More Precious Than Gold

More Precious Than Gold
In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 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…—1 Peter 1: 6-7
When we are going through trials, God does not deny us our natural emotions. For a season, we grieve. For a short time, we experience the heaviness of our disappointment, our sorrow. But when that season of mourning is over, we do something odd in the eyes of the world: we rejoice. We can do so only because we have the glorious promises of God. Even though we feel burdened, even though we have suffered loss or experienced pain, our souls are able to rejoice.
**God will continue to remove the imperfections within us until He can look at us and see His reflection.
Peter wrote that the genuineness of your faith is much more precious than gold. Gold is known as one of the precious metals, but it is going to perish eventually. And just as the goldsmith heats the gold until all the dross is burned away and it becomes so pure he can see his reflection, so too, God lights a fire under our faith. He allows trials to break the dross in our life and cause it to come to the surface. That is the point at which we will be purified.
Remember: trials mature our faith. May we not resist the purifying work of God, but rejoice.
Father, thank You for the testing of our faith, and for the fiery trials which You bring to mature and purify us. In Jesus’ name, amen.
PS FAITH. This is the one surefire way you know you belong to God. Are you acting by it? Is your faith driving you to do things you would never do without it? Is there an object that your faith rests upon? My faith rests upon Jesus , He is the object of my faith. Through His Holy Spirit I am led to do the things that only faith can allow. This makes my faith an exceptionally precious gift from my Father in heaven. But I must exercise my gift for it to grow and develop!
PSS I pray every day that God would plant the seeds of faith inside my children, then by faith I teach them about Jesus daily. My desire would be that men who are in my life can see my faith thru my deeds and actions. I hope my faith is clear to others. Please challenge me if it is not. How genuine is your faith? Where do you need to make changes and set spiritual goals for 2020?
Sola Fide! Dan Shock CBMC of Tampa Bay
Engage in Kingdom Work: Advance.CBMC.Com<advance.cbmc.com/> -Free tools for sharing and growing your faith
Perspective on Kingdom Work: “Thinking Lost” bit.ly/1iUQg7x -best teaching I’ve heard on the Great Commission