Priceless

“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 your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”  1 Peter 1:6-7

Have you ever heard the praise chorus that says “Lord, You are, more precious than silver. Lord, You are, more costly than gold. Lord, You are, more beautiful than diamonds. And nothing I desire compares with You”?

Nothing I desire compares to Christ. How many of us can honestly say that? In this passage, we are reminded that the riches of this world will perish. It is foolish to spend our lives in pursuit of that which is fleeting. Christ is eternal. Faith in Christ is eternal – and in God’s economy, it is worth more than all the money in the world.

God has designed the Christian life to require dependence on Him. One of the ways He has done this is revealed in this passage. Trials build our faith…if we endure. What does it mean to endure? It means that our faith results in praise, glory, and honor to Christ. The way we respond to life’s hardships should reflect the character of Christ. This kind of response will bring honor to His name.

There is always the temptation when we face hard times to question God. Many times it just doesn’t seem fair. Sometimes it may even feel like God is withholding His blessings from us when we are experiencing the grief of trials. But this passage assures us that the opposite is true. Despite how we feel, the most loving thing God does is to test and build our faith. Why? Because having genuine faith makes us eternally rich.

The dark times in our lives are God’s invitation to come nearer to Him. In these times, we experience God’s grace and sufficiency in ways that we cannot when things are easy. It is because He loves us, and desires a deep and meaningful relationship with us, that He allows our faith to be tested by trials. This is why we can rejoice…because we know that what we face on this earth will soon be over. But the riches gained from endurance will last forever.

Father, in faith, I thank You for testing my faith through trials. Although I do not always feel thankful, Your Word promises that faith is worth more than any temporary suffering on this earth. My prayer is that Your joy will shine through my life, even when things don’t go my way. May my life bring honor to Your name and point others to You. In Jesus’ name, amen.