t ask for the trials, but they will appear. So be reminded that Jesus went through the worst trial for you, so you could deal with whatever life throws at you.      

PRAYER: Prince of Peace, we ask for your peace in all the hard stuff we come across. When the going gets tough, stick with us. When life seems hard, walk with us. When we are grieving, comfort us. Thank you for your presence in our lives. Amen  

Today's devotion written by Mark Simpfendorfer, LifeWay Epping