1 PETER 1:8
“Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not,
yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.”
Peter is encouraging the church. Reminding them of the great gift we have received in Jesus Christ and the renewed hope his sacrifice has afforded us. Even in times of trouble we can find joy in him.
THINK ON THIS…
Many people walk around in despair when life gets hard. We all go through difficult times but Peter is saying even in those times we can still have #joy.
In Christ, we should have strength to carry us through the trials. Joy that keeps our spirits up; we might have moments of feeling overwhelmed but we shouldn’t live in that emotion. There is always hope and a contentment in the knowledge that however the circumstances work out, if we have put our trust in Christ, it will all work out for our good; just like it says in Romans 8:28.
Today people seem to experience moments of joy. It isn’t a continuous feeling they carry with them. They get a piece of good news, they have joy. They receive a gift, they have joy. Get a new car, they have joy. It is simply a response to the moment. A temporary emotion.
As #Christians we shouldn’t be like roller coasters, high on life one minute and walking around in the doldrums the next. We ought to consistently be content in whatever our circumstances. Walking in faith, trusting God to meet our needs and as we follow him knowing he will lead us and guide us.
It’s not that we don’t go through trials and circumstances. Ecclesiastes 3 speaks of how we will have times of mourning, times of tearing down, a time to pluck up and a time to die. In Ecclesiates 9:11 it clearly states time and chance happens to all men. Matthew 5:45 puts it this way, “for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.”
Everyone in this life will experience the full range of human emotions. We can choose joy though even in the worse moments of life. We don’t have to live in fear, grief, depression or any other emotion that draws the life out of us. Joy will see us through all of these negative emotions. It will bring us to a place where the good emotions mentioned in Ecclesiastes 3 come into play. A time to dance, a time to laugh, a time to plant and a time to be born. I especially like the time to be born again.
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